By Jamel Hardtman | The Daily Hour

I’ve only been back in Bermuda for about 48 hours, and something is already bothering me. Before anyone accuses me of just being grumpy on a Monday morning — I genuinely don’t think I’m alone in this.

Driving through the island over the weekend, what stood out wasn’t the pink sand or the turquoise water. It was the signs. Advertising boards, event promotions, political posters, and corporate placards planted in the ground along East Broadway, at roundabouts, and across public spaces all over the island. Some faded. Some leaning. Some advertising events that have long since passed. Taken together, it’s starting to look cluttered — and that’s a problem worth talking about.

Bermuda’s identity has always rested, in part, on how it looks. The cleanliness, the charm, the carefully maintained aesthetic of a small island that punches well above its weight. We regulate building colours. We regulate architecture. We take planning standards seriously in ways that many larger countries simply don’t. So it’s worth asking: why does roadside advertising appear to have become a free-for-all?

The counterargument is straightforward enough — small businesses and event promoters operate in an expensive market, and a ground sign along a busy road offers visibility that digital or print alternatives may not. That’s a fair point. Advertising serves a purpose, and the right to promote your business or event is not something to dismiss lightly.

But there has to be a balance. Bermuda constantly brands itself as premium, beautiful, and unique — a destination unlike any other. If that’s the standard we hold ourselves to in tourism campaigns and international marketing, our public spaces should reflect it. A coastline road lined with lopsided, weathered signs advertising last month’s event doesn’t say premium. It says neglect.

The question isn’t whether businesses should have the ability to advertise. The question is whether there should be clearer guidelines — designated areas, time limits on how long signs can remain displayed, and consistent enforcement of whatever rules already exist. Because right now, the impression being left on residents and visitors alike is one of visual noise layered over what should be one of the most striking environments in the world.

So I’ll put it to you: what are your thoughts on the growing number of signs and advertisements spread across Bermuda? Should there be stricter regulation, or is this simply the cost of doing business on a small island? Weigh in — I’d genuinely like to know where the community stands on this one.

— Jamel

The Daily Hour is Bermuda’s Daily Talk Show, brought to you by the BAC Group of Companies, HSBC Bermuda, Medical House, Lindos, People’s Pharmacy, and Hot 107.5.