Pattaya told more than 50 shopowners to remove illegal awnings extending over the width of the Central Road sidewalks that are preventing the installation of new light-poles.
Deputy Mayor Manote Nongyai and city engineers traveled the length of Central Road Jan. 10 to advise 51 businesses to remove their awnings immediately.
A 28-million-baht contract to repave Central Road’s sidewalks and install 150 new light-poles ends in February and the contractor is already a year behind schedule.
To date, 90 poles have been installed, but the rest cannot be put in until the awnings, which cover the entire sidewalk from the storefront to street, must be removed first.
Manote said that the combination of the awnings and the Provincial Electricity Administration’s earlier removal of electricity poles has plunged Central Road into darkness after sunset, increasing the chances of street crime.
City hall placed spotlights in very dark places on Central Road until all the light-poles are installed.