Blinded by the light

How rural are LED signs?

The Goochland planning commission sent the issue of electronic signs back to the locker room at its August 19 meeting after holding a second public hearing on the matter. A workshop is planned to consider all of the ramifications of electronic signs before making any recommendations to the supervisors, who have the final say.

Currently, there are two such signs in the county, one at the Wawa, the other at the Oilville BP/Bullets. Both are on Rt. 250 in commercial use areas with no homes nearby.

Presumably, the electronic signs make it easier to read gas prices while driving down the road. The Wawa sign seems to be part of the standard design. The sign at Oilville is relatively new, often out of order and hard to see from some directions due to overgrown bushes.

The county sign ordinance is in the process of consolidation and clarification.

Hopefully this action will prevent a repeat of the 2007 “signgate” incident, in which hyper-zealous enforcement of a vague sign ordinance was used in a failed attempt to intimidate supporters of candidates challenging incumbent supervisors. The resulting flap was perhaps the first torpedo to blow a hole in the control of county administration by the old regime.

As written, the sign ordinance neither permits nor prohibits electronic signs. As long as the sign otherwise observes rules of size, setback and design, it is permitted the same as any other sign.

The proposed ordinance would allow electronic signs pretty much anywhere in the county and would include churches as by right users.

Some churches in Henrico, for instance, do have LED signs. There is one relatively small such sign on a church on Hungary Spring Road between Springfield and Staples Mill. It looks so out of place, that, at first glance, it seems to be a hallucination.

It would be interesting to know if there is any data indicating that LED signs increase the size of church congregations. It also seems like a frivolous use of funds.

Picture the charming churches found throughout the county. Now put an electronic sign in front. Not a pretty picture.

However, those signs do make it easier to read, say gas prices. The Wawa sign is small, the Bullets much taller. No matter what happens with the ordinance, those two signs are grandfathered in.

Unless the sign ordinance includes language to address electronic signs they will be permitted as long as they meet other sign requirements.

Several people spoke against allowing electronic signs anywhere in the county. Not one voice was raised in their support. Following the initial public hearing on electronic signs at the June 17 planning commission meeting, a committee comprised of District 3 commissioner Bill Neal and District 5 commissioner Courtney Hyers was formed to study the issue. They reported back at the July meeting.

At that time the commission voted to defer the matter until the August meeting and hold a second public hearing.

Some regulations are in order because the signs are available and strange things will happen if the sign ordinance does not address them.

The proposed regulations for electronic signs would limit their size to one half of the permitted size of static signs. The minimum frequency of message change would be 60 seconds.

Given the hazardous nature of many Goochland roads, anything that distracts drivers is dangerous. Broadcasting gas prices, for instance, is a minimal distraction. If you are interested in the gas price, you are looking for a number. Once you see it, your mind, hopefully, goes back to the road.

Other messages are more troublesome. Complex thoughts require more concentration and less attention to the road. Put several of these signs along the road and the attention lapse intensifies.

After a while though, the sings would fade into the woodwork and be ignored by passersby. This could lead to escalation of the complexity of the message and ancillary attention getting enhancements like changing colors and so forth.

For safety’s sake, limiting electronic signs to static displays seems to be the best idea.

Unfortunately, there is a fine line between restrictive sign regulations and freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment.

The dreadfully ugly signs sprouting around the county are mandated by the regulations of the sign ordinance in place. These degrade the rural character everyone wants to preserve but few can define.

Charming unique signs set local businesses apart from generic chains. Limiting the style and shape of signage paves the way for urbanization.

Size and placement of signs should be regulated for public safety reasons including blinking LED displays. Signs should be well anchored and sturdy to withstand winds. Perhaps there should be a limit to the number of signs per parcel in commercial areas to prevent the dreaded visual clutter. Beyond that, government should keep its nose out.

Without trying too hard, you can drive down any major road in Goochland and find clusters of “temporary” signs. Some have been in place so long they have weathered to illegibility. The folks who deployed those signs did not bother to go through the long and expensive process of sign approval.

Should Goochland permit Led signs? Yes, small ones in commercial areas with static messages. Other than that, make the approval process painless so it will be honored more in the observance than the breach.

The LED issue should be addressed soon and not permitted to wallow in indecision for years, as has been county practice in the past. Signs should celebrate local enterprises. Goochland County must do all it can to support and celebrate those businesses not regulate them out of existence.