Majority of Angelenos Support New City Ordinance for Regulated Use of Digital Signs; Want Critical Public Safety Benefits to be Preserved

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A new poll released today found that 62% of Angelenos support the city of Los Angeles adopting a new ordinance to regulate digital signs. Sign Up LA, the coalition of business groups, nonprofit organizations, community groups and sign companies that supports the reasonable use and location of digital signs in Los Angeles, released the survey demonstrating strong public support for digital signs and the significant public safety benefits they provide in the city of Los Angeles.

The poll results, from 1,500 adults in the city of Los Angeles, show that the majority opinion aligns with the efforts of the Sign Up LA coalition to support a new digital signage policy in the city, similar to policies enacted by cities in 43 states and more than 450 localities across the country.

Other key survey findings include:

• An overwhelming majority of those surveyed (80%) think digital signs are good tools for communicating public safety messages. Two of three respondents said they would be concerned if digital signs were turned off; 27% of all respondents expressed they would be "very concerned."
• More than 60% of those surveyed support a proposal allowing for a number of digital signs in return for the removal of a number of traditional billboards, and generating revenue for the city while preserving public safety alerts.
• A plurality of residents, 48%, opposes turning off the city's existing digital signs. A minority, 34%, supports turning off the signs.

It is also significant to note that those adults surveyed rated crime and jobs/city economy as their top two issues. The Sign Up LA coalition is demonstrating through a series of white papers that these are two important city issues that digital signs directly impact.  

Digital signs generate economic benefits to businesses, including job creation and the sale of products and services to consumers, which in turn generate tax revenues for much-needed government services.   And, digital signs are an important tool for law enforcement and other public safety agencies to rapidly reach large audiences with real-time information.

In Southern California, the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, the Los Angeles Police Department, city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO) and Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Services have each turned to digital signs to enhance efforts to protect public safety. For several of these agencies, digital signs are a significant component in their emergency communications strategies.

Sign Up LA recently commissioned the poll of 1,500 adults in the city of Los Angeles to better understand where the public stands on the issue of digital signs and the benefits they provide. The poll was conducted by the national polling firm Voter Roll Call and was done over the phone and online. The margin of error was no more than ±2.6 for any question.

For more information, please visit the Sign Up LA website at www.SignUpLA.com or Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/SignUpLA. You can also follow the coalition on twitter @signupla. 

SOURCE Sign Up LA