Tougher penalties will be meted out to those caught for putting up illegal advertisements on road infrastructure, such as lamp posts and pillars at sheltered walkways and bus stops.
From June, the fines for repeat offenders will be increased from $400 to $500, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Wednesday, in an update on its fight to rid the streets of unsightly ads.
LTA said that the use of anti-stick paint on street infrastructure, which started in 2010, has helped to reduce the number of illegal advertisements and maintain the overall cleanliness of public streets but it did not give figures on the reduction in the number of illegal ads.
The special paint makes it difficult for ads to be pasted on and also helps to reduce the labour time and cost needed to remove them. It has been applied to more than 16,900 street light poles and road-related facilities at about 600 locations.
LTA added that since 2011, it has also been providing low-cost advertisement boards near selected MRT stations with high pedestrian traffic. There are now a total of 52 such advertisement boards at 45 locations.
LTA said it will continue to monitor if the anti-stick paint should be used at more locations, and if more advertisement boards should be set up.
“Illegal advertisements on our street infrastructure have been a sticky issue, as it is both unsightly, and requires additional manpower and resources to remove,” said Dr Chin Kian Keong, group director for transportation and road operations, LTA.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
