Victoria Walton

Billboards Bless Alamance County

By Barnaby B. Barnhammer

Alamance County is blessed to have Interstate 40 as an economic and transportation asset.

Everyday thousands of Americans travel through the county on their way to visit North
Carolina’s beaches and mountains. Sometimes they stop in town, spending their money at local
restaurants, motels, and other businesses, providing jobs and taxes that benefit our community.
When they do stop, it is usually because a billboard caught their interest.

In recent days, the Burlington Bugle has reported on efforts of a group calling itself the
Alamance Beautification Committee to reduce the number of billboards along Interstate 40
leading into Burlington. The committee is lobbying the state legislature and the Alamance
County Commissioners to limit the size and number of billboards along the highway largely
because they believe billboards serve as a distraction to passing motorists and are therefore
“dangerous” and a hazard to our community. The committee also believes that billboards detract
from the Piedmont countryside and they make businesses reluctant to relocate to the Alamance
County area.

None of these arguments are grounded in fact. Recent research conducted by the Federal
Highway Administration found that billboards pose no threat to driver safety. Instead, over 88%
of a driver’s distraction occurs from within the car, such as texting, cell phone usage or other
passengers. Contrary to the committee’s claims, billboards improve safety because the FHA
found that lane drifting was decreased by the presence of billboards because drivers are
encouraged to look up from in-car distractions.

The billboards at issue do not detract from scenic views. These billboards are generally located
near busy commercial areas and by exits to advise passing motorists about attractions and
options. No one is suggesting the placement of a billboard to block or interfere with a scenic
vista.

Billboards serve as an economic engine for our community and support our schools and families.
They assist motorists searching for a place to dine, spend the night, shop or refuel. Billboards
provide our small family restaurants as well as local businesses the chance to compete on equal
terms with national chain stores and restaurants. They urge passing traffic into our community
providing jobs and tax revenue. Adopting the committee’s suggestion would result in a devasting
transfer of jobs and revenue from Alamance to our neighboring counties who are already trying
to entice passing motorists to their local businesses. No other county is trying to limit billboards.
Businesses continue to flock to Alamance County because economic and advertising
opportunities our community provides. Why would we place our local business at a competitive
disadvantage to the companies located in adjacent, competing counties? Our local businesses
should be able to exercise the same free speech rights that companies elsewhere enjoy.
Alamance County’s strong economic environment attracts other employers that are eager to be a
part of a prosperous community. Companies who relocate to Alamance can use billboards as a
marketing strategy to enhance their own business. Thunderhead Advertising is one of three
Alamance County based agencies that help companies advertise this way, and it is proud of this
work.

Thunderhead Advertising is strongly invested in Alamance County being the best it can be. The
company paid $4 million in county taxes least year, and another $6 million in state taxes. Our
employees are active in local charitable, church and school groups and have long been
community leaders. Alamance is already beautiful and prosperous, and Thunderhead is happy to
help keep it that way.