Illegal temporary advertising signs on streets

Temporary signs on City streets are regulated under Part 4 of the Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law 1/2008 (NLB). While respecting individuals' right to freedom of expression, the NLB attempts to regulate temporary signs on streets to prevent safety hazards, urban blight, and property damage.

Temporary signs on streets:

• can pose a safety risk. In many cases, the physical act of placing temporary signs on streets can put at risk the safety of individuals who post and/or remove the signs. This is especially the case on high-speed, high volume traffic routes.
• can also be a traffic hazard inasmuch as they can obscure sight lines for drivers and pedestrians and distract the attention of motorists. Inadequately secured signs can be blown into the flow of traffic, causing traffic accidents and damage to vehicles.
• can be a source of visual pollution.

Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law Part 4 Temporary Signs on Streets:

• prohibits any temporary sign located within a street median or traffic island.
• prohibits any temporary signs on the streets identified in Schedule A of the By-Law (streets include medians, boulevards, roadways, traffic islands at yields, etc.). Out of roughly 3,800 streets in the City, 30 regional streets or portions of regional streets have been included on the basis of the speed and volume of traffic as well as the importance of the street to the image of the City. In limited locations, temporary signs may be placed on all other streets, subject to requirements that deal with distances to intersections, turning lanes, curbs, sidewalks, and private accesses; sign construction; mobility; etc.
• requires that temporary signs must contain the name and telephone number of the person placing the sign as well as the date it was placed. They must be removed 14 days after they are placed or the day after the event being advertised, whichever is sooner.
• states that any temporary sign that violates these rules may be removed immediately by the City and destroyed. Individuals and companies who post illegal signs may also be subject to tickets.

Neighbourhood Liveability By-Law 1/2008.

Following is a list of regional streets or portions of regional streets where temporary signs are prohibited, as well as the requirements for placing temporary signs on all other streets:

	Street		Length
		Bishop Grandin Boulevard	Between Kenaston Boulevard and Lagimodière Boulevard
		Bison Drive	Between Waverley Street and Pembina Highway
		Brookside Boulevard	Entire length
		Oak Point Highway	Entire length
		King Edward Street	Entire length
		Century Street	Entire length
		St. James Bridge	Entire length
		Kenaston Boulevard (ROUTE 90)	Between Inkster Boulevard and Bishop Grandin Boulevard
		Chief Peguis Trail	Between Main Street and Lagimodière Boulevard
		Donald Street & Midtown Bridge	Between Red River and Osborne Street
		Dunkirk Drive & St. Vital Bridge	Between Red River and Fermor Avenue
		Fermor Avenue	Between Dunkirk Drive and Plessis Road
		Henderson Highway	Between Red River and Glenway Avenue
		Lagimodière Boulevard	Between Prairie Grove Road and North City Limit
		Moray Street	Between the north bank of the Assiniboine River and Portage Avenue
		Osborne Street & Osborne Bridge	Between Assiniboine River and St. Vital Bridge
		Pembina Highway	Between Osborne Street and South City Limit
		Portage Avenue	Between Spence Street and St. Charles Street
		St. James Street	Between Portage Avenue and Wellington Avenue
		Waverley Street	Between Taylor Avenue and Bison Drive
		Wellington Avenue	Between James A. Richardson International Airport and St. James Street
		Grant Avenue	Between Shaftesbury Boulevard and Roblin Boulevard
		Main Street	Between Logan Avenue and North City Limit
		St. Anne's Road	Between Fermor Avenue and St. Mary’s Road
		St. Mary's Road	Between St. Anne's Road and Queen Elizabeth Way
		Corydon Avenue/ Roblin Boulevard	Between Shaftesbury Boulevard and West City Limit
		boulevard Provencher	Entire length
		William R. Clement Parkway	Entire length
		Wilkes Avenue	From PTH 100 to Shaftesbury Boulevard
		Sterling Lyon Parkway	From Shaftesbury Boulevard to Victor Lewis Drive

For all other streets not identified in Schedule A, temporary signs must not be:

• within 30 metres of an intersection
• within 30 metres of a turning lane, deceleration or acceleration lane or traffic storage lane
• within 2 metres of a curb or the edge of a roadway
• within 0.5 metres of a sidewalk
• within 5.0 metres of a private access
• permanently affixed
• supported by string, rope, wire or metal stakes
• greater than 0.6 metres in size
• higher than 1 metre
• more than 2 faces per sign
• illuminated, electrified, spinning, or rotating