Singapore uses anti-stick paint to fight illegal ads

Singapore is using an anti-stick paint to tackle the sticky issue of illegal ads at train stations, along the roads and on pillars and lamp posts, local media reported Monday. The Land Transport Authority has called a tender to apply the solution at 367 locations on the island by 2017 after finding that anti-stick paint is effective in licking the problem, the Straits Times said. The tender also calls for anti-stick clear coating with high transparency that can be applied to glass or plastic panels. It is illegal to paste the advertisements, which can range in size from Post-It note to A4, on undesignated places such as the subway stations, pillars and lamp posts. They also leave unsightly stains after being removed, especially when strong adhesives are used. The Land Transport Authority began a trial of anti-stick paint in 2009 at a sheltered linkway leading to an MRT station. It proved a success. Since then, the anti-stick paint has been applied at 252 locations. The authority previously said that the move would help it save about 100,000 Singapore dollars (80,000 U. S. dollars) a year. The latest tender will expand the coverage to most places here where complaints about illegal ads are common. Besides applying anti-stick paint, the authority has, since 2010, introduced 27 notice boards at 21 subway stations with heavy pedestrian traffic to give people a better option. It costs 50 cents a day to put up an A5-size ad. A spokesman for the Land Transport Authority said there were fewer illegal ads at areas which have notice boards, and anti- stick paint. "These initiatives together with regular enforcement and public education have been effective in preventing the pasting of illegal advertisements on street infrastructure," he explained. The transport regulator issued 248 fines for the pasting of illegal advertisements from January to September this year, compared to 454 last year and 674 in 2011. Offenders can be fined 300 Singapore dollars for the first offence, 400 Singapore dollars for a repeat offence and up to 2, 000 Singapore dollars if prosecuted in court.