Staff asked to explore community videoboard downtown
Mayor Goldring, myself and the Burlington Downtown Business Association have been approached by a local business offering to install a video message board somewhere in the downtown. The cost to the city would be free; revenue would be generated by selling advertising on the message board. The city would have a negotiated amount of display time on the message board for community messages (for example upcoming events, road closures, seasonal messages).
The city’s current sign by-law does not allow this type of installation in the downtown. We would like to explore the feasibility of this idea further. I presented the following staff direction at the March 30 Development & Infrastructure Committee meeting:
Direct the Director of Planning & Building to report back to committee on the feasibility, desirability, location and process of procuring and installing a community videoboard in the downtown.
Update: This staff direction narrowly failed 4-3, but the BDBA and others are working to see if that vote can change for the April 20 council meeting to allow this to proceed.
May 15, 2015 @ 2:37 pm
It would be an eyesore to the downtown.
Burlngton already has too many sgns
May 7, 2015 @ 12:44 pm
Introduce dstractons to drvers and consume more energy for a vdeo board? No.
April 16, 2015 @ 1:39 pm
Ths would contrbute to dstracted drvng and walkng.
April 16, 2015 @ 11:45 am
A vdeo bllboard wll contrbute to the dstracted drvng concerns our governments and communtes are tryng to curtal. Vdeo bllboards by desgn, sze, brght vbrant non statc stmul, grab attenton more effcently as well as hold attenton for a longer perod than tradtonal statc bllboards.
These vdeo bllboards are a cause for concern. Especally napproprate n a bustlng downtown core where foot, bcycle and vehcular traffc share closer proxmty. The core, as well as other neghbourhoods, have many ntersectons and crossngs. I fear that more ncdents of dstracted drvers runnng the ntersectons and crosswalks wll occur.
April 15, 2015 @ 7:46 am
I would really hate to see ths happen. It’s the thn edge of the wedge and permttng one wll lead to more. We do NOT want our downtown lookng lke Dundas or Tmes squares.