I like them.
First of all, they are useful because they provide needed information. Like what exit to take to find the In and Out when you are traveling. Much better than trying to guess which exit will provide what you need or the unhelpful information that our crack government techies put on their high priced electronic signs.
Second, they are better designed than anything else you are likely to see from the road.
Third, they provide interest on long stretches of boring interstate farmland or desert or urban wasteland.
Now there may be times when a billboard is overkill. I’m ok with no billboards at the grand canyon, half dome and big sur but take away the billboards from LA and what have you got? Most of LA is pretty dreary- and I say this as a thirty year resident of LA now suffering withdrawal after moving to Sacramento. What is the Sunset Strip without billboards? Would you like what you see from LaCienega if the billboards were gone? Of course not. They are damn ugly. And its not just LA. Who would ever go to Times Square if it were only buildings?
So I say get off your elitist high horse and admit that billboards add something to the aesthetics of urban life and they don’t do much damage in the country.
The City Council in LA (bumbling egocentric dolts all of them- and I feel qualified to make that pronouncement having worked for their collective asses for 26 years) periodically crusade against billboards but thankfully they appreciate the money they contribute to political life more than their stunted esthetic judgement and LA remains the vibrant place it has always been.
Super Bill Board
Now there is a new development – the super billboard that covers an entire building. Given how ugly the typical building in LA is this is surely an improvement you would think.
Not according to City Councilman Weiss who says it is a safety hazard.
There is even a whole organization of dogooder busybodies devoted to stopping billboard blight. Surely there is a place in hell full of boring, ugly buildings where they will find eternal rest and boredom.
