Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is expected to sign a bill passed by the Common Council on LED billboards Tuesday.
T
he Common Council approved LED Billboards that will be able to have messages change every eight seconds instead of every 30 seconds.
The test-site for a LED billboard for the past six months has been at Sil's Drive-Thru located on Milwaukee's east side at the busy intersection of North and Oakland avenues.
One of Sil's employees, Jarrod Trombley, thinks that the lighted sign is no big deal.
For some others, such as Alderman Bob Bauman, the billboards may be a problem for drivers and homeowners. He believes that the lights are bright and bleed into neighborhoods. He also feels that they diminish the quality of life for people living and doing business in the area of these signs.
Billboard companies said that LED displays put out less light than traditional billboards.
One driver said that they really didn't look at it that much and it didn't really throw them off while driving.
There are some restrictions. Companies must have a hearing every time they want to change a billboard to a LED billboard more than 1,000 feet from the freeway. Also, they are not allowed within 400 feet of a residence and the brightness of the billboards will be limited by the city.
