Wide-Reaching Campaigns Remove Illegal Billboards Blocking Driver Visibility on Public Roads

Egypt's National Authority for the Regulation of Advertising on Public Roads, operating under the Prime Minister's office, has launched extensive campaigns to remove illegal and unlicensed billboards across 10 governorates, including Cairo, Giza, Qalyubia, Minya, Sharqia, Kafr El-Sheikh, Alexandria, Sohag, Menoufia, and Asyut. The billboards targeted are those obstructing driver visibility or encroaching on road rights-of-way, part of a broader state effort to enforce advertising regulations and bring order to the outdoor advertising landscape.

Campaign Details and Targeted Governorates

The authority confirmed that removals followed detected violations and complaints from the public, carried out in coordination with relevant local authorities. Violations ranged from operating without the required permits to breaching the approved advertising guidebook and master plans, along with billboards posing a direct risk to public safety that demanded immediate intervention. The crackdown signals a clear government push to enforce advertising regulations on public roads and impose discipline on an advertising scene that has operated largely outside regulatory oversight in many areas for years.

The campaigns did not stop at governorates. They extended to several new cities, including New Minya, New Obour. 10th of Ramadan, where violations included prominent billboards inside road rights-of-way and others encroaching on sidewalks or blocking visibility at intersections, curves, and town squares. These sensitive locations demand strict adherence to regulations governing billboard placement and dimensions, because any breach translates directly into risks for road users.

Why Do Illegal Billboards Pose a Safety Risk?

Obstructing visibility in critical areas limits drivers' ability to spot other vehicles, pedestrians, and obstacles in time. The danger intensifies at intersections and curves, where drivers need clear, early sightlines to make quick decisions. Massive billboards placed inside road rights-of-way or on sidewalks do more than block visibility — they can push some drivers to change lanes abruptly or stop in unsafe spots to read the advertising content, raising the likelihood of accidents.

From a traffic safety perspective, compliance with billboard placement regulations isn't a bureaucratic luxury. The dimensions, heights, and clearances set in the approved guidebook were designed specifically to prevent billboards from conflicting with sightlines or traffic flow. The current campaigns aim to correct these imbalances across at least 10 governorates and 3 new cities, with the National Authority for the Regulation of Advertising continuing to coordinate with local authorities to monitor and address any new violations immediately.