During the campaign, residents living near Saskatchewan Drive complained about the brightness of electronic signs along that busy street. Here's the deal... and a chance for residents to get involved in change.
The Regina Zoning Bylaw No. 9250 (Zoning Bylaw) was introduced in 1992 and included regulations to guide the development of illuminated and animated signs, which can still be found in Chapter 16. These regulations have continued to be used while the digital sign industry has expanded and technology has advanced. The City is now at a point where the current regulations appear to no longer meet the needs of the community and area not in line with respected guidelines provided by the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC). As a result, the City is currently undertaking a review of the regulations for digital signs which will include a consultation process with the public and sign developers as well as other stakeholders. It is expected that the review will consider appropriate brightness, frame duration, frame transition, etc. of digital signs.
Specific to the complaint raised by residents, the City has requested that the sign owner reduce the brightness of the sign at the Saskatchewan Drive location, although the response to this request is voluntary. (Side note: complain directly to the sign owner and keep up the pressure!) The number of complaints regarding sign brightness tends to increase in the winter months as there are less hours of daylight and the signs are more noticeable during the daytime hours.
If you would like to become involved in the review process, please email me at [email protected] and I will send your name along to City and have you included in the list of interested stakeholders.