. .

. . above: [R] digital sign at Union St. and Baker Ave.; [L] digital billboard along Rt. 7 between Albany St. and Watt St. 

Thank you, Schenectady Daily Gazette, for publishing the Guest Column “City needs smarter digital sign regulation” (October 7, 2019, C6), by David Giacalone [editor of this website]. We have been discussing this topic for several years, in posts containing commentary, images, and excerpts from expert sources, such as:

• “Safety issues raised by electronic message boards on Proctors marquee and other Schenectady locations” (March 11, 2015, with many updates)
  • with an Appendix compiling safety factors to consider and links to relevant materials
• “Is anyone enforcing our digital sign rules?” (July 29, 2019)
  • with an Appendix of relevant Schenectady and other municipal Code provisions
    • vigilant enforcement and monitoring are needed, as some owners of digital signs have proven to be chronic scofflaws, especially ignoring the minimum change interval rules
• “Proctors Marquee Billboard” (August 16, 2019, with updates). It is unlawful under the Schenectady Zoning Code to use “off-premise” advertising — ads for businesses that are not located at the site of the sign. Proctors has ignored this rule at a very prominent Schenectady location.

. . share this posting with this short URL: https://tinyurl.com/EMBregs

follow-up (Dec. 1, 2019): See the Sunday Gazette Editorial, “City right to get on regulations of electronic billboard signs” (Dec. 1, 2019).

. . And see, the news article, “Schenectady may weigh changes to electronic billboards” (Gazette, by Pete DeMola, Nov. 29, 2019).