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Los Angeles residents rejoiced recently when a judge ordered nearly a hundred digital billboards be turned off, giving relief to residents whose homes have been invaded by the unwanted glow of constantly-changing commercial advertisements.

The darkening of the billboards is the latest chapter in a saga that began in 2006 when the city signed a clandestine agreement with two billboard companies that allowed for the conversion of hundreds of billboards to digital.  A judge later voided that agreement, calling it "poisonous."

But it took several more years before the signs were actually turned off.  In the meantime the billboard companies continued to profit while nearby residents suffered.

It remains to be seen what's next for the blank signs.  Will they be torn down?  For further analysis of the issue check out the L.A.-based Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight.

Scenic America has presented its Stafford Award to Mayor Linda Bobo and the citizens of Mount Laurel for their successful years-long effort to prohibit billboards in the township. The Award was presented at the Township Council meeting on April 22, 2013 by Scenic America President Mary Tracy and Board Member Carl E. Hintz.  The presentation was covered by both the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Burlington County Times.

"We are thrilled to present this award to Mayor Bobo and the township of Mount Laurel for standing tall against the forces of blight," said Tracy. "They are to be commended for rigorously defending their vision for the township and not backing down against an industry with deep pockets and a track record of using intimidation to get what they want."

Mount Laurel’s ban on billboards was challenged by a sign company that sought permission from the town's zoning board to erect four billboards along I-295. But the township’s ban was upheld by several courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, which said that the town's “conclusion that billboards affect traffic safety and aesthetics” was reasonable, and that municipalities have the right to ban billboards. The entire 3rd Circuit is impacted by the case, which set a precedent in the U.S. Court of Appeals.

"The citizens and public officials of Mount Laurel should be very proud of what they’ve accomplished," said Tracy. "Their success serves as inspiration and motivation to people and towns all over the country who want to protect themselves from billboard blight but who’ve been afraid to stand up to an industry with enormous resources. Every town should have the right to determine how they want to look, and Mount Laurel proved it can be done."

The Stafford Award is named for former U.S. Senator Robert Stafford of Vermont, for his concern for the environment and efforts to strengthen federal highway beautification laws. Previous recipients include Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Governor Pete Wilson of California, Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island and U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena.

A new study finds that the higher the percentage of outdoor advertisements promoting food or non-alcoholic beverages within a census tract, the greater the odds of obesity among its residents, controlling for age, race and educational status.

The study found that for every 10% increase in food advertising, there was a 1.05 (95% CI 1.003 - 1.093, p<0.03) greater odds of being overweight or obese, controlling for other factors. Given these predictions, compared to an individual living in an area with no food ads, those living in areas in which 30% of ads were for food would have a 2.6% increase in the probability of being obese.

The report states that food marketing predominantly promotes foods that discouraged by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  We have long known that outdoor advertising causes negative mental and physical health effects, and now we can add increased obesity to the list.

Click here to download the study.

Each month Scenic America's e-newsletter Scenic Overlook brings you the latest in scenic news and notes, and now you can access past issues of the newsletter all in one place.  Click here to read past issues.

If you are not signed up to receive Scenic America e-newsletters and e-alerts, click here to sign up.

One of the most inspiring and forward-looking municipal improvement projects in the country is currently underway in the Town of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where crews are more than halfway through a 15-year project to put overhead power lines underground.  The effort is the result of a 2004 Town ordinance requiring the conversion of all overhead power lines to underground.

Click here to read more and see before/after photos.

The latest issue of The Urban Transportation Monitor features a front-page story exploring the traffic safety implications of digital billboards.  The article says: "digital billboards are designed to attract attention along highways, and they may be doing too good a job. Researchers have found the signs to be so distracting they could be dangerous."

Click here to download the issue, courtesy of http://www.urban-transportation-monitor.com/

Scenic America's recent lawsuit filing has generated significant media coverage and emboldened citizens everywhere who are fighting these TVs-on-a-stick in their neighborhoods.  Help us maintain this momentum and grow the movement to stop digital billboard blight by signing our petition asking the Obama Administration to enforce the Highway Beautification Act:  http://www.scenic.org/ladybird

Scenic America has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to overturn a controversial Federal Highway Administration ruling.  The ruling reversed the agency’s long-held position that barred intermittently changing commercial digital billboards.  The lawsuit alleges that FHWA has wrongfully allowed commercial digital billboards to proliferate along federal highways nationwide.

Click here to learn more.

The investigative journalism group FairWarning finds that the billboard industry is touting discredited research in response to a recent study out of Sweden that found digital billboards distract drivers for lengths of time that previous studies have shown to be dangerous.

The report by FairWarning, found here, determined that the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, in a statement issued last week, cited botched research by the Federal Highway Administration as evidence that the new Swedish study "has little relevance to billboards in the United States."

2013 has already seen new efforts to limit the deleterious effects of digital billboards on drivers and residents alike. 

A new study out of Sweden says digital billboards take drivers' eyes off the road for far longer than static signs, and for lengths of time that previous studies have shown greatly increase the risk of a crash.  The release of the study prompted FOX 8 in Winston-Salem, N.C. to investigate the issue, and they heard from several drivers who found that the signs grab their attention and take their eyes off the road.

Residents in California's Bay Area are saying they think the signs are "monstrosities" and too distracting.  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also picked up on the story and found that it coincided with a similar report they had done previously.  And in Washington, DC drivers also report being distracted by digital billboards, and the driver's advocacy group AAA says they oppose these kind of signs.

Meanwhile, the city council in Fayetteville, Arkansas has unanimously voted to ban digital billboards in the city, and with no opposition from the public.  Here's to hoping that more places will take their lead in 2013!