Why should Ad Trucks not Exist?
If ad trucks drive more frequently in populated areas, during rush hour traffic, they are adding density to this traffic. They increase the number of vehicles in the streets, and distract drivers and pedestrians. This document concentrates on four main areas of concern; atmospheric pollution, visual pollution, more traffic, and the violation of a historic site.
Atmospheric Pollution
Advertising trucks cause of atmospheric pollution. Based on a calculation provided by the AQLPA, ad trucks emit approximately 20 tons of Co2 each year per truck in circulation. This estimate is based on the assumption that each truck is similar to a GMC 3500 truck which drives about 150 km per day or 55 000 km per year. The AQLPA also estimates that for every 2.75 km driven by an ad truck, 1 liter of Co2 is emitted.
Bio-Diesel is not an option; prevention of atmospheric pollution can only be attained through the abolition of ad trucks. Bio-diesel fuel is made by a reaction of vegetable oils with methanol or ethanol. Though it has contributed to the reduction of pollutants caused by cars and trucks, the majority of pollutants are still emitted. In fact, Mridul Gautam, Ph.D., a professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering conducted a study in which a blend of 35 percent bio-diesel fuel and 65 percent conventional diesel fuel were compared to conventional diesel fuel. In this study there is a 25 percent reduction in particulate emissions. Furthermore, emissions of carbon monoxide declined by 12 to 14 percent, and hydrocarbons by 10 percent. His study was published in the March 1 print edition of the peer-reviewed
Journal of Environmental Science & Technology .
On July 27, 2006, Hugo De Grandpre published an article in the French Montréal Newspaper,
La Presse. In this article, he quoted Stephane Camapa, vice president of Impact Media, for insisting that Impact Media trucks use a blend of a 30% mix bio-diesel and 70% regular fuel. In comparison to the estimation sited above, the amount of particle emissions from impact media’s trucks only reduces by 25%, carbon monoxide by 12% to 14% and hydrocarbons by 10%. There is still a great deal of pollution produced by each truck. When we contacted Stephane Camapa about the environmental impact of his trucks, he didn’t want to provide us with any information.
Environmental Responsibility
Canada and the city of Montreal both have committed themselves to the reduction of atmospheric pollution. Canada has formally agreed with the Kyoto protocol and Montreal has even hosted the Climate Change Conference in 2006. In addition, the City of Montreal formulated a
Charter of Rights and Responsibilities where there is an environmental clause that commits city and borough councilors to the protection of the atmosphere from pollutants. Environment and Sustainable Development is discussed in chapter 5 of this document. Article 23 indicates that “Citizens have the rights with respect to the environment and sustainable development to participate with the Montreal administration in a joint effort to ensure these rights”. These rights include article 24 (C, D, and G) which pertain to the reduction of atmospheric pollution. These are (24 C), “Fostering continuous improvement of air quality…” (24, D), “Promoting urban public transit and transportation systems which would reduce the use of cars”, and (24, G), “Taking measures to reduce abusive irritants resulting from noise and traffic...” This document holds city councilors responsible for the preservation of the atmosphere by reducing traffic and air pollutants. The augmentation of ad truck circulation is in opposition to these rights and responsibilities. The city is committed to either abiding by its own charter by abolishing the circulation of ad trucks or dissolve chapter 5 of the charter and inform its citizens that there are no intentions of atmospheric protection.
More Traffic
Those citizens who drive in the downtown core of Montreal are subjected to more traffic, thus longer waits to get to their destined location. Streets are already crowded with cars and trucks, ad trucks only make the problem worse. Ad trucks tend to circulate in periods of high population density in order to attract as many people to the ad as possible. For example, Impact Media circulated more frequently during the Jazz Festival, Just for Laughs Festival, and the Grand Prix. In these periods, the down town core is quite crowded. Ad trucks only add to this congestion. Ad trucks also cause driving distraction. They limit the visual space which drivers need in order to operate their vehicle safely. They also distract drivers by drawing attention to the advertisement. The purpose of an ad is to draw attention to the intended message. If drivers are paying attention to the advertisement, they are not fully paying attention to the road. Ad trucks should not be allowed to obstruct driving conditions.
Visual Pollution
Advertising is everywhere. We are constantly bombarded with messages of consumption. They are in magazines, on busses, on billboards, on television, on the radio, on all over the internet, to name only a few. If you are a Montreal resident, you are exposed to a plethora of publicity on a daily basis. There are some of us who enjoy marketing and do not mind these corporate messages. However, there are many of us who are annoyed by the amount of advertising that we are subjected to on a daily basis. In fact, there are those of us who are completely against the use of advertising completely. No matter where you stand, driving billboards are not necessary. There are many other locations in which advertising takes place and does not provide pollution. There is no need to increase the spectrum of promotion by mounting billboards on trucks.
Montréal's Boulevard Saint-Laurent, more commonly known as The Main, is a legendary street. As the first street to stretch beyond the ancient fortifications of Old Montréal, it is renowned as a gateway of immigration, a multi-cultural boulevard, and the spine of Canada’s most artistic neighborhoods. To protect this vibrant thoroughfare, in 1996 The Main was designated a national historic site. The federal government suggests the fabled corridor must have a "sense of history”, and to protect it insists that “intrusive elements must be minimal."
Long-time Plateau residents are starting to complain that “The Main” historic site is being violated by ad trucks, which clog the fabled street on a regular basis, effectively devaluing its historic designation. Historic sites are regulated by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, a branch of Heritage Canada. After complaints by artists and residents about the ad trucks and other “intrusive elements”, Executive Secretary Michel Audy wrote (on December 11th 2006): “It is the responsibility of site owners to ensure that the national historic site they own is operated to a standard that meets the principles for which the site was designated…The Main is the responsibility of the City of Montréal, and if you have not already done so, I encourage you to contact the Conseil du Patrimoine de Montréal.”
By allowing the Main to be violated by ad trucks the Montreal municipal government is essentially failing in its responsibilities to protect the historic site. With the Plateau recently being declared “Canada’s most artistic neighborhood” in the H2W postal code area, there are complaints that the ad trucks (and other pervasive advertising) are contributing towards the “Disneyfication” of the historic site, essentially driving artists and the culture industry out. This disregard by municipal authorities is slowly disintegrating the Main’s cultural fabric, effectively harming Montreal’s tourism industry.
Who Opposes Ad Trucks?
The (b)ad truck coalition consists of concerned groups and citizens about the problems associated with the circulation of driving billboards. These groups include; The Shaughnessy Village Association, Lincoln-Tupper Coorporation,
Eco-Quartier Peter-McGill,
The Co-op Bookstore,
AQLPA, Peter McGill Community Council,
Infringement Festival ,
The Optative Theatrical Laboratories, Destination Centre-Ville, the Conseil du Patrimoine de Montréal, and
Co-op Collective Vision. Many citizens have also expressed concern about advertising trucks. See them at our online
petition.
