Interesting article from The Maine Wire as Maine’s top environmental lobby was congratulating themselves for 48 years of a billboard free Maine.
But critics say the other side of the don’t-you-just-love the vistas coin are solar “farms” that arguably are much uglier than roadside signs that once promoted “Howard Johnson’s, Next Exit.”
“Yeah, awesome, so now 30’x60′ billboards poking up in the tree line were replaced with 100 acres of missing trees with solar panels,” said Larry Pelkey Jr. of Mars Hill, ME.
The sign ban, approved 48 years ago, on July 13, 1977, began phasing out Maine billboards, which were gone by the mid-1980s.
Insider’s Take: Solar power has it’s place, but the reality according to the article is that solar supplies a mere pittance of the electrical needs of the Pine Tree State. Insider spent time visiting Alaska in June, another billboard-less state. Sure would have been nice to know how far we had to go to the nearest gas station.
To receive a free morning newsletter with each day’s Billboard insider articles email info@billboardinsider.com with the word “Subscribe” in the title. Our newsletter is free and we don’t sell our subscriber list.
Paid Advertisement
We traveled in Maine last year. They do have off-premise signs on non-interstates. Granted, they are small, but still direct people to local businesses. They should reconsider the interstate ban. Interstates are for commerce and you can do it responsibly with a little common sense