Your say / Adblock Bristol
‘We want corporate advertising removed from our public spaces’
We’re pleased that in many cases the council is listening to people’s concerns and standing up to the advertisers who have no regard for public opinion, and simply want to fill our public spaces with increasingly intrusive and unavoidable adverts for junk food, cars and cheap fashion.
BT’s ‘InLink’ units, that replace traditional telephone boxes with street-side wifi hubs with a built-in advertising screen, were swept through in London despite a lack of clarity around how the technology will be used and how it will affect citizens, but Bristol has recognised the multiple social and environmental problems associated with these units and is taking a stand.
The advertisers are likely to appeal the council’s decision, however, and they may even try to use different tactics to bypass the usual planning process, as is happening in Kingston. It seems they are trying a different approach after their setback in Bristol, and are hoping to get their unwanted units ushered through as ‘essential’ telecommunications equipment, which is not subject to the same scrutiny. If they try this in Bristol, it will show once again that the advertisers really do have no regard for the wishes of the people who will actually have to live with these units, or the carefully considered decisions of the council, who have clearly stated why these units are not right for our city.
is needed now More than ever
We are constantly exposed to commercial advertising which uses manipulative techniques to make us feel inadequate, unattractive or unsuccessful unless we buy that new fast car, fizzy drink or perfume. This undermines our mental health, our wellbeing and our environment. Rather than introducing yet more of this visual pollution, we want to see corporate advertising removed from our public spaces to create a happier, less stressed-out city free from the constant pressure to consume.
Nicola Round is a campaigner for Adblock Bristol with a vision for a happier, healthier city free from the pressures of corporate outdoor advertising.
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