Outdoor Advertising
* Re “Billboard Sleight of Hand,” editorial, Jan. 30: Why do we need billboards at all? Other forms of advertising support the medium they use: newspapers, radio, TV. The billboard companies don’t support our roads and freeways. We, the taxpayers, pay the entire expense of those. There’s no need to discuss their size or number. Our City Council and Board of Supervisors can just eliminate them.
WAUGH SMITH
Los Angeles
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* Anyone in L.A. who thinks that giant billboards are a good idea should visit the interchange of the 10 and the 215 freeways near San Bernardino, where huge billboards have all but obliterated what used to be spectacular views of the mountains. Our mountains and vistas are national treasures--what would we think if the French started selling advertising space on the Eiffel Tower?
SANDRA L. THOMAS
Redlands
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* I drove the 405 Freeway to and from work daily from its opening about 35 years ago until my retirement in 1998. During that time, I saw the section south of the 10 Freeway through the Culver City area change from scenes of the city and hillsides to a wall of billboards that caused traffic to slow as each driver read the signs. I think of this area as Accident Alley, due to the large number of rear-end collisions, etc. Visitors to our city landing at LAX are not able to see our beautiful skyline--with the hills and mountains on the major approaches--starting with the wall of giant billboards along Century Boulevard and continuing on the 405.
It’s time for every driver of an automobile, motorcycle or truck to speak out for safe freeways with sight lines of our beautiful city and surrounding mountains--not walls of distracting billboards. Let our freeways send a message that L.A. is truly a beautiful place!
CAROLINE SPENCER
Los Angeles