Mobile billboards and showcases could be banned from Baltimore County streets under a proposal from one lawmaker who called them traffic hazards.
County Councilman Bryan McIntire introduced legislation Tuesday night outlawing vehicles toting scrolling advertisements or glass-encased displays. The North County Republican said lawmakers are currently studying the ill effects of changeable copy ads that are stationary and those that are mobile could be worse.
“These billboards are trucks, that are the entire side of the truck, and change rapidly,” McIntire said. “I think they are a distraction and I think they are apt to cause lots of accidents.”
But local advertisers said the signs are no different than painted slogans on distribution trucks and said there’s no evidence they are traffic hazards. Jeff Rasmussen, owner of the Baltimore-based In Motion Advertising, said that he has four ad trucks and that the proposal could jeopardize his $500,000 business investment.
Advertisers successfully fought proposed bans in Florida, using free speech arguments, he said.
“People text while they drive, they’re putting in DVDs for kids, jostling with Happy Meals, working with the GPS,” Rasmussen said. “I mean, come on, it’s kind of silly.”
Mobile billboards, which scroll through messages about once every 20 seconds, are increasingly popular methods of reaching consumers in a targeted geographic area, advertisers said. One client displayed a motorcycle in a glass-enclosed portable showcase and sold it after one viewing, Rasmussen said.
They also can work well in areas with limited outdoor advertising opportunities, said Amy Wisner, vice president of the Owings Mills-based Media Works.
“I personally don’t think they are a traffic hazard,” Wisner said. “More and more companies are opening up with them and not just around here.”
The proposal will be discussed at the council’s work session next Tuesday. In other council news, lawmakers Tuesday night unanimously passed a resolution directing the county auditor to study an alternative workweek for county employees. The proposal could include working four, 10-hour days each week for some employees.
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