Musings: Let's get rid of 'eye pollution'
An advertising sign is removed from a utility pole in Levittown. Credit: Kevin P. Coughlin/Kevin P Coughlin
Our “eye pollution” problem is getting worse every day. Advertisements are posted on utility poles, street corners, etc. — ads for Christmas light installations, SAT tutoring, junk cars wanted, and on and on. It’s illegal, yet it’s proliferating.
These flyers look horrible. Instead, the people should take out ads in a local weekly paper.
Long Island towns’ code enforcement bureaus can do just so much. Some towns say a complaint needs to be filed by phone or online, and it will be addressed. Some towns will then warn violators that they are risking a fine if the sign stays up. Exceptions exist, such as political candidates’ signs, which are allowed to be up for a certain time period.
The Town of Oyster Bay, for example, says codes vary for New York State and towns. Villages are often stricter. Town highway crews take down signs when they see them.
A utility can have its own codes about poles, but a Nassau County ordinance states that anyone can remove signs from utility poles.
— Joe Kennedy, Syosset
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN OUR DAILY CONVERSATION. Just go to newsday.com/submitaletter and follow the prompts. Or email your opinion to letters@newsday.com. Submissions should be no more than 200 words. Please provide your full name, hometown, phone number and any relevant expertise or affiliation. Include the headline and date of the article you are responding to. Letters become the property of Newsday and are edited for all media. Due to volume, readers are limited to one letter in print every 45 days. Published letters reflect the ratio received on each topic.
