Parliamentary deputy speaker Renata Zmajkovicova from governing party Smer-SD is following up on her call from May to restrict and regulate the use of billboards, especially alongside roads. She has now specified her proposal, which among other things will mean billboards must be positioned at least 250m from all major roads.
The proposed revision to the Highway Code will be dealt with in parliament in September, creating what is referred to as a “safety zone” with the aim of increasing road safety. Billboard companies will now have a two-year grace period until 1 January 2015 to relocate existing advertising space in line with the new rules.
Zmajkovicova believes her plan will save the landscape in Slovakia from what she called “visual smog”, but maybe placing billboards further away from the roadside will only lead to bigger boards and drivers straining to see what they are about thanks to human curiosity. The problem in Slovakia is not only about the positioning of some adverts, but also their sheer number.
I like this proposal although it will be very hard to apply considering the strenght of billboard mafia here in Slovakia.
The current situation is unsustainable and as a driver it is very exhausting to drive here considering what traffic sing is, what not and where the traffic sign is.
I have never ever made a choice in shop driven by advertisment.
A good proposal that doesn’t go far enough. The safety zone along roads? does this only apply out in the sticks or in urban areas as well? Then there is the small matter of the nice little earner our local town clowns have going for themselves of allowing ( for a fee) advert boards to be mounted on street light and trolley bus pylons and even on road sign poles often obscuring the traffic signs. Too many billboards? We still haveFico, Slota and others grinning down at us from their election posters at many sites here which would suggest the market is saturated. Then we have the farce of the local numpties dictating materials, window styles, even the colour you can paint yor property supposedly to preserve the buildings renaissance charm but who than allow businesses to drape as many lurid, tacky and grossly oversized banners all over the buildings. They even allow banners to be strung across pavements from light standards!
As long as you cross palms with silver, you can have as many pavement boards as you like with no limit on size or siting – result, if you can walk on the pavement for illegally parked cars you still have to walk in the road to get around the sandwich boards. The current spate of warm weather has seen an explosion of alfresco seating positioned with no regard for pedestrians or the vision of drivers. One idiot has been allowed to turn the pavement into a chicane of tables, chairs and sun parasols that a midget would have to limbo under. All no doubt allowed and above board, thanks to some pocket lining.
An atomic bomb and start again would make Slovakia look a nicer place, rather than just removing Advert Boards from roads and side of buildings . New massive Office Blocks and massive Logistic`s buildings, built with actually no real sympathy for the surrounding area ..Huge houses on small land plots, that are actually to be offices, built in Residential areas ( whatever happened to urban planning ) , 9 floor Panalak`s, built side by side, or over looking residential houses and gardens, that all look like they never had a lick of paint in 50 years . Villages that look like mish mash of very old and new homes and look like an eyesore in dayglow green or red…Whatever happened to Civic pride, path improvement, road improvement, tree planting, good road marking, some understandable road direction signing ??
Thank god for the Tatra mountains, at least nature did not let a fxxxxxx Slovak near their design, or let him loose with his mad welding a paint brush .
You leaving this country would also make SVK a nicer place.
i see the creation of a hundred bill board inspectors/approvers at the taxpayers expense..
QOUTE: She has now specified her proposal, which among other things will mean billboards must be positioned at least 250m from all major roads.UNQUOTE
So.. not only the advertising on St Martin’s Cathedral will disappear? The Old town will be totally clean? I’ m affraid it’ s not not going to happend. The chance is bigger she will have un unexplained car accident.
I do hope that Slovakia wil handle with this advertising maffia in some way. The country would look so much nicer without all these advertisements on buildings. Raise taxes on advertisements and do it BIG!!
At 250m from the roads the billboards will have to be Huge to be seen. Suppose the companies will complain that their busines will be totaly destroyed due to this ruling…. What happens will be yet to be seen!
WOW! Slovakia has a Highway Code? Besides being slimmer than a book about Italian war heroes and the least read publication in history, where will I find a copy? in the library I presume, in the Arts and Crafts or Fiction section?
Good ! …but wait for some judge to find the Slovak Constitution or a Human Right has been transgressed …
Big contributors to the political elite are these Ad Co`s .