Election poster cable ties

Kevincavan83

Is anyone else having trouble with these cable ties.

I ripped the Sh!t out of my front tyre,
Couldn't go around them as car was passing too close.
Surely it's littering by not picking them up?
You got to love our governmental representatives

crosstownk

I went for a spin on Sunday and I was dodging those things along the Tallaght Bypass.

Today on my spins to and from work I encountered more of them. I had no option but to ride over some of them but thankfully my half worn Pro 4s suffered no damage.

It seems to me that somebody went to the bother of cutting the cable tie to remove the election poster but couldn't be arsed picking up the tie.

Wishbone Ash

A good few years back, I asked a public representative about cable ties remaining on lamp posts after the posters were removed (as it bugged me). He said that, although the posters are put up by party members and supporters, when the 7 day removal rule came in, they resorted to paying people to remove them in order to give their supporters a break, as many had taken time off work in the run up to the election campaign and would find it difficult to get more time off to remove posters within 7 days.

He said that it was much more difficult to 'police' these people as they were not particularly interested in environmental matters but more interested in earning a bit of extra cash. I got the distinct impression that these 'removers' were paid for the numbers of posters they returned to base - hence their eagerness to move swiftly along and not get too pre-occupied with the disposal of cable ties.

eeeee

Just noticed this today, really irritating. There are clumps of them at the bottom of lamp posts and poles or on the ground at the bottom of them. It's definitely littering leaving them there is it not?

Wishbone Ash

gadetra wrote: »

... It's definitely littering leaving them there is it not?

Yup! ....but how do you identify the culprits?

There was a proposal a few years back that cable ties be colour co-ordinated so that they could be associated with a particular party but it didn't seem to get any traction.

eeeee

Fine them all! :pac:

Borderfox

07Lapierre

And I'm sure all the political parties employed companies to erect/ remove their posters? Surely they wouldn't encourage the black economy by paying people cash (brown envelopes)?

07Lapierre

gadetra wrote: »

Fine them all! :pac:

Someone should invent some kind of electronic communication whereby all political parties could promote themselves "online". Thereby removing the need for posters in the first place.!!!

De Bhál

Plastic cable ties wouldn't damage tyres, would they?

07Lapierre

De Bhál wrote: »

Plastic cable ties wouldn't damage tyres, would they?

Yes they can..especially if they are cut, as the edges can be very sharp.

eeeee

07Lapierre wrote: »

And I'm sure all the political parties employed companies to erect/ remove their posters? Surely they wouldn't encourage the black economy by paying people cash (brown envelopes)?

I read an article that stated a north Dublin td employed refugee workers to put up his posters for less than the minimum wage (he paid them cash in hand, €6 per hour). I think they have bigger worries than the environment. Can't find that article now. He should be hauled over the coals for it. Strange how hushed up it was, like it was normal...(he was caught doing the same thing during the last election too).

I say fine all the politicians that put up posters anywhere-they all either have to get their acts together and sort it out (and pay their workers fairly most importantly!).

Harrybelafonte

Learn to bunnyhop

Luxman

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Learn to bunnyhop

without using cleats. Old skool😜

Fian

at the very least they could make the cable ties high-vis so it would be easier to see them when they litter the ground...

07Lapierre

Fian wrote: »

at the very least they could make the cable ties high-vis so it would be easier to see them when they litter the ground...

No.... They could just dispose of them correctly instead of leaving them for someone else to deal with!

alentejo

Cycled over one of these this morning on the Kimmage Road. Front tyre shredded. Off to buy a replacement Marathon Plus at lunch time.

manwithaplan

I saw a guy removing posters the other day and he seemed to be taking them all, regardless of party. I was wondering if candidates sometimes agree on one provider to do the whole job and then pay them per poster returned to each candidate. If they did that, it shouldn't be beyond them to insist the cable ties are picked up too.

Not a huge issue in the grand scheme of things though.

RainyDay

07Lapierre wrote: »

Someone should invent some kind of electronic communication whereby all political parties could promote themselves "online". Thereby removing the need for posters in the first place.!!!

No posters gives a definite advantage to incumbent candidates over new candidates. We all hate posters, they look terrible, and they are a crappy, dangerous job for (usually) volunteers to put up and take down. But like most advertising, they have an impact.

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

A good few years back, I asked a public representative about cable ties remaining on lamp posts after the posters were removed (as it bugged me). He said that, although the posters are put up by party members and supporters, when the 7 day removal rule came in, they resorted to paying people to remove them in order to give their supporters a break, as many had taken time off work in the run up to the election campaign and would find it difficult to get more time off to remove posters within 7 days.

He said that it was much more difficult to 'police' these people as they were not particularly interested in environmental matters but more interested in earning a bit of extra cash. I got the distinct impression that these 'removers' were paid for the numbers of posters they returned to base - hence their eagerness to move swiftly along and not get too pre-occupied with the disposal of cable ties.

There is a mix of volunteers and paid workers putting posters up and taking them down. In most cases, the paid crews are paid a piece rate - per poster - going up and down, so they are less likely to be tidy, but it should really be part of the job.

manwithaplan wrote: »

I saw a guy removing posters the other day and he seemed to be taking them all, regardless of party. I was wondering if candidates sometimes agree on one provider to do the whole job and then pay them per poster returned to each candidate. If they did that, it shouldn't be beyond them to insist the cable ties are picked up too.

Not a huge issue in the grand scheme of things though.

I know of volunteers who take pride in 'stripping a pole' - removing all ties regardless of whose they are, and disposing of them properly.

I picked up about 4 ties while walking through D.4 today and dropped them in the nearest wheelie bin - every little helps.

