### ODT Online Sat, 26 Nov 2011
Move afoot to ban pavement signs
By David Loughrey
Footpath advertising in Dunedin, whether simple chalk messages or a recent stencil and water blaster method, will be banned if a recommendation to the Dunedin City Council gets support on Tuesday. The ban will only target commercial messages, though, with non-commercial advertising subject to a new permit system.
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While the council was committed to supporting and enhancing local business and a vibrant and active street life, there “needs to be some control over the placement of objects on the footpaths to ensure there is always a safe and unobstructed passage for pedestrians of all abilities, and to ensure the visual amenity of our streetscapes is not detrimentally affected.” -Report
Report – PEC – 29/11/2011 (PDF, 247.4 KB)
Review of the Commercial Use of Footpaths Policy
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 
Excerpt from comment at another thread:
Anonymous
Submitted on 2011/11/26 at 11:19 am
The DCC is also considering introducing a bylaw to prevent signs being stencilled/chalked on side walks. Probably something to do with that “DCC IS CORRUPT” message. But as expected, there will be an exception for its own tagging messages. You know, look before crossing the road and other exceptional statements from the bureaucratic monster.
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Other comments moved to this thread:
Hype O’Thermia
Submitted on 2011/11/26 at 11:42 am
Footpath stencils…. definitely a danger. People could be looking at them and bump into someone. That makes them far more dangerous than other signs and posters and window displays and passing traffic and…… it’s another opportunity to micro-manage while Rome and the student ghetto burn.
Or, like, what-evvv-er.
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Peter
Submitted on 2011/11/26 at 12:16 pm
Maybe it’s time, given the proposed ban on footpath chalk/stencil tagging (for heaven’s sake), due consideration should be given by the DCC for ‘re education camps’ for those with ‘incorrect thoughts’. (A new thing to spend money on!) The hideous perception that corruption is taking place in this town must be wiped out.
Maybe Michael Laws’ suggestion – a la the media – is there for the DCC to consider. Much cheaper too.
Seriously though, this is all part of a mentality to stifle dissent. There are already restrictions on bill posting, I understand, where anything political is stamped out. This proposal won’t work. If anything it presents a challenge for those concerned to thwart such actions. This shows us that the Harland Era in the council still exists in some quarters.
### ODT Online Thu, 1 Dec 2011
Proposed street-furniture policy said to be ‘like East Germany’
By David Loughrey
Dunedin City Council parking enforcement bosses might be used to dealing with angry customers, but they probably were not expecting a councillor to compare their new footpath policy proposals with rules enforced in the communist days of former East Germany. But that was what development services manager Kevin Thompson and parking services team leader Daphne Griffen got when they turned up to a planning and environment committee this week.
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“She [Cr MacTavish] suggested there appeared to be a lot of time and paperwork over trivial matters.” As well as weeding out bureaucrats and saving on salaries Mr Orders could look at weeding out bureaucraCY that gives so many council employees ways of filling in their days with busyness and wasting other people’s time.