摘要: |
The Highway Beautification Act, which was enforced in 1965, aims to establish an efficient outdoor advertising control (OAC) program for erection and maintenance of the outdoor advertising signs, displays and devices, which are located in a close proximity to the National Interstate System. The Highway Beautification Act outlines a set of requirements for specific types of advertising signs, including directional and official signs, on-property signs, and new signs in commercial and industrial areas consistent with the size, lighting and spacing criteria of the Federal/State agreements. A number of issues, associated with the Highway Beautification Act, have arisen over the last years. Those issues include the attitude and relationship issues, organizational issues at both State and Federal levels, and substantive issues. In order to identify the most critical inconsistencies and regulatory difficulties associated with the Federal OAC program across the nation a comprehensive survey was performed among the State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) under this project. The data, collected as a result of the conducted survey, were analyzed, and findings were used as the baseline information, summarizing the existing practices and issues associated with the Federal OAC program in the United States. A set of baseline standards was developed to address the identified regulatory difficulties and inconsistences. Furthermore, a number of important criteria, which should be considered throughout the implementation of developed baseline standards, were proposed. Findings from this research and the presented baseline standards are expected to improve effectiveness of the outdoor advertising across the nation and assist the State DOTs and different stakeholders with resolving the key issues, related to the Federal OAC program. |