Street lights covered in posters ahead of the local elections
By William O'Connor
RESIDENTS awoke on Wednesday morning to see there street lights covered in Election Posters.
Street lamps on busy roads around the area and roads within estates were covered from top to bottom as election fever hit the county.
Posters on the Belgard Road on Wednesday
Candidates running in the election were not allowed to erect posters 30 days prior to the election which started at 12.01 on Wednesday morning.
While we did notice a number of posters up on street lights before this, which was highlighted in The Echo, promoting coffee mornings and social media guidelines, the official date for the upcoming election posters was Wednesday.
However on Tuesday night, before the 30-day period was applied, The Echo did spot a number of election teams out with their ladders between 9.30pm and 10.30pm erecting posters.
This reporter saw at least 11 different teams trying to find the best spot on lights poles in the best locations between Tallaght and Templeogue.
By mid-night, street lights were covered in these election posters and if you drive around this week you will notice them on roundabouts and busy junctions.
They say it costs on average €5 to print one of these posters, but the question must be asked, do they work and are they a hazard to motorists driving on the roads?
While posters add to the excitement of an election, for many they are just a waste of time and an eyesore.
South Dublin County Council confirmed to The Echo on Wednesday: “Under the Litter Pollution Act 1997, as amended by Section 9 of the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2009, election posters and signs cannot be erected until an order has been made appointing the polling date for the election or for 30 days prior to the date of the poll (whichever is the shorter period).”
They went on to say: “The Local Elections Order 2019 and The European Parliament Elections Order 2019 were signed on 25th March 2019 and fixed polling day for both elections on 24th May 2019. Therefore, the 30-day period applies, and posters may be erected from 24th April 2019.
“Following the elections, a party or candidate must remove posters within a seven-day period. In the case of the Local and European elections being held on the 24th May 2019, posters must be removed by 31st May 2019. Where contraventions are identified, enforcement action can be taken under the provisions of the Litter Pollution Acts.”
