Recently the Star ran a story on the City being in a bit of a tizzy over the proliferation of sandwich-boards per se on Baker and possible safety issues because of them.
These boards are placed on sidewalks to attract customers - obviously crucial for all businesses advertising - particularly those off-Baker: they inform those who don't know and remind those who may have forgotten. Increasing business is good for business - thus the local economy. With the local economy being less than robust wink-wink, it would seem basic that the City encourages instead of discourages its growth. Maybe.
I have never felt threatened by sandwich-boards, nor have I stumbled over or even just had to walk around one. Including at crosswalks. And I have never seen this happen to anyone else. Or heard anyone complain about them. And - not being a driver - I walk in the downtown-area almost every day.
I often don't feel safe though - what about the seriously elderly and infirm? - and I have stumbled and slipped and made often tricky detours for years when in winter there is absolutely no enforcement downtown of the sidewalk-snow-shoveling bylaw. And I have seen others of various ages slip and heard them complain. It is (un)safe to say that at least a third of all businesses/buildings in the general downtown-area don't shovel or dispense salt. They don't because they don't have to.
Meaning: often deep snow turns into deep slush turns into bumpy ice, while bylaw-enforcement folk - when a visible presence - are busy with non-confrontational parking-meters or chatting with non-confrontational acquaintances.
It would be reasonable to formalize a rule to generally keep boards close to curbs, away from parking-meters and from obstructing crosswalks and entrances - all this already common practice anyway.
Specifically - there is no reason why street-level/store-front businesses on Baker should have a sandwich-board: if pedestrians can look to the left - they can look to the right. And vice versa. These boards should be disallowed to avoid overwhelming clutter. At the same time - 2nd/3rd-floor businesses and those below street-level on Baker need to make their presence known somehow - thus should be allowed to have a board.
Businesses in the 1st block of streets crossing Baker should be allowed a sandwich-board at 2 street-corners on their side. For them also: if in a street-level store no - if on 2nd/3rd floors or below street-level yes. They may draw potential customers - who otherwise might not go there - into those blocks.
And that should be it - common sense!
Most of these sandwich-boards are quite attractive, and all add a splash of colour, some life and even a bit of flair to an otherwise very dingy downtown Nelson - like most of the year!
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