In the fiasco surrounding election signs on cars, there is a group that has been ignored and forgotten. They are the candidates who abided by the rules, silly as they seemed, and did not take to the roads with cars covered in signage.
Part of my campaign planning involved painting a vehicle with election advertising. Once my team realised that the rules gave a very small time window for use of that vehicle, the plan was cancelled as being too costly.
I have no doubt that other candidates made the same decision.
Now, council has bowed to those who ignored the rule. Candidates who obeyed the letter of the law are disadvantaged in at least three ways. First, their names and advertising have not been plastered all over the newspaper. Second, reassignment of budget may mean they are no longer able to afford election signage on vehicles. Third, they will experience further time delays if they now choose to advertise on vehicles.
My bicycle is my main vehicle, so watch out for the signs on it Tauranga.

Ian McLean, Tauranga City.