‘I strongly dislike them’: Coquitlam mayor airs frustration after billboard vote

COQUITLAM (NEWS 1130) – The mayor of Coquitlam is taking a strong stance, voicing his displeasure with a council vote that has inched a new bylaw forward.

The bylaw, if passed, could see a limited number of roadside billboards pop up.

“I have to admit, I have a bias against billboards,” Mayor Richard Stewart wrote in a Facebook post early Thursday morning. “I don’t like them. In fact, I strongly dislike them.”

City council voted in favour of a new bylaw that would effectively lift a moratorium on billboards in Coquitlam at a meeting on Monday.

Stewart says every time the subject has come up in council, he’s opposed it, “preferring to keep Coquitlam billboard-free.”

The new bylaw would allow for signage to go up, mostly, along Highway 1 south of Coquitlam, something he strongly disapproves of.

“I voted against it, as did Councillors Teri Towner and Bonita Zarrillo,” his Facebook post reads. “Nonetheless, the majority (the remaining six) gave the bylaw its first three readings; Fourth and Final Reading is still required before the bylaw comes into effect.”

The billboards, he adds, would see the city be paid for the right to erect the signs in “specific, limited locations,” as well as “allow the City and non-profits access to a percentage of the advertising.”

However, Stewart points out there are also arguments against them that he claims he has brought up before.

He says billboards pose a risk to public safety, serving as a distraction for drivers. He also believes they are just not nice to look at.

“When I see a billboard in another community, I find myself wishing I could see the neighbourhoods, the forests, the architecture, the farmland, the mountains, the ocean that is behind the billboard. That is, as I drive through our communities, I prefer to see those communities themselves rather than being bombarded with bright electronic commercial messages.”

Stewart hopes council members will reconsider their position in favour of the new bylaw before the fourth reading.

‘I can’t stand them’: some locals side with mayor

Some people in Coquitlam seem to be siding with Stewart, also voicing their concerns about billboards that could possibly line some roadways in the future.

“No billboards, I can’t stand them,” one local said. “They’re ugly, we have enough signs advertising already. I just don’t see the need for any more.”

He agrees with Stewart’s stance that billboards can be distracting, and that they aren’t visually appealing.

Another commuter also says billboards can be a safety concern, pointing to one along Cameron and North Road.

“They’re always advertising and every time I’m turning the corner I’m… trying to read it as I’m doing a turn and I’m like ‘oh… I’m in the other lane,'” she said.

She, too, believes they can be an eye sore, and adds there are enough advertisements in newspapers, on TV, and on the radio.

Meantime, others say people should be focused on the road, and explain billboards should be placed “in the right spot” in order to keep drivers safe, as well as not take away from the natural beauty of the land.