QMS has replied to reported criticism about the placement of some of its new City of Sydney digital street furniture network.
The Sydney Morning Herald says: “ ... placement in the middle of footpaths has aggrieved pedestrians, while other observers are bemused by the installation of new Telstra phone booths barely a metre from some billboards, obscuring one side from view.”
A QMS spokesperson told AdNews: “We are incredibly proud of our partnership with the City of Sydney to bring this public amenity to Sydneysiders.”
The reimagined QMS screens are across 26 square kilometres and 33 suburbs, the network reaches 2.6 million people a week, two-thirds of whom live across the Greater Sydney region.
The network includes a newly designed suite of bus shelters, kiosks, 20 new public toilets, 780 benches and 670 bins which replace the current furniture, most of which had been in place since 1997.
Harold Scruby, head of the Pedestrian Council lobby group, say the new billboards prioritise advertising ahead of pedestrian safety. He said the signs should be positioned parallel with the footpath, rather than across it, so that they don’t face the street.
Clover Moore, lord mayor of Sydney: “Yes, they are quite large and in some locations – as was the case with the old telephone-mounted panels – you may have to walk single-file.
“But we have worked to ensure compliant, accessible and positioned in accordance with the City’s Street Furniture placement guidelines. Adequate footpath access has been provided to ensure prams, mobility walkers and wheelchairs can continue to use the footpath.
“And they form part of the bigger contract, which provides so much value to the City.
“The new suite of furniture will help modernise our streets while also providing significant revenue to the City, which will help us maintain high quality services and public spaces for our residents, businesses and visitors.
“The placement of all bus shelters, communications pylons, kiosks and automatic public toilets were subject to development application process, which included public consultation with a determination made by the independent Local Planning Panel.
“Managing the City’s needs is a constant negotiation. Some benefits require trade-offs.
“I assure you we are listening and responding to your feedback regarding the furniture upgrades and I hope you understand the value of this contract to our work delivering a great place to live, visit and work.”
Plus, new Telstra phone booth installations obscures half the view of the QMS screens.
Moore said: “The new contract does not include an agreement with Telstra, so the new stand-alone communication pylons have replaced the old telephone booth-mounted advertising panels.
“It may not appear it because these are new and unfamiliar, but the vast majority of these panels have been installed in the same location and are a similar width to the old phone-booth billboards.
“Unfortunately, Telstra determines the location of their payphones and under the Federal Telecommunications Act are not required to consult with the community or seek approval from councils or other authorities – no matter how little they’re used.”
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