Kaisr Sose

The countryside is awash with cable ties dumped, dropped , discarded etc. Plus there are the ones not removed.

This is blatant littering. I am at a loss as to how they are still allowed put them up. They often place them in locations where no permanent advertising hoarding would be allowed for safety reasons.

The people that put up and take down posters don't do it for free. I wonder how much of it is cash in hand stuff? Our great old political machine seems to be quite able to turn a blind eye to everything in the cause of getting into office/power and then vow to curb tax evasion, enforce planning laws, reform local Govt, improve the Environment etc etc. If it was not so serious it would be laughable!!

I suggested to one party that if posters were a necessary evil, the cable ties should be branded/coded so that each party could have their own ties and be held accountable for those that are never removed/dropped. They thought it was a great idea and like all great ideas proposed to our politicians, nothing happens with them!

RainyDay

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

The people that put up and take down posters don't do it for free.

Lots of them do it for free. Every candidate has people around them who build up real expertise in this over the years. It is a dirty, dangerous job, often done in bad light and bad weather, into the early hours or even all-nighters when the election is announced. There is a real 'race' to get the posters up at key locations before the competition.

Kaisr Sose wrote: »

I wonder how much of it is cash in hand stuff?

There are paid crews too, and 'paid volunteers' - whatever that means

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/election-worker-settles-action-for-damages-against-labour-party-over-postering-fall-1.2146300

CramCycle

Egg on my face, I really thought it wasn't that bad, I realise my folly as I sit here with a flat front tyre.

Kaisr Sose

CramCycle wrote: »

Egg on my face, I really thought it wasn't that bad, I realise my folly as I sit here with a flat front tyre.

That's bad luck. Didn't you realise that the cycling forum is renowned for the quality of its 'special reporting' 😀

Things are everywhere, out to Enniskerry, Blessington, all the way into town (multiple routes)

#Scourge!

NiallBoo

RainyDay wrote: »

In most cases, the paid crews are paid a piece rate - per poster - going up and down, so they are less likely to be tidy, but it should really be part of the job.

An obvious solution is to only pay them per full set of election poster AND cable-ties.

CramCycle

NiallBoo wrote: »

An obvious solution is to only pay them per full set of election poster AND cable-ties.

You are then relying on the person who they are returning the poster to, to count or care.

Colour coding per party as was suggested and then initials for independents, littering fine for every tie after the election on the ground. They could also be inspeccted when up and similar fines for littering issued as they shoudl not be up with out the colour coding or initials.

RainyDay

NiallBoo wrote: »

An obvious solution is to only pay them per full set of election poster AND cable-ties.

You'd spend more time counting cable ties, and fragments of cable ties. Some poles require 2 or 3 ties strapped together. Not workable really.

CramCycle wrote: »

Colour coding per party as was suggested and then initials for independents, littering fine for every tie after the election on the ground. They could also be inspeccted when up and similar fines for littering issued as they shoudl not be up with out the colour coding or initials.

The ties are transparent for a reason, so that when they are strap goes through the nice man's forehead or neck or white shirt, they aren't visible to the punter at the bottom. You can't always plan for where exactly on the poster the ties will go. It depends on the size of the pole and the number of other posters up before you. I'm not sure if you could do colour coding without the ties turning into a distraction or disfigurement on the poster.

jive

Is there a reason why the election posters aren't put on a board somewhere? I know in mainland Europe many places just have a board with some A4 sized sheets stuck on for each candidate, if you want to see the candidates you just walk up to the thing and have a look.

I'm sure there could be a middle ground in which billboards could be used as well. The wastage and safety issues associated with hanging 10 posters on a pole is so archaic.

07Lapierre

CramCycle wrote: »

You are then relying on the person who they are returning the poster to, to count or care.

Colour coding per party as was suggested and then initials for independents, littering fine for every tie after the election on the ground. They could also be inspeccted when up and similar fines for littering issued as they shoudl not be up with out the colour coding or initials.

RainyDay wrote: »

You'd spend more time counting cable ties, and fragments of cable ties. Some poles require 2 or 3 ties strapped together. Not workable really.



The ties are transparent for a reason, so that when they are strap goes through the nice man's forehead or neck or white shirt, they aren't visible to the punter at the bottom. You can't always plan for where exactly on the poster the ties will go. It depends on the size of the pole and the number of other posters up before you. I'm not sure if you could do colour coding without the ties turning into a distraction or disfigurement on the poster.

Look..the obvious answer is to ban election posters..simple. There are plenty of alternatives....TV, Radio, Internet, Newspapers, Billboards, Advertising on Buses, trains, taxi's. The list is endless! there's simply no justification for them.

RainyDay

07Lapierre wrote: »

Look..the obvious answer is to ban election posters..simple. There are plenty of alternatives....TV, Radio, Internet, Newspapers, Billboards, Advertising on Buses, trains, taxi's. The list is endless! there's simply no justification for them.

All of media that you mention are expensive, some of them incredibly expensive.

So have a think about whether you want our elections to go further down the road of the US, where someone like Trump can basically buy the election result he wants.

Carawaystick

A New tyre is expensive. the election posters are only cheap because of the subsidy of allowing the public realm for political advertising.

In France, each candidate gets an A1 size stand outside the Marie to put up their election bumpf.

07Lapierre

RainyDay wrote: »

All of media that you mention are expensive, some of them incredibly expensive.

So have a think about whether you want our elections to go further down the road of the US, where someone like Trump can basically buy the election result he wants.

Printing posters is not exactly cheap either. At the moment if you have the money, you can print 3 or 4 times more posters than someone with a smaller budget, which is probably why there are so many if them. No ban them.