Editorial: Billboard ban a relief

Friday, April 23, 2004 | 4:32 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

April 24 - 25, 2004

We think the 1,200 billboards posted along roadways in unincorporated Clark County are enough. The billboard companies, however, fought county commissioners last week as they debated whether to ban any more of the signs within the county's unincorporated areas. We were pleased with the commission's eventual vote -- 7-0 in favor of no more billboards.

Tired of the endless legal battles being waged by billboard companies to overturn restrictions on the placement of signs, and tired of the visual blight as the signs blot out the more attractive urban and natural views, the County Commission simply banned any new billboards after next month. The one exception is the stretch of Interstate 15 north of North Las Vegas, but even in that area strict state regulations will prevent billboard proliferation.

Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, a leader in the county's fight against the aggressive billboard companies, justified the ban, saying billboards are a distraction for drivers and that their sheer numbers have become a quality-of-life issue for county residents. Billboard companies, being fierce competitors, cannot regulate themselves. Left unregulated, there would be a doubling, a tripling and a quadrupling of billboards in the coming years. There comes a time when it falls to local government, and this was one of those times, to say enough is enough.