Signs still have time, 3 years after plan to abolish them
Initiative announced in 2009 was aimed at standardizing signage on N.L. highways
Three years after the provincial government announced plans to clean up advertising clutter along the province's roadways, not much has happened.
The plan was aimed at removing commercial billboards on highways and replacing them with more standardized signs.
The government would own the new signs, and charge companies to advertise on them.
"Highway signage issues have been raised consistently by the travelling public for many years," the then tourism minister, Clyde Jackman, said in April 2009.
"Providing clear signage to regional attractions, historic sites and other tourism-related businesses is a priority for our government. Removing signage which is not permitted, and which detracts from the natural beauty of the environment, is a concrete first step towards addressing those issues."
At the time, the government said the so-called TODS system — the acronym stands for Tourist-Oriented Directional Signage — was aimed at creating signs that are consistent, easy to locate, and use universal symbols.
Private signs without permits were removed, in the program's first step.
But then things stalled. Signs originally erected with permits are still standing.
Fast forward three years, and government officials say the program was delayed because the responsibility shifted from one department to another.
Transportation Minister Tom Hedderson was not available for an interview.
A government spokesperson said bureaucrats are now meeting to decide how to move forward.