Dundee City Council is planning a safety blitz that will see A-boards swept from the streets.
Retailers, cafes and other businesses will receive letters from the council this week reminding them there must be no obstacles placed on the pavement outside their premises as they pose a hazard to people who are visually impaired..
Will Dawson convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee said: “We fully understand the business community’s need to advertise and ensure that their customers know what they have to offer.
“However as a council we also have to balance the needs of people with visual impairment, mobility issues and parents with buggies all of whom can find various forms of pavement advertising, especially A-boards, a challenge to negotiate.
“It has long been council policy, and in fact the law of the land, that nothing should be put in a road or pavement that causes an obstruction and over the years we have periodically inspected for them as well as acting on complaints.
“As a last resort we have the power to have obstructions removed but it is something that I’m sure everyone would prefer retailers to act responsibly on.”
Fiona Finlayson, acting manager of Dundee Blind Society said: “We are completely behind Dundee City Council’s efforts to rid our streets of what are very real hazards to blind and partially sighted people.
“It is a significant enough challenge for some people with impaired sight to simply walk down a busy city centre pavement without having to negotiate an assault course of A-boards and other signage.”