(no subject)

[resqgeek]

At lunch time today, I popped out of the office for a quick trip into the heart of Old Town Alexandria. I needed to visit the Post Office to mail a book to another BookCrosser, and Old Town is a delightful place to release books. I caught the free lunch time shuttle bus, because summer has arrived, bringing with it hot, humid weather. My errand to the Post Office was completed quickly (almost no line, which is surprising for that time of day at that branch), and I headed off down King Street to release some books. About halfway to the waterfront, I spied a vehicle that left me perplexed and annoyed.

The vehicle in question was, apparently, a mobile billboard. The chassis was your basic six-wheeled delivery truck, but instead of a cargo box on the back, it simply carried a big, two-sided sign advertising an insurance company (at least on my side...I have no idea what was on the other side). As near as I can tell, the sole purpose for this truck is to drive around and put the signs in peoples view.

My response to this is anything but positive. Why does this annoy me? We could start with the traffic issues. We have miserably congested traffic in this area already, and having extra vehicles on the road with no other purpose than to be seen doesn't strike me as part of the solution.

Then there's the issue of air quality. Hot, humid weather, like we have today, combine with our air pollution to create dangerous levels of ozone and smog. The local governments have issued a Code Orange air quality advisory for today (the second highest level, below Code Red, for dangerous). Again, a truck driving around, burning diesel fuel, spewing exhaust into the air really doesn't fit with my idea of an appropriate response.

All of which leaves me perplexed. Do the advertisers really think they will generate significant new business this way? I'm not inclined to support such advertisers. It seems to me that advertising this way might actually create a negative impact. Or do the advertisers really think people aren't going to realize what a bad idea this is? On the other hand, given the number of people who blithely waste fuel around here, I guess that's not an unreasonable expectation...

Comments

[texaswren.livejournal.com]

I've seen those in Waco. I hate them for all the reasons you mentioned plus another one. Apparently, they aren't subject to the same rules as other advertising. The last time I was there, one of them had an advertisement using words that wouldn't be allowed in a family newspaper. I was furious. What if my grandkids had been with me? I called the advertiser, the city council, and the mayor's office. Never heard back from a single one of them.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

We've got 'em here, too. Hate 'em.

And RQG, thanks for reminding me about Olde Alexandria. I really enjoyed you giving me the tour when I arrived. If there's one thing I love, it's people showing off their neighbourhoods and telling all the little stories that you wouldn't get if you hired a car and just looked at it cold.

[suellenr.livejournal.com]

Agreed!

You may have heard, Alex. is going to try and ban smoking. A good thing.

Also you may be interested to know that a library is planned for Kingstowne. It will be right between Chili's and IHOP.