Draft guideline proposes banning billboards at turnings in Dhaka

A draft guideline proposes banning all kinds of billboards at turns in major roads of Dhaka to make the city safe and look beautiful.

Over the years, a huge number of billboards have been set up in an unplanned way in the capital, in many cases illegally. For a lack of proper maintenance, these structures have now become unsafe.

According to reports, at least three people have been killed and 14 hurt in billboard collapse in the city since 2009.

To regulate the use of billboards and restore beauty of the city, authorities of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) recently formed a committee to draw up a guideline.

The draft has been sent to organisations and experts concerned for review, which is hoped to be done by next week, said environmentalist Iqbal Habib, a member of the DNCC committee. 

“It has been suggested in the draft guideline that the ideal place for billboards can be where vehicles wait or are parked,” he told The Daily Star over the phone yesterday.

 “It has been recommended that no billboards should be placed at turns in main roads of the capital as they create distractions for drivers.”

Billboards should not feature any information, especially numbers, which a driver or a commuter would want to memorise and in the process get distracted and get involved in crashes, said Iqbal Habib, also member secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA).

The environmentalist said three concepts were considered while formulating the draft.

Firstly, the outdoor advertising should be considered as an art-based industry; secondly, the advertisement on the billboards should highlight city and country as well as the product or brand; and finally, the size, number, content and placement of these billboards should not hurt the growth of a child in the city.

The draft guideline also makes it mandatory for all billboard advertisers to preserve 10 percent of the total space for social slogans.

In addition, no billboards should be placed near any educational institutions, hospitals, government organisations and traffic signals, added Iqbal Habib, also an architect.

DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq on August 28 said the guideline would be formulated by a month.

Talking to The Daily Star recently, Mohammad Rashed, general secretary of Outdoor Advertising Owners' Association, said the authorities should implement fresh measures after saving the billboard business.

Calling for an ideal guideline for this industry, the OAOA leader demanded phasing out of the unipoles instead of a wholesale crackdown.

In July, city corporation officials told this newspaper that Dhaka south has about 900 legal billboards against some 1,500 illegal ones. Of the illegal ones, 527 are privately owned.

Dhaka north has about 1,500 approved billboards against some 1,200 illegal ones. Of those illegal, 257 were permitted by the cantonment board, 173 by the air force, 147 by the railway, 10 by Wasa and 22 by police, while 443 are owned by private individuals.