Ad creep makes its way to parked bicycles

In Hawaii, Mark Bell is using parked bicycles as a new advertising media. For $125 per month, you can have an ad attached to the front of a Schwinn "Stingray" bicycles, some of which are locked onto city bike racks.

"This gives the average guy with an idea or a product or a service the opportunity to be able to say what he wants to say on a little 8.5 by 11 ad attached to a very cool bike on the street where the people are," Bell said.

The bike ads are causing some chatter on the island as there is a question if these ads violate Hawaii's anti-billboard laws.

"Inappropriate ads clutter the environment and they lower the quality of life for everybody in Hawaii," said Bob Loy of the Outdoor Circle."It's vehicle advertising, which was prohibited by the state legislature last year. Bicycles are vehicles. That's a bicycle, its sole purpose is for advertising," Loy said.

Outdoor Circle Says Commercial Venture May Be Illegal

HONOLULU -- The Outdoor Circle said that a new way to advertise products or services on ads attached to bicycles that are locked to city bike racks around town may be illegal.

Ads attached to the front of Schwinn "Stingray" bicycles have popped up from downtown to Waikiki. About 30 of the bikes are locked onto city bike racks.

The man who dreamed up the idea is Mark Bell of Hawaii Kai.

"This gives the average guy with an idea or a product or a service the opportunity to be able to say what he wants to say on a little 8.5 by 11 ad attached to a very cool bike on the street where the people are," Bell said.

Bell is charging $125 a month for an ad on one of his bikes.

The small-sized ads appear to get around Hawaii's anti-billboard laws.

"It's not a loophole. It's a great idea," Bell said.

"Inappropriate ads clutter the environment and they lower the quality of life for everybody in Hawaii," said Bob Loy of the Outdoor Circle.

Loy said that the ads are probably illegal.

"It's vehicle advertising, which was prohibited by the state legislature last year. Bicycles are vehicles. That's a bicycle, its sole purpose is for advertising," Loy said.

City officials said the ads may not violate any city anti-billboard laws.

"You see these buses going by, these vans driving by with these huge billboards on them, and if they want to pick on somebody, those are the guys they ought to go after," bike rack user Betsy Nagy said.
Bell said he ran his idea past city officials who he said did not raise objections before he put up the ads two months ago.

"If it's ambiguous, then show me the law. I certainly don't want to break the law. I'm just wondering if the outdoor circle nitpicks on every little thing," Bell said.

Other bike owners said they worry the ad bikes will take up room on crowded public bike racks.
"These little cruisers do take up space on the racks," Nagy said.

Bell's biggest problem may be keeping graffiti artists from defacing his bikes and getting clients interested in buying bike ad space, much of which is empty.