In an effort to reduce visual clutter on its roads, Gwinnett County commissioners on Tuesday will consider a change to its sign law that would reduce the number of billboards.
The new rules would put the kibosh on any new “static” — or traditional unmoving — billboards in unincorporated Gwinnett, though existing ones would be allowed to stay. Areas where billboards are already prohibited, like Ronald Reagan Parkway, would remain billboard free.
The new rules prefer electronic billboards, and fewer of them. Trading electronic billboards for traditional ones “constitutes a benefit to Gwinnett County in regard to traffic safety and aesthetics,” the proposed ordinance said.
Under the proposal, three traditional billboards would have to be taken down for every electronic billboard erected. The electronic billboard would have to go on the site of one of the billboards that was removed.
Some electronic billboards already exist in the county, but the change would encourage more of them. Electronic billboards can display public service announcements like emergency information, when it is appropriate, in addition to ads. That could have an impact on safer travel, as could a reduction in the number of signs to look at.
Gwinnett already has some electronic billboards. If commissioners approve the new rules, they will require that messages on electronic billboards are displayed for at least 10 seconds at a time. The proposal also regulates brightness of the signs, ensures that no two electronic signs will be located within 5,000 feet of one another and requests that owners coordinate with law enforcement so the signs can have Amber Alerts and other emergency information on them when needed.
County employees have been considering the future of billboards “for some time,” Gwinnett County planning director Bryan Lackey wrote in a letter to commissioners. They will consider the new rules at a 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday.
About the Author
