The Editor
The Anguillian
Dear Editor:
IRRELEVANT BILLBOARDS
I write from the point of view of an outsider, and not as an Anguillian resident conversant with certain information and circumstances which a visitor, like me, would not be aware of.
My understanding is that the Department of Physical Planning is very particular about billboards and other such signs erected at the side of the roads, and other public places. Nothing is wrong about any stipulations by the department because, of necessity, there must be some regulations and guidelines for the erection of billboards/signs at all public locations on the island.
What I am concerned about, really, is that there appears to be no checks and balances with respect to the length of time such billboards/signs should remain mounted. Thus, long after the advertised event has passed, the billboards/signs are still up. This is not good practice as it causes unnecessary confusion as passersby look at them.
Take for example the several billboards in Anguilla with St Maarten candidates vying for the elections there which have already gone, yet the billboards are still in place. With elections in Anguilla in the coming months, a visitor, like me, not knowing the St Maarteners, can be misled that they are Anguillians preparing for their local elections. I think this is an unnecessary attraction – or should I say distraction?
Then, as I said, there are other billboards which are also outdated and irrelevant and should come down. Will they simply remain there until the persons who put them up feel to dismantle them? I think outdated billboards are really solid waste garbage.
Rolston Bedford
(Visiting from USA)
