AN ELECTRONIC sign on Forrest Highway is causing road users to 'shield their eyes' from alleged, excessive brightness when driving in and out of Bunbury.
Owned by commercial property development company Citygate, the sign is used for advertising and is located along the Forrest Highway Australind Bypass on Lot 15, Clifton Road, Waterloo.
A Roelands resident recently contacted the Mail suggesting that the sign be dimmed.
Asking to remain anonymous, the resident expressed fears that the excessive brightness of the sign could cause traffic accidents.
"When driving at night, I have to shield my eyes due to its brightness. I'm sure other residents feel the same. It is ridiculously bright and there really is no need for it," the resident said.
When the Mail investigated, Shire of Dardanup President Mick Bennett said Shire staff had also recently received feedback from road users about the sign being too bright at night time.
"The Council originally granted development approval to Citygate for the sign on October 30, 2020. The conditions around the brightness of the sign were that it was not to exceed 300 candela per square metre between the hours of 6pm and 6am from April to September and from 7pm to 5am, October to March," Cr Bennett said.
Candela per square metre is a unit frequently used to specify the brightness of a display.
The average movie theater screen can reach a brightness of 50 candela per square metre.
Cr Bennett said the brightness levels included in the conditions of the Citygate sign were set on advice from Main Roads Western Australia.
In addition to a controlled brightness, Main Roads also requires that the sign is not to flash, pulsate or chase.
Main Roads WA spokesperson Dean Roberts said Main Roads assessed and approved all applications for roadside advertising in line with its Roadside Advertising Policy.
"The Policy has been put in place to ensure that roadside advertising does not pose a safety hazard to road users and does not adversely impact on the visual amenity of the roadside environment and surrounding areas."
When contacted for comment, a spokesperson from Citygate Properties at the Home Maker Centre said the brightness from the sign was regularly checked and remained within regulations.
Shire of Dardanup staff are now investigating compliance with the set levels of the sign and have confirmed they will work with Citygate if the sign is found to be overly bright.
Main Roads WA have also agreed to undertake luminance testing on the Citygate sign to ensure the brightness levels are compliant and not a hazard to road users.