Kyiv (Kiev), July 22, 2016
Outdoor advertising must be banned in the buffer zone close to Kyiv Pechersk Lavra - a historic Orthodox Christian monastery - and the National Sanctuary Complex "Sophia of Kyiv". That is what needs to be done according to the demands of UNESCO, indignant with the amount of commercial advertising in historical areas of Ukrainian capital.
Kyiv authorities promise not only to fulfil the requirements, but to do even more.
The representatives of Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko say they are set to remove the advertising boards from the crossroads and main transport routes. Their key argument is that too much advertising allegedly distracts the drivers from following the traffic rules, thus, endangers the pedestrians and other drivers as well.
According to the new legislation project, the outdoor advertising may be installed not closer than 10 metres from the junctures and pedestrian crossings, as well as no more than 30 metres from public transport stops. The advertisers themselves strongly oppose such initiative.
Oksana Polischuk, head of Outdoor Advertising Association: "It is impossible to establish a precise distance for the whole city, since each and every street is unique."
The deputies of Kyiv city council are to consider the new outdoor advertising conception next month. If the project is adopted, Kyiv will undergo the commercial changeover.