El Paso city council approves driving ads

EL PASO, Texas-- El Paso's city council voted 6 to 1 Tuesday to allow the use of mobile advertisement trucks.

Representative Cissy Lizarraga was opposed saying, “Distractive driving is already an issue that we combat on a regular basis.”

Representative Henry Rivera responded saying “I don’t believe billboards are such a distraction. I believe cell phones are much more distractive than the billboards out there.”

Lizarraga voiced concerns about mobile billboard companies already in El Paso.

Lizarraga said, “We seem to have some mobile billboard operators who are already operating against the law without permits despite the fact that mobile billboards are not permitted.”

Representative Rivera responded by saying “these local individuals wanting to create a business, yes, whether they were regulated or not in the past, passing this regulation today allows us to engage and monitor and regulate those operators even more.”

City Council approved the driving ads as a one-year pilot program.

The program will have restrictions for the mobile advertisement trucks such as:

• Require obtaining a special privilege permit, including yearly fee

• Restrict number of operators (3 current operators)

• Restrict number of billboards per operator at one time (3 per operator currently)

• Implement dimensional standards; Sign face shall not exceed:

• 14’ feet in height measured from the ground

• 22 feet in length

• 220 square feet in size

• No CEVM/digital allowed

• Permitted only on arterials, no freeways or residential local streets

• Restrict hours of operation: restricted between 12 a.m. and 8 a.m.

• No sound

• Illumination shall comply with Dark Sky Ordinance

• Prohibited from operating in sustained winds in excess of 35mph

• Permit to be displayed at all times

• $1,500 initial yearly fee

After the year, City Council will re-evaluate if the pilot program was successful and decide which route to take next.