Metropanels and Metropoles, what ever way you look at it, the whole thing stinks.It was a stitch-up between Dublin City Council officials and the Advertising Company JCDecaux. In return for taking down 48 billboard ads around the city, JCDecaux get to erect 120 ads all over the middle of Dublin. The amazing thing is that many of the signs they're removing never had planning permission in the first place, and they haven't even made public the list of what is being removed. JC Decaux know their way around Dublin, and I've know doubt that they've picked the highest value sites for their urban clutter.
Apart from the visual pollution they're causing a traffic hazard and an impediment to pedestrians. Just look at this poor couple crossing Parnell Street with a walking aid. In a moment they'll be invisible to fast moving traffic. It's an accident waiting to happen and makes my blood boil. Thankfully they've removed the one on Dorset Street, but they should just drop the whole project. Boards was on to it early on, as was the Village magazine and Ian Lumley from An Taisce.
Oh, they're throwing in a few free bikes as a sop to the Council, but as far as I'm concerned the whole idea should have been killed at birth. Well done to DangerInDublin, Mulley (though I can't find my way through his old entries to find the exact link) and others who have also highlighted the issue. Bee's entry on Boards.ie of a terrier pup whimpering after it ran under one grazing its back would be humorous if it wasn't so sad, not to mind the concerns of NCBI. Their guidelines on street furniture are ignored left right and centre with these signs, and there's worse to come when they put in the ones at head height.
Lunatics and asylums come to mind. I also feel a rant against Michael O'Leary coming on, but I'll deal with that in another forum.
Hopefully our County Manager in Dún Laoghaire Owen Keegan won't fall for their same sales schpiel from JC Decaux.
3 comments:
Ciaran,
While you're in the mood for a rant, what about the new Clarence hotel being given approval?
The buildings that will have to be demolished are perfectly sound. The actual hotel building is perfectly sound. And the new dome, no matter how environmentally friendly is a complete intrustion on the area. It's one thing to go putting new high rise buildings or unusual architectural designs in the docklands, but in the city centre such instrusive buildings are well...intrusive.
I think it's outrageous stuff altogether. And the "extraordinary circumstances" are ridiculous. I never had much faith in ABP, but I've lost all faith in them now, I have to say.
Can / will Minister Gormley do anything to stop it?
Been in Dublin the past few days and I'm seeing them a lot and am far from impressed. They're the advertising equivalent of chuggers. Advertising is not meant to get in your way and arrest your attention. All they're short is to add a hand that pops out to try and shake yours.
Thanks for also highlighting these signs. I was one of the people who brought some of these (as we didn't have €35,000 to lash out on appeal fees!)to An Bord Pleanala last year.
I have been blogging DCC's persistant failure on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/user/DangerinDublin
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