KSAC Removes About 300 Illegal Billboards In Corporate Area

Some 300 illegal billboards and advertising signs were removed in the Corporate Area in a recent exercise carried out by the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC).
Speaking at the monthly KSAC meeting today (October 15), Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Desmond McKenzie said the KSAC was pleased with the results of the exercise.
He said that within the first day of operation, the KSAC received over 100 enquiries from persons who wanted to regularize their illegal activities and so far over 350 contacts have been made from persons and companies wishing to comply with the law.
The Mayor pointed out that the aim was not primarily to make money from this activity, but to preserve the image of the Capital.
“We want to emphasize that the KSAC is not out there to earn revenue from this activity. What we are doing is to preserve the image of the Capital city. A lot of these billboards and signs that have been erected across the Corporate Area pose a danger, not just to vehicular, but to pedestrian traffic and in many cases a lot of these boards are situated at locations that hamper the flow of traffic in many areas,” he said.
Mayor McKenzie said the number of illegal signs erected across the Capital was unacceptable, adding that, “we cannot run a city of this magnitude with the level of ugliness that presently exists”.
He said that the exercise to rid the city of illegal billboards would be a continuous one, adding that, “we are going to be maintaining the programme and I would like to advise those persons who have not yet bought into the system that we will be going out next week to work within an area in Half Way Tree. We are expecting that between now and Christmas we will be able to remove a high percentage of these illegal boards across the city”.