Illegal road-side billboards to be removed
Have you ever driven along a major Czech road and been distracted by the large number of billboards along the way? Actually, many of them were put up illegally, without the consent of the Highway Authority. But the situation, which many have complained about, is soon going to change, as the Ministry of Transport wants to see all the illegal billboards removed. Vladimir Tax has the details.
There are thousands of billboards along Czech roads, but many of them are there illegally. This week, the Czech Ministry of Transport launched a plan to remove all illegal billboards along Czech motorways within half a year. The cost is estimated at around five million Czech crowns. At the moment, the list of illegal structures contains 250 items. The Highway Authority will first ask land owners to remove the billboards by a set deadline. If they fail to obey, the authority will tear them down at its own expense.
The law prohibits putting up billboards closer than 250 metres from a motorway and 100 metres from a major road. However, the Highway Authority can approve placing a billboard within this range, but only after consulting the traffic police.
Experts differ in their opinion on whether billboards are to blame for road accidents. Some are convinced that advertisements do distract drivers' attention, but others believe they actually help drivers stay alert, preventing them from falling asleep along dull and boring roads.
