Sandwich boards and the battle for Nelson’s streets

Sandwich boards may seem innocuous to the average shopper, but a battle is currently being waged over their presence on Nelson’s streets.

Nelson City Council is currently debating whether it should ban the boards on the footpath as part of an update of its Urban Environments Bylaw.

Businesses see the boards as tools to boost customer numbers, but for those who are blind or low vision, or have mobility issues, they can be hazards as they travel around town.

Tim Babbage from Beggs Music has been a retailer in the city for 39 years and says sandwich boards are more effective than his overhead sign or window advertising at enticing people into his store.

“People walk into my store and buy things based on promotions we have on our sandwich board,” he told a council hearing panel on Wednesday.

Tim says Nelson’s retail sector is struggling and businesses needed to attract customers.

“Sandwich boards are not the big issue of this city, it’s actually having people come to town, go shopping, and spend money. I can’t pay my rates if I don’t have an income; if people don’t come into my shop, I don’t have income,” he says.

“If we take away some of what makes Nelson vibrant, then we’re just driving the town further down.”

Yusuf Corten from Kebab Kitchen echoed similar sentiments, saying that the town was “nearly dead”, and that the council should do more to support local businesses rather than banning sandwich boards.

“I really don’t know if after two months if I’ll still have a business or not,” he says. “Help businesses, don’t try and kill more.”

But for Karen Wilson, a spokesperson for the Nelson branch of Blind Citizens NZ, sandwich boards are an “unsafe” obstacle.

“We want to go into the shop to spend our money,” she says.

However, those who are blind and low-vision can struggle to find the store entrance if sandwich boards are by the door.

“There’s parts of Nelson I do not shop in because I just can’t get into them, it’s too difficult.”

Karen also highlighted how blind and low-vision people are taught to use the side of buildings to help navigate, which is made difficult when sandwich boards are placed against the wall.

Elizabeth Perrone, chair of CCS Disability Action Nelson and Marlborough, thinks that banning the boards on public land would be a “positive step for Nelson and the disabled community”.

But she was concerned about a proposal to reduce the width of footpath space to be kept clear from 2 metres to 1.8m.

Elizabeth also drew attention to Nelson’s ageing population and says those aged 65 and older were more likely to be disabled with physical impairments than the average person.

“Keeping sandwich boards and reducing the footpath width does not add to that image, except to create an environment that is crowded and hazardous to those of us with disabilities.”

If sandwich boards were retained, she would prefer them to be placed along the curb rather than by storefronts, provided mobility parks were kept clear.

Both Karen and Elizabeth thought the rules around sandwich boards should be more strictly enforced.

If sandwich boards are banned, it would apply only to public land. The boards would still be allowed on private land.

Lawyer Daniel Jackson also presented on a different clause of the proposed amendments to the city’s Urban Environments Bylaw.

He was concerned that restrictions on rough sleeping in the city centre were disproportionate to the problem that was trying to be addressed – the obstruction of the footpath and anti-social behaviour creating an unsafe or intimidating environment.

“Those problems could be addressed by narrower prohibitions that actually target those issues, rather than a blanket prohibition on, for example, rough sleeping,” he says.

“I would read that it sort of seems like a sledgehammer cracking a nut, and that makes it hard to justify.”