sevfiv Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Eyesore, distraction, none of the above?Council Member James Rodriguez points to a big yellow duck as an eyesore in the Gulf Crest neighborhood."I do get complaints from several of my constituents about the way this looks, the way it detracts from property values and so we are concerned about businesses utilizing this type of advertising," he said.Vice Mayor Pro-tem Sue Lovell is on the Quality of Life committee that moved a proposed ban on the attention-getting devices to the full council last week."If it's an attention-getting device, then it's also an attention-distracting device," she said.http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=...article-6498577 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Vice Mayor Pro-tem Sue Lovell is on the Quality of Life committee that moved a proposed ban on the attention-getting devices to the full council last week."If it's an attention-getting device, then it's also an attention-distracting device," she said.While I'm in favor of free speech and expression, these devises do seem to pose a hazard. Defining a distraction might be difficult. Another form of advertising ban seems much more clear-cut: the use of small airplanes pulling advertising banners. The planes are much louder than ordinary aircraft, and I've seen traffic literally come to a halt as people craned their necks, only to discover that PayLess is having a sale, or that we should be drinking Bud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Some folks want to rob modern life of all the fun. Kids love giant inflatable advertisement thingies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Some folks want to rob modern life of all the fun. Kids love giant inflatable advertisement thingies.Kids also enjoy playing with dog poo. Should we recind the pooper-scooper laws to make them happy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memebag Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Kids also enjoy playing with dog poo. Should we recind the pooper-scooper laws to make them happy?Yes!Who is so distracted by a giant rubber gorilla that they have a wreck? Is this a real problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniepwils Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Maybe we should ban talking on cell phones and TV's in vehicles before we ban these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Yes!Who is so distracted by a giant rubber gorilla that they have a wreck? Is this a real problem?It's not the rubber gorilla so much as the obligatory Faye Wray impresssions by those who spot it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Eyesore, distraction, none of the above?Council Member James Rodriguez points to a big yellow duck as an eyesore in the Gulf Crest neighborhood.when i saw this yesterday on the news i almost ____ in my pants. if a big yellow duck is the worst eyesore on that stretch of telephone road, we're in great shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasVines Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 a friend of mines family owns Pinkies Pagers and Check Cashing in Austin and I believe they were the first ones to bring in the giant pink gorilla and the big blue gorilla as well......according to him it really brings in certain elements that those businesses desire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 when i saw this yesterday on the news i almost ____ in my pants. if a big yellow duck is the worst eyesore on that stretch of telephone road, we're in great shape.Totally agree!I would ban that incredibly bright LED billboard on 59/Shepherd before those giant inflatable things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crunchtastic Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I volunteer to take the inflatable county-orange jumpsuit dude from the bail bonds place on 45. I think it'd look cool in my yard. Way better than any gorilla. At least there is a sensible connection between the inflatable and the business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rreini Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 There may be some legitimate freedom of speech issues here, especially when the big inflatable is being used as a comment or a political statement. While driving by a construction site in Dearborn, MI, the other day, I passed by a picket line of unionized workers unhappy with the owners -- I didn't notice their specific grievances. Joining them on the picket line was a big inflatable rat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Man Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Do these inflatable things require a sign permit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I volunteer to take the inflatable county-orange jumpsuit dude from the bail bonds place on 45. I think it'd look cool in my yard.and how long did the city leave that portapotty in your front yard? LOL maybe that's part of the city's public art project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Glad to see our lawmakers are addressing the critical issues here... If they really are concerned about driving distractions then talking on mobiles while driving needs be banned first. Inflatable gorillas cause far fewer accidents. For that matter, why not just ban all billboards, since their whole point is to divert drivers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SecondTour Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I would ban that incredibly bright LED billboard on 59/Shepherd before those giant inflatable things.+1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SecondTour Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Maybe we should ban talking on cell phones and TV's in vehicles before we ban these.+1 to this also. As a motorcycle rider, I've had more than my fair share of close calls with people talking on cell phones while driving, including one with a co-worker less than a block from work. Yes, he got an earful when we got into the parking garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTX Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 More distracting than blow up signs are radio commercials that use screeching tires and honking horns to get your attention. Every time I hear one I try to go out of my way not to patronize that business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 This type of funky/cheesy advertising is getting out of hand and Should be banned. Surprised adult book stores havent started placing inflatable women on top of the buildings. While they are at it they should ban those ugly inflatable things people put on the front lawns when the kids have birthday party. Looks very 3rd world. What happened to back yards? Hide that junk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 spot lights and strobes are also part of the proposal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 I agree about the distraction level of other things like billboards. If the giant inflatable gorillas were screaming, throwing poo, or had writing all over them, then it would be totally different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westguy76 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Seems to me this is more about policing taste than a driving hazard. They want to clean up the clutter under the guise of traffic safety. LIARS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 i just called sue lovell's office and asked them about why bandit signs are still everywhere even though the city outlawed those too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted November 12, 2008 Author Share Posted November 12, 2008 Do these inflatable things require a sign permit?The code doesn't specifically say, but I assume so since almost everything requires one..http://www.publicworks.houstontx.gov/plann...cs/signcode.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJVilla Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 The code doesn't specifically say, but I assume so since almost everything requires one..http://www.publicworks.houstontx.gov/plann...cs/signcode.pdfA good, new source of revenue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatesdisastr Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 i honestly hate the MASSIVE advertisements or a McDonalds sign that is some 60 feet in the air. i mean come on people look around when you drive down the freeway. all you see are signs! I dont want to infringe on peoples right to advertise and free speech but i want a clean city. i want a beautiful city. in your face ads and billboards the size of 18 wheelers are too much. i wish we could greatly reduce the size of advertisement instead of driving down the freeway that looks like an advertisement las vegas strip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 The City Council voted Wednesday to ban the use of "attention-getting devices" for commercial purposes.The ban will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2010. But beautification advocates cheered the vote, calling the ban a necessary step to cleaning up Houston's blighted visual atmosphere and cluttered streetscapes."It's not just the inflatables, it's all the ticky-tacky," said Anne Culver, executive director of Scenic Houston. "Our problem with the unbridled proliferation of inflatables, pennants, banners and streams is that they were used day in, day out, year in, year out."The vote follows the lead of Dallas, Austin and St. Louis in prohibiting the flashy and motion-driven devices, which also include floppy wind puppets, pinwheels, strobes, spinning discs and spotlights.The council voted 9-2 to ban the devices. Voting in favor were Mayor Bill White and council members Wanda Adams, Peter Brown, Jolanda Jones, M.J. Khan, Sue Lovell, Melissa Noriega, James Rodriguez and Michael Sullivan. Councilwomen Anne Clutterbuck and Pam Holm dissented.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/6109606.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technoevil Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 More distracting than blow up signs are radio commercials that use screeching tires and honking horns to get your attention. Every time I hear one I try to go out of my way not to patronize that business.I hate those ads, and also think they should be banned. I will never go to a place that uses those types of ads, especially on the radio, and I change the station when they come on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Blow darts come to mind. PS, there have been several threads of some of the most hideous advertising nightmares in and around the city. I still say 1960 is the worse offender. Even worse at night. Like Las Vegas strip on LSD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimberlySayWhat Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Well that's too bad. Those things are cool and add a touch of class to car dealerships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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