May 05, 2009 — SCENIC NEVADA ACTION ALERT Update Digital Billboard — On Wednesday May 6th 2009, the Reno City Planning Commission pulled an amendment to the city's ordinance allowing digital billboards in our community.

By a vote of the people, the billboard law within Reno City limits now reads — “The construction of new off-premises advertising displays/billboards is prohibited, and The City of Reno may not issue permits for their construction.”
(This law was approved by the voters at the November 7, 2000 General Election, Question R_1 - The results were certified by the city council on November 14, 2000)

Photos - Examples of Digital Billboard - Day View     Photos - Examples of Digital Billboard - Dusk View

Below are Scenic Nevada's view's on why a Moratorium on Digital Billboards is needed now!

Unsafe — Digital Billboards are the brightest object in the driver's field of vision, causing inadvertent and instinctual glances. Images rotate ever eight seconds causing lingering looks to see what's next. Anything that distracts a driver for more than two seconds significantly increases chances of crashes

    Highway Safety
  • Brightest object in the driver’s field of vision, especially at night
  • Cause inadvertent and instinctual glances
  • Images rotate every 8 seconds as proposed causing lingering looks to see what’s next
  • Complex messages often take 5 seconds to comprehend
    Research is coming?
  • Federal Highway Administration is planning research
  • The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is sponsoring preliminary research leading to future investigations
  • The Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences is conducting a human-factors workshop and will manage AASHTO research

Unsightly — Garish, brightly lit billboards change advertisement every eight seconds, 24-7 will impact surrounding property values; business and homes. When you pass a traditional billboard in Reno, imagine it as a digital billboard, or a giant, flashing flat screen TV. Would you want to live or work near one?

    Aesthetics
  • Will be the brightest objects in the landscape
  • Will be the dominant visual element
  • Detract and distract from other visual/scenic qualities
  • Clash with historic or established architectural elements, even at great distances

Intrusive — Digital billboards are so bright they are visible for miles. They are 10 times brighter than the surrounding area and 3 times brighter than a traditional billboard. They could become a part of your neighborhood view whether you live near one or not. Digital Billboards may end dark night skies for Reno

    Visual Impacts
  • Effects on property values
  • Light and noise effects on nearby households and businesses

Energy — Reno is striving to become a "green" city. The carbon footprint of one digital billboard equals 49 traditional billboards or 13.39 homes. One digital billboard emits 108.41 tons per year of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the major cause of global warming (i.e., Climate Change).

    Brightness and Energy Usage
  • The sun is measured at 6,500 nits
  • During the daytime, a digital sign can be set at over 10,000 nits
  • One digital billboard consumes 397,486 kWh/year
  • Standard size digital billboard contains 449,280 light-emitting diodes

Proliferation — Despite a vote of the people to the contrary, new billboards have been erected within the city limits through a "banking" system. When a billboard comes down, it can be put up somewhere else or the permit is "banked" until the billboard company finds a suitable location. As Reno annexes outlying areas, the banked permits could be used to erect permanent, digital billboards.

Profits — Digital billboards maximize profits for the billboard companies. A billboard image could change 10,000 times a day at eight seconds intervals. These billboards can be 36 feet tall and with variances up to seven stories high, they often tower over the surrounding buildings. Yet, billboard companies aren't assessed property taxes, like the rest of us.

  • Digital billboards are expensive to build and provide higher profits to billboard companies
  • Enormous compensation costs if signs are altered, moved or removed by local governments
  • Once studies are completed, and if the signs are found to be unsafe in their current configuration, any required changes to sign operations may cost governments millions in compensation payments

Illegal — A majority of the people voted to limit billboards. No new billboards are allowed under the law. Digital billboards are new construction and, therefore, are illegal.

    Finally…
  • Any increase in square feet of display space is a violation of The City of Reno Ordinance, 18.16.902, which reads:
    • The construction of new off-premises advertising displays/billboards is prohibited, and The City of Reno may not issue permits for their construction

  • This was approved by the voters on November 7, 2000 and further upheld by The Nevada Supreme Court

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