Passerby raises concern with photos of bizarre truck parked in street: 'This is going to be evisceration'

A user on the r/Seattle subreddit recently posted a set of images highlighting what they hoped was not a high-polluting new strategy for companies looking to dodge city advertising regulations.

"Spotted this box truck at Westlake and Thomas running a gas generator to power a projector just showing a huge AT&T ad on the side of a building. Really hope this doesn't become a standard thing. It's so wasteful and covering our buildings just makes our city uglier," the post reads.

The original poster noted state rules relevant to Seattle that restrict billboard advertisements along major highways, but they expressed concern that projecting ads could be a loophole companies might exploit to advertise excessively and avoid paying fines.

Another Reddit user pointed out in the comments that the pictured activity appeared to violate a section of the Seattle municipal code that relates to "signs attached to or located on stationary motor vehicles" and to "signs using a video display method" — although there are exceptions to the rules about these.

Still, at least one more user felt the activity was a violation: "Having done sign permitting, this is going to be evisceration by inspectors," they commented. "Hope they enjoy fines."

Besides contributing to advertising inundation, the generator-driven projection is wasteful, as it uses a fossil fuel energy source to force products into consumers' line of sight, leading to greater pollution. Excessive advertising of this sort could also encourage excessive consumption and spending practices that ultimately put more products in landfills.

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Looking into groups that discourage excessive consumption, such as Buy Nothing Groups or thrift stores that sell repurposed items, is effective in combating the wave of overwhelming advertising.

Meanwhile, commenters recommended reporting the projected advertising to the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections.

The OP replied, "Thanks for this suggestion. I just filed a Code Complaint with them. Hope to hear back soon."

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