PEORIA, AZ — A Valley man said he's worried about campaign signs posted near 83rd Avenue and Cactus Road in Peoria.
"There's no other word to describe it other than unsafe," said John Case. "It's an unsafe condition that can be prevented."
Case reached out to the ABC15 Operation Safe Roads team about the placement of campaign signs near Peoria intersections.
He said he thinks campaigns are violating the city's rules by placing signs in a prohibited area.
"As long as they're in the lanes they're allowed to be in – I have no problem with it," he said.
According to Case, some of the signs may obstruct drivers' views.
The City of Peoria declined ABC15's request for an interview but city documents show signs are not supposed to be placed in certain areas around the road including within 30 feet of intersections.
Case told ABC15 that if candidates can't follow the rules, he probably won't vote for them.
"If you can't comply, why should we vote you in," he said.
ABC15 reached out to people from the campaign signs Case said were placed in the prohibited area. Two of the candidates responded. However, only one said they would remove their sign if the city said it was in a prohibited area.
Meanwhile, the City of Peoria sent the following statement to ABC15 regarding the issue:
Political signs are allowed in all zoning districts in Peoria and on private property with the property owner’s permission. Peoria prohibits political signs in certain locations, including the public right-of-way within the Sports Complex Commercial Tourism Zone, on city-owned structures such as traffic signals and municipal buildings, and in areas that interfere with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. The safety of our community is a top priority, so political signs are also not allowed in locations that may pose a hazard to public safety, such as within a median, a roundabout, or a site visibility triangle at driveways and intersections.
Residents who notice any violations of these regulations are encouraged to contact the Code Enforcement Department at 623-773-7162 or send an email to codecompliance@peoriaaz.gov.
ABC15 also called the codes department to see if the signs in question were in a prohibited area. A person with the department said they would look into it and get back to us.