A number of street poles will be adorned with advertising in accordance with a tender issued by Enemalta plc in recent days.

The tender reads: “request for tender for the lease of ‘advertising space’ on street lighting poles across various roads, Malta”.

Asked about the tender, an Enemalta spokesperson told this newsroom that the required Planning Authority permits had been attained for these advertising signs.  In this regard, questions sent to the Planning Authority about this remain unanswered at the time of writing. 

Asked by this newsroom whether the advertising could constitute a distraction to motorists, the Enemalta spokesperson simply said that the advertisements will “be limited in size and placing as dictated by the relevant authority”.

Transport Malta also remained coy over whether the signs would constitute a distraction to motorists, saying simply that the placement of such advertisements is governed by Billboards and Advertisements Regulations which form part of the Development Planning Act and that in such cases Transport Malta provides feedback to the Planning Authority.

The regulations themselves state that “all advertisements are intended to attract attention and hence present a potential traffic safety hazard” and that they must conform to road safety criteria set out by Transport Malta and also with the general principles for the location of advertisements that are stipulated in the regulations.

There has been recent controversy surrounding the actual definition of what a road distraction actually is, prompted by the removal of 900 signs which were set up along the roadsides by political activists.  In this case, the Planning Authority ordered the removal of these signs stating that they were fixed without permission, and that they also “constitute a traffic hazard, in view of their location and number, due to the distraction such placards may create”.