No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsBusinessCosta Rica's Supreme Court powers down 3 electronic billboards along heavily transited...

Costa Rica’s Supreme Court powers down 3 electronic billboards along heavily transited roads

Three recent rulings issued by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, prompted the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) to turn off the lights on three electronic billboards along major roadways in the Costa Rican capital.

MOPT last week told the National Power and Light Company to power down the billboards due to “visual pollution,” a phrase used in the Sala IV rulings. However, the ministry cannot order the billboards to be removed because they are located on private property.

The LED screens belong to Interamericana Medios de Comunicación (IMC) and are located near Plaza del Sol Mall in Curridabat, east of San José, next to La Sabana Park, in western San José, and across the street from the National Museum in downtown San José.

IMC representatives argued that MOPT had granted permission for them to install the billboards beginning in 2010, and that the company had been clear from the start that they were electronic devices. IMC said they may sue to turn the billboards back on, according to IMC legal adviser Jonathan Picado.

In its rulings, the Sala IV evaluated reports by the University of Costa Rica’s National Structural Materials and Models Laboratory (LANAMME) that backed citizen complaints, according to Vinicio Barboza, head of MOPT’s Inspection and Demolition Department. Sala IV justices also noted that the country has no regulations governing these types of advertising devices, and until that happens, permits should not be granted for their use.

The report submitted by LANAMME Director Alejandro Navas states that the billboards’ “extreme brightness and luminosity levels are evident and could be a distraction for driver visibility.”

“This office recommends, for the safety of motorists, a ban on these types of screens until technical criteria can be used to justify their approval or rejection,” the report added.

The Sala IV’s decision, however, does not affect similar electronic screens used by the Roadway Safety Council to report accidents, traffic jams and other information along several highways, as justices considered these devices provide a public service to motorists.

Barboza also said his department currently is conducting inspections of other electronic billboards, including those located near the Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela, and others near the toll booth in Escazú, southwest of the capital.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...

Costa Rica’s Cutris Mining Bill Threatens Massive Environmental Damage

Costa Rica’s government is pushing a controversial bill that could open the entire Cutris district in San Carlos—848 square kilometers—to open-pit gold mining. The...

Costa Rican Court Orders Release of Migrants Deported Under Trump Deal

A court on Tuesday ordered Costa Rican authorities to release foreign migrants who had been detained in a shelter after being deported under an...

Hondurans March to Mark 2009 Coup as Election Battle Heats Up

Thousands of government supporters marched Saturday in the capital of Honduras to commemorate the anniversary of the 2009 coup that ousted then-leftist President Manuel...

Costa Rica’s Rare Birds at Risk as Human Activity Threatens Extinction

Costa Rica’s bare-necked umbrellabird, a striking black bird with a red throat pouch and crest, is in trouble. A new study in Nature Ecology...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica