Election Poster Heights

Fey!

I know that this has been mentioned in the thread about defacing posters, but I can't find what I'm looking for on there, and I don't want to get the enquiry lost within the BS.

I'm looking for information regarding the minimum height election posters can be placed, and what locations they may NOT be placed in.

This is primarily a safety issue due to some posters barely being 2 feet off the ground in front of pedestrian crossings, therefore blocking the field of vision of motorists.

There is also the issue of posters at the 6 foot mark; I'm 6'5", and find these irritating at best!

I have contacted my local authority (Galway City Council), who sent me to the registrar of the local court, who sent me to the franchise section of the department of the environment, heritage and local government, who sent me back to the roads or environment sections of my local authority. The roads section asked me to email in my query, which I have now done complete with pictures.

Is there a national guideline or, better still, rule, or is it down to each local authority seperately?

Also, someone mentioned on another thread that the ESB and Eircom ban posters off their poles. Is this correct and, if it's true, who enforces it?

Finally, the nice and helpful lady in franchise told me that the posters must have the name and contact number of the publisher of the posters on the front of the poster.

Here are 2 examples, both taken from the junction at the end of Quay Street, Galway.

The first poster is attached to the pedestrian traffic lights, or just in front of them. A lot of people just walk out onto the road there without waiting for the lights, and drivers can't see them.

The same poster was up on the pedestrian lights outside Richardsons in Eyre Square last week; I'm not sure if it's still there.

The second poster is outside Jurys Inn, and is exactly the right height to walk into if your head is down due to the rain (or if you're just not concentrating on where you're going!). There is also the one in the background blocking a large portion of the path.



Thanks for your help in advance.

D.

Victor

Fey! wrote: »

Are you saying this is a pedestrian crossing? It doesn't look like one.

Sending an e-mail to the candidates / parties involved expressing your displeasure may get a reaction.

Copying it tot he council traffic and litter departments may also have an effect.

MagicSean

Ring the parties local headquarters. They tend to act on these kinds of complaints.

Fey!

I sent what I posted above, including the pictures, to Galway City Councils roads department. The lady there responding very quickly, apologising for all of the calls I had to make, and sending me the following information:

Galway City Council - Roads wrote:

The 1997 Litter Act legislates for the matter of posters in advance of a polling. The Environment Section may have confirmed this already by responding to your email sooner.

We can confirm that posters should be 2.1 - 2.2 metres clearance off the ground, they should not restrict visibility, should not cover road signage, not placed at roundabouts where they can cause a distraction to motorists and should generally not be causing an obstructution. On polling day, signage must be outside the 200 metres exclusion zone in order that it does not interfere with the democratic process.

By the time I was going home they had the low poster on the pedestrian lights and the low poster in the middle of the path removed. When I was coming in this morning there were some other low posters by the Spanish Arch gone.

So, well done to Galway City Council on dealing with this so quickly.

@Victor; the pole that the are on is the traffic light pole on a pedestrian crossing; the poster had the lights and anyone standing at them completely covered. The same party had done the same thing in Eyre Square last week.

Outside of the city in Lackagh and Turloughmore last night I couldn't help but notice several 10' hoardings at ground level on the side of the road. Surely these are also against the regulations. The same hoardings are also at the Westwood Hotel in Dangan.

What kind of fines can the politicians expect for these violations?

Fey!

Just a quick update to this.

Galway City Councils environment section got back to my yesterday.

GCC Environment Section wrote:

The stipulation is that the posters be removed following 7 days after the election but there are no stipulations regarding height from the road etc. Our Roads Dept will be involved if they are obstructing a view of a road or signage and they will be removed or the owners of the posters will be asked to remove them immediately.

All laws regarding posters is contained in the Litter Pollution Act 1996 (Election Material section).

I thanked them and pointed out the reply I had gotten from their roads section. The reply was:

GCC Environment Section wrote:

.....works in the Roads Section and I am Environment dealing with the matter from a Litter Pollution point of view.

Reading that I take it that the rules differ according to department.

I should give credit, however, to Galway City Council for the speed with which they have gotten a lot of the offending posters removed.

Big Tone

I am also 6' 5" and I find some of the relatively low heights (6ft) of these election posters to be a threat to myself and public health and safety in general (especially taller than average people). I almost had an eye taken out by a corner of one of the posters. Surely there is a law which states the minimum height these can be displyed at and whether public property, such a lamp posts, should even be used for such a purpose as this would suggest potentially dual purpose for ESB poles.

Also, on a slightly different but not unrelated note, in a recent storm there were a large number of pole posters and plywood displays (such as those hammered into the ground at roundabouts, have high wind resistance) which posed a significant threat to driving as they got blown onto roads and car windscreens thereby posing a further threat to already hazardous driving conditions. Again a threat to public health and safety, a litter problem, not to mention potentially catastrophic injuries to life and limb.