MAYOR GIULIANI INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO CURB LITTER ON CITY STREETS AND ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE
-- Bill Would Hold Persons With Identifying Information On Handbills Responsible For Littering --
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani announced today that he has formally introduced legislation that would create civil penalties for persons who place handbills on motor vehicles. The proposed bill, aimed at curbing litter and enhancing quality of life for New Yorkers, would strengthen the City's littering enforcement efforts and help the City maintain its clean streets and sidewalks.
"Placing handbills and flyers on cars is not only a nuisance to car and property owners, but the accumulation of handbills on our streets adversely affects the environment, degrades the appearance of our City streets and impairs the quality of life of the City's residents," said Mayor Giuliani.
The proposed legislation prohibits persons, other than the owner or operator of a motor vehicle, from attaching to or placing upon a motor vehicle any handbill, poster, notice, sign or advertisement, and imposes on violators liability and responsibility for civil penalties. The legislation also provides that the person whose name, phone number or other identifying information appears on the materials is responsible for its attachment or placement upon the motor vehicle.
The accumulation of handbills from all sources litters the streets and seriously impedes the Department of Sanitation's ability to maintain clean streets and sidewalks. Handbills of all shapes and sizes, which are regularly placed on motor vehicles without the knowledge or consent of the vehicle owner or operator, often fall down or are blown away, causing litter to accumulate upon the streets and sidewalks and in catch basins along street curbs. Such litter also creates visual blight upon the City's streets and in public areas.
"This legislation dissuades people from engaging in what is otherwise viewed as a cost-efficient and quick form of advertising," the Mayor added. "Currently, it is lawful to utilize other means of cost efficient 'advertising' expression that do not generate the same amount of litter, such as handing out materials to consenting pedestrians on the City's streets," the Mayor concluded.
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