Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
A-board regulations are already in place
Having read your article on A-boards in the city (Is This The End Of The Board Walk?, Kentish Gazette, March 3), I agree that something has to be done about them.
I wrote to the Gazette in October and said I had counted some 44 A-boards and advertising signs in St Peter’s Street alone.
Although I find them a nuisance and an eyesore and wouldn’t be sorry to see them go, instead of a complete ban, as the city and county councillors unanimously recommended, why doesn’t the council enforce the rules and regulations that already exist?
Instead of penalising all traders, why not penalise those that break the rules?
Surely Kent County Council and Canterbury City Council could provide an enforcement officer to do this?
There are 11 requirements set out by KCC regarding A-boards on the public highway, many of which are already breached by shops and businesses in the city. They state that: A-boards should not be attached to any sort of object on the highway and should be easily moved if needed.
They do not cause damage to the highway, impede surface water drainage or obstruct access to premises.
They are the owner’s responsibility and the owner should hold public liability insurance.
The board should relate to the normal business of the premises and that only one board should be placed on the highway unless the business has two entrances on two different streets.
A-boards should be placed directly outside of the business during business hours and removed outside these hours and should not be placed remotely from the property.
They must not cause a visual distraction to drivers or obstruction to pedestrians on the highway.
They should be easily detectable and noticeable to the visually impaired and situated in a way they can be easily negotiated with ease by users with mobility problems.
The A-board should be between 0.8m and 1.05m high and 0.45m to 0.7m wide.
An A-board should be removed or repositioned if requested by the highway authority, a member of the emergency services or an officer of a local authority if access or maintenance is needed on the highway. Planning permission may be required. Nothing in these guidelines absolves those concerned from their legal responsibilities under the Highways Act 1980 and other relevant legislation.
Come on, KCC and Canterbury City Council, let’s declutter our streets of unnecessary signage and penalise the persistent offenders but also support the shops and businesses that abide by the rules. Mr T Boston-marsh St Dunstan’s, Canterbury
I am pleased the matter of the boards outside shops is getting some attention.
The boards are becoming obstructive and they create an unlevel playing field for those who do not have them.
Imagine if every shop had them outside their shops.
Walking down the high street is enough of an obstacle course, what with all the hordes of young visiting groups, too, much as we might want to share our special city with them.
Enforcing a ban would be easy – just collect them all up! Marilyn Sansom Grove Lane, Old Wives Lees