What is your first impression of New York, Orlando, or Las Vegas? It is most likely a mixture of concrete buildings, roads and flashing neon lights. Is this the image that we want The Bahamas to portray?
An announcement that the fate of a particularly large digital sign would be determined by a court is a welcome reprieve from store and land owners who erect these signs illegally and get away with it.
These signs are unsightly, uninformative, and quite frankly unwelcome.
These signs need to go -- not only for aesthetic reasons but also for motorist and pedestrian safety. These digital signs are blinding and distracting to motorists, particularly at night. When approaching the illuminated digital signs at night, the pupils contract, inhibiting our ability to see things, particularly people, in the shadows.
It's downright dangerous.
The thought that all of New Providence could resemble a glowing neon strip is frightening. Bigger and brighter is not better.
Advertising is integral to any business but these signs are not advertisements; they are tacky neon billboards espousing little ingenuity and little legible or even useful information.
The Bahamas is full of wonderful, funny, quirky signs that can be found abundantly in the Family Islands. These signs are full of character.
Unfortunately, the aesthetic quality of Nassau has continued to deteriorate over the years. Our disjointed and haphazard development forgot to integrate the beauty of our natural environment and historic buildings.
The erection of digital signs is only the latest addition to our already glowing concrete jungle.
We have a choice to make. Do we want to become just another billboard community like those off U.S. interstate I-95 or do we want to retain the understated charm of signs not internally illuminated?
We need to look no farther for enviable sign and lighting standards than Hilton Head, South Carolina. A prominent coastal resort and golf community, the community of Hilton Head created self-imposed lighting standards to protect the aesthetic qualities of the town.
Hilton Head prohibits all internally illuminated signs, neon signs, or any sign that contains a visible light source. Any non-conforming sign can be impounded without notice to the owner.
Nassau should not just enforce its current laws that don't allow for digital signs without permits, but in fact create even more stringent laws that will enhance the aesthetics of our island.
Already, Nassau has forever lost its stars and the wonder of the night. Sadly, the glow of Nassau lights can be seen more than 30 miles away, even from the northern Exumas.
To see the Milky Way with the unaided eyes is a joy that few in the developed nations have enjoyed; we cannot continue to add light pollution to our night skies.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian