City to target structures left behind after illegal ad removals
Illegal adverts are being removed, but the structures they sit on are often left behind along major roads.
Advertising trailers and structures along major roads, described by local councillors as illegal, are back in the spotlight, with Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe calling for co-ordinated enforcement against what she describes as an eyesore.
Deppe said the growing number of advertising trailers and A-frame structures has become unacceptable. During a recent drive through the ward, she counted approximately 20 advertising trailers and called for authorities to establish whether the structures had the necessary approvals. She also called for unauthorised advertising structures to be removed and for their owners and advertising companies to be held responsible.
Read more: Naked non-compliance in city billboard advert crackdown
The issue is not only about the advertisements themselves, but what happens to the structures after enforcement teams remove the advertising material.
Ward 93 councillor Vino Reddy voiced the same concerns. He said the structures often remain because the city does not have the necessary equipment to remove them. This has contributed to a cycle where advertisements are removed, but while the structures remain, they can later be used again.
Executive Mayor of Johannesburg Dada Morero acknowledged the problem, and said to the Fourways Review that the city was working on a plan to deal with the structures themselves. He explained that enforcement teams sometimes arrive at sites without the appropriate equipment needed to remove the structures. According to Morero, this meant the city had to look at procuring the necessary equipment and resources. “I think the city manager and his team have been looking at how we find the equipment and resources to remove the actual structures after removing the outfits themselves,” Morero said. He added that the municipality wants those who breach city by-laws to take financial responsibility, adding that the local authority will remove the structures and bill the offenders.
Also read: JMPD called after billboard team busted erecting an illegal advert
Deppe said residents should not have to accept major roads becoming uncontrolled advertising spaces and called for sustained monitoring to prevent illegal trailers and structures from simply returning after enforcement action.
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