Drivers Need Direction Boards, Not Billboards

Have you ever experienced this while driving in Bangalore?

You are searching for an exit road or trying to confirm whether you should go straight, take a left turn, or enter a flyover. You slow down, looking carefully for a direction board — but instead of clear road signs, all you see are massive advertisements covering bridges, skywalks, and roadside structures.

This has become a common sight across Bangalore.  In many places:

• Important direction boards are either missing or extremely small.
• Exit roads appear suddenly without adequate guidance.
• Large commercial advertisements dominate the driver’s field of vision.
• Essential traffic information gets hidden behind banners and billboards.

For a driver navigating busy roads, especially in high-traffic areas, this creates confusion and stress within a matter of seconds

Roads Are Meant for Navigation, Not Advertising

A person driving a vehicle is focused on:

• Finding the correct route
• Following traffic rules
• Watching surrounding vehicles and pedestrians

At such moments, oversized advertisements across roads and flyovers become visual distractions rather than useful communication tools.  The primary purpose of road infrastructure should be safety and navigation — not commercial promotion.

Confusion Can Lead to Accidents

When drivers miss exits or suddenly notice a hidden signboard, they may:

• Apply sudden brakes
• Change lanes abruptly
• Slow down unexpectedly
• Make dangerous turns

Such situations increase the possibility of accidents, traffic congestion, and road rage.

Road accidents are not caused only by traffic violations. Poorly planned visual infrastructure and distracting roadside advertisements can also contribute to unsafe driving conditions.

Time for Policy Action

The Transport Ministry, traffic authorities, and urban planning agencies should seriously review the unrestricted placement of advertisements across roads, flyovers, and pedestrian bridges.

Possible measures could include:

• Restricting advertisements near junctions, exits, and flyovers
• Mandating minimum visibility standards for road signs
• Increasing the size and clarity of direction boards
• Removing advertisements that obstruct traffic guidance systems

Road safety must always take priority over advertising revenue.  Roads should guide people safely to their destinations — not distract them with oversized commercial displays.  A cleaner and scientifically designed road environment can help reduce confusion, improve traffic flow, and potentially save lives.

In several developed countries, strict regulations control the placement, size, brightness, and positioning of roadside advertisements to avoid distracting drivers. Similar scientific guidelines are needed in Indian cities as well.