Billboard catches IDOT's eye

New advertisement still needs permit, will be reviewed to ensure it's not too distracting

Thursday, August 23, 2007

- It's the latest craze to hit advertising and is designed to capture your attention at busy intersections, such as War Memorial Drive and University Street.
For westbound War Memorial Drive motorists, it's almost impossible to miss: The multiple messages illuminated from a billboard that digitally switches advertisers every 10 seconds.
While visually impressing motorists, the new billboard structure has caught the attention of the state's Department of Transportation, which is in charge of reviewing permits to allow these structures to be constructed.
Problem is, there is no permit. IDOT has yet to get one from the billboard's owners, Adams Outdoor Advertising, which legally allows the billboard to operate.
The lighted billboard could soon go dark and stay that way until a city permit is received, reviewed and approved by IDOT.
"We'll have to turn it off," Eric Therkildsen, program development engineer with IDOT's Peoria district, said Wednesday. "It'll be in the next day or two and we'll go from there."
Adams' general manager Skip Holmes describes the lack of having a permit to operate the 14-foot-tall, 48-foot-wide billboard as an oversight that will soon be corrected. A similar, but smaller, billboard at University and Glen Avenue was unveiled in mid-June and it has been permitted by the city, Holmes added.
"We have a good working relationship with IDOT," he said. "It's not like we were out there pulling a fast one on them."
Therkildsen agrees, calling the situation a "gray area," in that the company was probably unaware of the need to purchase a new permit to operate a billboard they already own.
He said Adams had a state permit to utilize the structure for constant advertising on what was previously a regular, nondigital billboard.
"We view this as a change in the overall value of a billboard," Therkildsen said. "It's like going from a black-and-white TV to a 42-inch plasma. It's still a TV, but the permits have a value to them. (Adams) needs to upgrade."
While IDOT has the authority to decline a permit's application, Holmes does not foresee that happening. He anticipates the billboard will operate successfully at the corner for some time to come.
"We're able to take a location with one static advertiser and convert it to six advertisers and generate significantly more revenue from it," Holmes said, predicting a few more digital billboards will be constructed in the Peoria area even though they are considerably more expensive. Holmes said it costs about $400,000 to construct and operate a digital billboard, whereas a normal two-faced structure costs only about $40,000 to $50,000 to build.
Too distracting?
Referred to as an electronic multiple message sign by City Hall, the billboard at War Memorial and University will be reviewed to see if its appearance distracts motorists at an intersection that was, about five years ago, the most crash-prone intersection in the city.
"It'll be interesting to see if anything changes on the accident rates," said Terry Beachler, owner of a service station located in front of the billboard's location, who calls it "effective" advertising. "It's like a cell phone distraction. It might jump up and bite someone."
Therkildsen said motorist distraction is one thing that will be considered when the permit is reviewed for approval. Holmes said there should be no cause for concern.
"No doubt, (the billboard) is there and is designed to attract a motorist's attention regardless what the message is," he said, but added, "People are probably a whole lot more dangerous on the road talking on their cell phones than looking at a billboard."
Even if the billboard might cause some motorists to gaze for a few seconds, Therkildsen said the state simply cannot pull Adams' permit.
"We have to have cause not to give one," he said, saying a study would have to be conducted showing the billboard's dangers. "As it stands, (the digital billboard) fits all the regulations."
Digital restrictions
Digital billboards were not allowed in areas outside Downtown Peoria until earlier this year after the City Council voted to allow them as long as its messages changed every 10 seconds. Also, city requirements prohibit the signs from flashing or featuring any movement, such as a commercial or scrolling message.
Only in Downtown Peoria, where the area is labeled as an entertainment district, can flashy signs be displayed, said Pat Landes, director of the city's Planning and Growth Department.
"Flashing and running lights creates a different atmosphere and, quite honestly, we haven't had much demand for it," she said

Source: By John Sharp of the Journal Star PEORIA