Mitigation Strategies of Visual Pollution on Highways in The Bolgatanga Municipal, Ghana.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26437/ajar.v10i2.802Keywords:
Bolgatanga. highway signage. mitigation. outdoor advertising. visual pollutionAbstract
Purpose: This study examines visual pollution along the Bolgatanga highway, focusing on outdoor advertising (OAs) and signage. It aims to identify the causes, assess impacts on road users, and propose strategies to mitigate visual pollution, addressing a critical gap in Ghanaian environmental policy and research.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A survey of 200 road users was conducted on a 3.4 km highway stretch between the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital Intersection and the STC Bus Terminal. Data were collected using a structured online questionnaire and photographic analysis of visual clutter. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse responses regarding demographics, causes of visual pollution, and its impacts.
Findings: The survey identified poorly maintained banners (47%) and large billboards with excessive text (39.5%) as primary contributors to visual clutter. Overhead signs also obstructed scenic views (21.5%). Road users expressed mixed views on OAs: 39.5% appreciated their navigation utility, while 31.5% found them distracting, particularly in high-traffic areas. Motorcyclists and pedestrians were especially vulnerable to visual distractions, increasing road safety concerns.
Research Limitation: The research is geographically confined to a single highway stretch in Bolgatanga, necessitating further studies across broader contexts to validate and extend the results.
Practical Implications: Improved design standards should prioritise safety and community aesthetics, with input from graphic design professionals.
Social Implication: Addressing visual pollution can improve road safety, reduce environmental stress, and enhance Bolgatanga's aesthetic and cultural identity, benefiting residents and visitors.
Originality/Value: This study is among the first to explore visual pollution in a Ghanaian municipality, highlighting its environmental and safety implications. It offers practical solutions integrating urban planning, graphic design, and public policy for a visually sustainable future.
References
Anani, P. W., & Appiah, E. (2019). Impact of Driver Distraction and Its Effect. International Research Journal of Public Health, 3(37), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.28933/irjph-2019-10-0607
Appiah, J. K., Berko-Boateng, V. N., & Tagbor, T. A. (2017). Use of waste plastic materials for road construction in Ghana. Case studies in construction materials. 6, 1–7.
Ashihara, Y. (1983). The Aesthetic Townscape. MIT Press.
Azeema, N., & Nazuk, A. (2016). Is Billboard a Visual Pollution In Pakistan? International Journal Of Scientific & Engineering Research, 7(7), 862–877. https://www.ijser.org/researchpaper/Is-Billboard-a-Visual-Pollution-In-Pakistan.pdf
Azumah, D. M. Y., Hinson, R. E., Nukpezah, D., & Yiran, G. A. B. (2021). Visual Pollution Through Excessive Outdoor Advertisements. In Marketing Communications in Emerging Economies: Foundational and Contemporary Issues (Vol. 1, pp. 193–228). Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81329-1
Belyusar, D., Reimer, B., Mehler, B., & Coughlin, J. F. (2016). A field study on the effects of digital billboards on glance behavior during highway driving. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 88, 88–96.
Bendak, S., & Al-Saleh, K. (2010). The role of roadside advertising signs in distracting drivers. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 40(3), 233–236.
Bodur, S., & Kucur, R. (1994). On visual pollution. Journal of Ecology, 12, 50–51.
Cengiz, C., & Cengiz, B. (2015). Sustainable urban design strategies for historical urban landscapes: Case study of Iznik City (Turkey). Landscape Research Record, 4, 270–285.
Cullen, G. (2000). The Concise Townscape. Architectural Press.
Da Silva, M. (2020). Making Sense of Visual Pollution: The ‘Clean City’ Law in São Paulo, Brazil. Toxic Truths. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/42642/9781526137005 _fullhl.pdf?sequence=1#page=173
Donkor, J. (2024). AAG expresses worry about absence of Advertising Council Law. Ghanaian Times. https://www.ghanaiantimes.com.gh/aag-expresses-worry-about-absence-of-advertising-council-law/#:~:text=The Advertising Council Bill seeks,from deceptive and misleading advertisements.
Edegoh, L. O., Nwanolue, I. M., & Ezeh, N. C. (2013). Audience Assessment of the Use of Models in Billboard Advertising: A Study of Consumers of Amstel Malt in Onitsha, Nigeria. International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities, 6, 217–227.
Edquist, J., Horberry, T., Hosking, S., & Johnston, I. (2011). Effects of advertising billboards during simulated driving. Applied Ergonomics, 42(4), 619–626.
EPA. (2017). Ghana State of the Environment 2016 Report (No. 410).
Farbry, J., Wochinger, K., Shafer, T., Owens, N., & Nedzesky, A. (2001). Research Review of Potential Safety Effects of Electronic Billboards on Driver Attention and Distraction. Federal Highway Administration.
Fettes, J. (2017). Why doesn’t Canberra have billboard advertising? Curious Canberra. ABC News.
Ghana Statistical Service. (2021). Ghana 2021 Population and Housing Census. In Population of Regions and Districts.
GSS/EPA. (2020). Environment Statistics Compendium, 2020 (No. 180).
Gunatillake, T., Cairney, P., & Akcelik, R. (2000). Traffic Management Performance: Development of a Traffic Frustration Index (AP-R160/00).
Hasnain, K. (2013). Regulations on outdoor advertising. Dawn.
Holahan, C. J., Culler, R. E., & Wilcox, B. L. (1978). Effects of visual distraction on reaction time in a simulated traffic environment. Human Factors, 20(4), 409–413.
