County : Panel Urges Allowing Bus Shelters With Ads
The Orange County Planning Commission on Tuesday recommended that all bus shelters and benches with advertising be allowed to remain where they are in unincorporated county territory for at least two years.
But the commissioners said communities barring ads on the benches and shelters at bus stops should be allowed to remove them eventually, if the communities replace them with new, ad-free furniture.
The companies that build and install the shelters and benches do so now at no cost to the county, providing an amenity for bus riders and making their money by selling ads. The companies pay the county $670 a year for each shelter with ads.
The Board of Supervisors, which will decide whether to accept the Planning Commission recommendations, had asked for an examination of the issue last year after receiving increasing complaints about the ads, especially those promoting alcoholic beverages and R-rated movies.
County officials conceded that some of the shelters violated zoning regulations but recommended that they be allowed to stay.
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