The Simon Property Group proposed the new ads – which would be decals without any lighting or electronic elements – as a way to help return foot traffic to a commercial district still recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
Simon attorney Jeff Drago said the decals would not be a crash-causing distraction to motorists – and so would not jeopardize the pedestrians or bicyclists with whom they share the large intersection – because the area has numerous traffic signals, so nobody is going at a high rate of speed. He added Simon hired an expert to look at possible glare, which found that the decals would not beam dangerous sun rays at motorists.
And he said Back Bay is already full of large ads, if not on other pedestrian bridges…