RANT: Excessive Pole-Papering on Alki

[NorEaster]

Is anyone else slightly annoyed at the new and massive waste of yellow paper on poles along Alki Beach? It’s one thing to hang a flyer on a pole hoping to garner attention (that’s fine), but it’s a whole other thing to put AT LEAST 6 of the same flyer ON EVERY POLE!!! Not to mention that the flyers are trying to get people to join an environmental cause to “fight big oil”. What a hypocritical environmental waste! Sorry for being so upset but really, not only are the flyers a giant eye-sore but they are, again, a giant waste of paper that seems to contradict the cause. What are the city regulations about posting on poles and such? And if they have the right to put them all up, do I have the right to take them all down?

Thanks!

Annoyed on Alki

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[Diane]

yes, this excessive postering is very annoying

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they also covered all the poles up and down California

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it is legal to post flyers, but the obnoxious excessive postering of these folks gives a bad impression

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and they’ve taken over the whole coverage area of poles so no one else can even put up their flyers; completely annoying

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I did not read the posters, just saw the big bold letters SUMMER JOBS, but to hear that this is about environmental jobs, while plastering paper all over; yes, very hypocritical

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I hope it’s not scammers trying to take advantage of teens; while walking to the beach I saw one teen with his mom; he had tried to pull one tab off the poster and the whole thing came down and his mom was scolding him, insisting that he take the poster rather than litter

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I was posting my flyer in another area of West Seattle today, and noticed the big yellow SUMMER JOBS posters wrapped around all the poles on California, then also down on Alki; must admit, I was tempted to tear some down

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[NorEaster]

Bummer to hear about them on California too…

I tried to look up city code and found several articles that just left me confused. But what I got from them all in the end (because of new legislation and court overturns) is that at one time they were banned completely but that it is okay now as long as the flyers are not (among other things) “visual blight” (which I’m pretty sure all the yellow ones are). The courts compared massive papering like this to graffiti but did say that many flyers around the city are used to promote local music and that should be allowed.

Anyone know any different?

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[Diane]

yes, we had thread about this couple weeks ago

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https://westseattleblog.com/blog/forum/topic.php?id=5402

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city ordinance passed in 2002 that allows public postings on city-owned utility poles, lamp poles, and traffic control devices. This Seattle ordinance allowing public sign postings was passed after the Washington State Court of Appeals declared the prior Seattle ordinance banning public sign postings as violating our Washington State Constitution.

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Seattle Municipal Code, SMC 15.48.105 Conformance to applicable regulations for posting.

A. Handbills, signs and posters may be affixed to City-owned utility poles, lamp poles and traffic control devices under the control of the Seattle Department of Transportation And (1) members of the public are afforded reasonable access to exercise their free speech rights, including being able to place signs (Ord. 121038 Section 3, 2002.)

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[alki_2008]

Saw a young kid try to pull some of those tabs from one of the yellow flyers today, and the whole flyer came off. What did she do? She left the flyer on the ground and more carefully pulled a tab from one of the other yellow flyers on the same pole. Ugh!

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