Prague is getting rid of visual smog. Hundreds of glowing billboards disappear
Following the termination of the contract for the operation of furniture by the city, JCDecaux will remove them as part of the agreement. “The municipality does not plan to replace them,” Jan Chabr (TOP 09), Prague’s councilor for property. The gradual exchange of shelters at public transport stops will also begin in November, and the city should replace its first 40 JCDecaux stops by the end of the year.
Based on contracts from 1994, the French company operates shelters for public transport in Prague, exchanges them for their provision and maintenance, and can rent advertising on them. In addition, it has other furniture, including free-standing advertising space. According to earlier information from the city, there are 365 smaller so-called city light panels and 100 larger areas with a size of up to nine square meters. The contract with the company ended on June 30, and the city has already competed for suppliers of new stops. According to Chabr, the first 40 shelters are now being manufactured.
The replacement of the furniture will take about two years, according to Chabr, the municipality decided to completely abolish the advertising space completely as part of the fight against the so-called advertising smog. According to him, the procedure for removing JCDecaux areas will also depend on communication from companies. Advertising in the application will only be at stops that will probably be taken care of by the transport company. According to the councilor, he should also call out the company that will run the advertisement.
JCDecaux’s media spokesman said the exchange might be delayed. “Councilor Chabr is clearly too optimistic. As part of the first wave of replacement of urban furniture, about 300 stops were to be replaced at the turn of the year. However, the Technology of the Capital City of Prague company called on us to negotiate an extension of the deadline, because the furniture is not available, “he said.
The current Prague coalition has a fight with visual smog in the program. Last year, for example, the municipality began removing billboards illegally placed in various parts of Prague. Some CLVs of the JCDecaux company in Na Příkopě, Pařížská or Na Můstku streets in the center of the metropolis in the monument reserve are also problematic. According to a letter from the municipal property management department to these panels, the municipality, as the owner of the land, has not given its consent and there is no contract for them. From October, the ban on advertising sails in large parts of Prague will also apply, so far they have not been banned only in the monument reserve.
survey
Do you mind the flashy advertising on the streets?
A total of 220 readers voted.
The French company JCDecaux operates in Prague mainly on the basis of two large contracts from the 1990s. In addition to the terminated contract for shelters and other furniture, it concerns the placement of advertising in public transport. The transport company described it as unfavorable in 2016, after which both parties began to judge its validity. Last year, the court declared the contracts invalid from the outset; after JCDecaux’s appeal, the case was returned by the Court of Appeal due to technical ambiguities in the original judgment. The Court of First Instance recently upheld the original decision. JCDecaux appealed again because it also started international arbitration with the Czech Republic.
What is visual smog
Visual smog is the “infestation” of public space aggressive, the nature of its surroundings unadapted advertising. More expressively, the term can also be defined as artificial, flashy panopticon obscuring the true face of the citydestroying its uniqueness. Visual smog, according to some experts, negatively affects the attention of drivers on roads and motorways and the living and health conditions of people, especially in cities.
Visual smog is whenever the observer is forced to see it, without the possibility to glance over it. The measure is the degree of contrast, size relative to other elements, multiplication and occupation of public space. Visual smog parasitizes on public property for the purpose of enriching one person (eg advertiser, carrier owner, landlord, etc.).