30 May 2005

Auckland City to clear the way for Ponsonby pedestrians

Auckland City Council is seeking the cooperation of business owners to clear Ponsonby Road of sandwich boards that clutter the footpaths.

In the near future, Auckland City officers will be seizing and impounding any illegal boards found along the footpath.

Members of the public have expressed concern that the signs are limiting pedestrian movement and cluttering the streets. Fellow retailers are also concerned that their competitors are breaking the law to gain a commercial advantage.

“Auckland City values the relationship it has with retailers in Ponsonby and seeks their co-operation”, says Auckland City’s incident management project manager, Warren Adler. “The council understands how important advertising is to businesses, but has to balance this alongside public safety and the attractiveness of its streets.”

The council has a duty to respond to these complaints when they identify non-compliance with its bylaws. Visits to the area in the last 12 months have identified many breaches.

Non-compliance is often due to retailers not knowing the rules. The rules control the number, size and location of sandwich boards.

Under the bylaws, one sandwich board is permitted for every 10m of road frontage, up to a maximum of five boards per site. Businesses with no road frontage (for example, in malls) are permitted to place one board on the road frontage or public place closest to the entrance, but no more than five boards may be placed outside any entrance.

Business owners will have to pay council’s seizure and impounding costs to have their sandwich boards released.

“Auckland City asks that business owners check the rules and make sure their signs comply,” says Mr Adler. “Everyone benefits when the footpaths are unobstructed, and shopping is more appealing to customers when shop frontage is well laid out and uncluttered.”

ENDS

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