Tashkent hokimiyat (mayor's office) has announced plans to bring the brightness levels of all LED advertising screens in the city to standard levels within the coming two months.
Alikhan Ahmadjonov, head of the Outdoor advertising project office at the Digital Development Department under the city administration, said hokimiyat had been receiving complaints from both local drivers and residents, and visitors to the capital. They say the light from LED screens is blinding and causes discomfort at night.
In response to these complaints, Tashkent hokimiyat has purchased distant screen brightness meters and begun checking the screens, Alikhan Ahmadjonov said.
New bus stops in Tashkent covered in LED screens cause discomfort for residents. Gazeta.uz photo.
A preliminary study has revealed that over 90% of LED screens in the city have a brightness exceeding the norm, which is up to 100 candelas (brightness measurement unit) per square meter.
“At nighttime, some of LED screens have brightness that exceed the standard by 50 times,” the head of the project office noted.
Alikhan Ahmadjonov added that there are currently no penalties for violating the brightness standard. However, the hokimiyat plans to introduce a rule envisaging disconnecting screens that don’t meet the brightness requirements from power supply.
In his earlier interview with Gazeta.uz, Alikhan Ahmadjonov said that most advertisers complied with requests to reduce brightness after receiving complaints from residents. Before obtaining light meters, the administration determined the screen brightness visually, he acknowledged.
