The mayor of Lopburi town clarified the controversy over the installation of solar-powered streetlight poles blocking house entrances, affirming that the work complies with regulations and that plans are underway to install iron railings along sidewalks to strictly prohibit vehicles from driving onto pedestrian walkways.
A popular Lopburi Facebook page posted photos of a solar streetlight pole installed directly in front of a house, causing difficulty for residents to reverse vehicles in and out. The post said, “The policy level is excellent, increasing brightness in Lopburi city—applause is deserved. It’s truly very bright and makes Lopburi a more livable place. But at the planner and technician level, it seems they kept a fixed distance between poles just to complete the job, fearing penalties or failure in inspection, so they didn’t move the poles. Meanwhile, the homeowner has done their best, negotiating with workers and supervisors, filing complaints multiple times to relocate the pole before digging, but to no avail. The correctness might not please us. A solar streetlight pole in the middle of the house driveway really makes driving in and out difficult. But we accept this, even if unwillingly. The job was completed and inspected. We hope the authorities reconsider relocating the pole a bit, perhaps between neighboring houses; that would be ideal. Thank you very much.”
The post received many comments, such as: “Oh... is this allowed?” “Good connections to get a pole right in front of your house, don’t forget to celebrate,” “I don’t know what to comment, whether entering or exiting, be very careful,” “Rest assured, it’s only bright near the pole base,” and “Comprehensive insurance is reassuring, haha.”
Later, reporters visited the house in question, a three-story commercial building along Narai Maharaj Road in the municipality of Lopburi, Tha Lo Chup Son subdistrict, Mueang Lopburi district. The ground floor serves as an office. The 39-year-old homeowner revealed that when contractors came to mark lines for installing solar streetlight poles, he asked them to reconsider and requested moving the pole away from directly in front of the house door. He discussed this on site and filed a formal complaint with the Lopburi municipality, but to no avail.
On 6 March, the contractor installed the solar streetlight pole. The homeowner again requested moving the pole about one meter beyond the front of the house, but the contractor refused. This made driving vehicles in and out inconvenient. Even parking on the roadside in front of the house raised safety concerns because the road is at a bridge descent where vehicles travel at high speed at night.
Most recently, at 11:00 a.m. on 9 March 2026, Mr. Jamroen Salachip, mayor of Lopburi municipality, spoke to reporters after receiving complaints about the installation of solar streetlight poles on sidewalks along Narai Maharaj Road, within the Lopburi municipality’s jurisdiction, covering about 4 kilometers. Previously, electric poles had been removed and cables buried underground to improve the city’s landscape and organization, enhancing Lopburi’s beauty. However, this reduced street lighting along Narai Maharaj Road because the light sources were removed. The municipality allocated a budget to install solar-powered lights, each with a lighting range of about 20 meters.
After designing the project and hiring contractors, the first phase installed poles on both sidewalk edges, mostly at government offices, with no reported issues. However, during the second phase—from Si Suriyothai roundabout (Sakaeo roundabout) to Thepsatri roundabout (Phra Narai roundabout)—175 poles were installed at a budget of 9 million baht. Social media complaints arose that the poles blocked shopfronts where residents used sidewalks to bring vehicles up for repair or to sell various goods, making parking difficult. Although officials tried to minimize obstruction, dissatisfaction grew because residents wanted the poles entirely removed from in front of their homes. The project team insisted they could not comply since installation followed the approved design.
The mayor instructed officials to enforce municipal regulations banning use of sidewalks for vehicle access or business activities. Previously, many shop operators, mostly in commercial buildings, used sidewalks for their businesses, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road instead.
The mayor of Lopburi municipality stated that the lighting installation aims to benefit the general public, not just individual houses. If poles are to be moved, all must be relocated since they are installed along rows of shop buildings. Therefore, he and the contractors must follow regulations requiring streetlights to be spaced 20 meters apart. Going forward, plans include installing iron railings along sidewalks on both sides of the city streets to prevent vehicles from parking on sidewalks.