The MTA’s roadside billboards are illegal and could cost the agency $1 million a year.

An independent panel said in a decision Thursday that the signs in Queens and in the Bronx violate an ordinance prohibiting signs along highways.

The ruling by the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals affirmed the position of the Buildings Department.

City officials have argued that the large signs could be distracting to drivers.

The MTA had appealed. It argued that they were helpful to drivers and generated about $1 million a year for the agency.

The New York Times reports that the five-member panel said the assertion that the signs were a benefit to riders was “strained.”

The MTA said it didn’t know what affect the decision would have on its finances.

(AP)