Hudák, M., & Madleňák, R. (2016). The Research of Driver’s Gaze at the Traffic Signs. CBU International Conference on Innovations in Science & Education, 896–899. https://doi.org/10.12955/cbup.v4.870
Islam, M. M. (2015). A comprehensive assessment of possible links between digital advertising billboards and traffic safety. The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Jensen, C. U., Panduro, T. E., & Lundhede, T. H. (2014). The vindication of Don Quixote: The impact of noise and visual pollution from wind turbines. Land Econ., 90(4), 668–682.
Kanhai, G., Fobil, J. N., Nartey, B. A., Spadaro, J. V., & Mudu, P. (2021). Urban Municipal Solid Waste management: Modeling air pollution scenarios and health impacts in the case of Accra, Ghana. Waste Management, 123, 15–22.
Kombiok, E., Nyamekye, K. A., Adjei, R., & Danquah, L. (2021). Determinants of unsafe plastic waste disposal among households in the Tamale Metropolitan Area, Ghana. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2021.
Megías, A., Maldonado, A., Catena, A., Di Stasi, L. L., Serrano, J., & Cándido, A. (2011). Modulation of attention and urgent decisions by affect-laden roadside advertisement in risky driving scenarios. Safety Science, 49(10), 1388–1393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2011.06.001.
Mohammadi-Mehr, S., Bijani, M., & Abbasi, E. (2018). Factors affecting the aesthetic behavior of villagers towards the natural environment: The case of Kermanshah province, Iran. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 20(7), 1353–1367.
Nagle, J. C. (2009). Cell phone towers as visual pollution. Notre Dame JL Ethics & Pub. Pol’y, 23, 537.
Nasar, J. L. (Ed.). (1992). Environmental Aesthetics: Theory, Research, and Application. Cambridge University Press.
Odonkor, S. T., & Mahami, T. (2020). Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of air pollution in Accra, Ghana: A critical survey. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2020.
Okosun, A. E., & Jiburum, J. (2015). Environmental Implications of poor siting of outdoor advertisements in Enugu urban, Nigeria. The Journal of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, XXIII(2), 87 – 95.
Öner, S., & Konakl?, N. (2009). Konya Kentinde Görsel Kirlili?e Neden Olan Uygulamalar ve Çözüm Önerileri. V. Uluslararas? Çevre Kongresi, 498–506.
Oviedo-Trespalacios, O., Truelove, V., Watson, B., & Hinton, J. A. (2019). The impact of road advertising signs on driver behaviour and implications for road safety: A critical systematic review. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 122(January), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2019.01.012
Passini, R. (1992). Wayfinding: People, Signs, and Architecture. McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Portella, A. (2014). Visual pollution: advertising, signage and environmental quality. Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Ramanathan, S. (2011). Advertising self-regulation in Asia and Australia. Asian Federation of Advertising Associations and International Advertising Association Asia Pacific.
Shrivastava, T., & Choudhary, A. (2016). Model to mitigate visual pollution by ads and signage for urban unison. International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science, 4(3), 516–521.
Sisiopiku, V. P., Stavrinos, D., Sullivan, A., Islam, M. M., & Wittig, S.M., Haleem, K. (2015). Digital Advertising Billboards and Driver Distraction. National Center for Transportation Systems Productivity and Management.
Stavrinos, D., Mosley, P. R., Wittig, S. M., Johnson, H. D., Decker, J. S., Sisiopiku, V. P., & Welburn, S. C. (2016). Visual behavior differences in drivers across the lifespan: A digital billboard simulator study. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 41, 19–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2016.06.001
Sumartono, S. (2009). Visual pollution in the contex of conflicting design requirements. Jurnal Dimensi Seni Rupa Dan Desain, 6(2), 157–172.
Sunday, T., & Bassey, I. (2021). Impact of Outdoor Advertisement Posters and Billboards In Nigerian Urban Environment. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 6(6), 1685–1688. www.ijisrt.com
Tay, C. K. (2021). Integrating water quality indices and multivariate statistical techniques for water pollution assessment of the Volta Lake, Ghana. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 7(5), 71.
Taylor, C. R., Franke, G. R., & Bang, H. K. (2006). Use and effectiveness of billboards perspectives from selective-perception theory and retail-gravity models. Journal of Advertising, 35(4), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.2753/JOA0091-3367350402
Useche, S., Montoro, L., Alonso, F., & Oviedo-Trespalacios, O. (2018). Infrastructural and human factors affecting safety outcomes of cyclists. Sustainability, 10(2), 299.
Wakil, K., Naeem, M. A., Anjum, G. A., Waheed, A., Thaheem, M. J., ul Hussnain, M. Q., & Nawaz, R. (2019). A hybrid tool for visual pollution assessment in urban environments. Sustainability, 11(2211), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082211
Wallace, B. (2003). Driver distraction by advertising: Genuine risk or urban myth? Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Municipal Engineer, 156(3), 185–190. https://doi.org/10.1680/muen.2003.156.3.185
Yilmaz, D., & Saǧsöz, A. (2011). In the context of visual pollution: Effects to trabzon city center silhoutte. Asian Social Science, 7(5), 98–109. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v7n5p98
Zekiri, J. (2019). The impact of billboard advertising on consumer buying behaviour. Ecoforum Journal, 8(2).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2024 AFRICAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
By submitting and publishing your articles in the African Journal of Applied Research, you agree to transfer the copyright of the Article from the authors to the Journal ( African Journal of Applied Research).
