As the elections near, city residents have to put up with some inconveniences. I am talking about the countless campaign posters -- featuring faces of people who are offering to change the country -- which are just about everywhere.
There are so many that you may bump into one of them if you are not careful. They pose problems for commuters because at the bus stops, a few of these signs block the view of arriving buses.
Worse, the signs and posters, which are a form of visual pollution, may be dangerous in that they distract drivers and/or block their view from from seeing pedestrians approaching zebra crossings.
Sirinya Wattanasukchai is a columnist, Bangkok Post.
Many are carelessly hung on electric poles and from trees. And we also have to get used to loud noises from the campaign cars fitted with amplifiers travelling around the city from dawn till dusk.
Earlier this month, the Bangkok governor warned candidates that they are required to seek approval from district offices before erecting campaign posters.
According to the city directives, the posters must not be bigger than 130x245cm and must not obstruct the view of motorists or pedestrians. They must not cause damage to public or private property, or block roads.
Unfortunately, most city pavements, which are only three metres wide, some even narrower at two metres, cannot accommodate all the posters.
So the directives are breached, with public safety compromised. Pedestrians have to take care while on the pavement where those life-size posters, some even bigger, are crammed together. Not to mention that parts of some pavements are occupied by motorcycle taxis.
I cannot help but think we could have avoided such a mess if the Election Commission had allowed the use of social media in poll campaigning. After all, don't forget that we are Thailand 4.0 now!
Yesterday, I found one sign that had been placed in front of a bus stop two weeks ago had been removed -- only to be replaced by another from a different political party!
A district office chief told me that it's not possible for tessakit officers (city inspectors) to remove posters or signs put in place by thoughtless politicians for fear that they might sue or file complaints.
On what grounds? He said the affected politicians may accuse the officers of discrimination. That's why the poll poster chaos goes on.
If City Hall has no idea how those posters affect people's everyday lives, I suggest they read a study, "Aesthetic damage wrought by urban billboards", by Somskaow Bejranonda and Valaiporn Attanandana from Kasetsart University.
According to the 2010 study, 98% of respondents said they regarded billboards, signs and posters -- together with cable and electric wires -- as visual pollution.
The research was conducted among 672 respondents.
The study also reviewed other research conducted by academics in the US. Some studies found that roadside billboards and posters can be dangerous as they distract drivers and pedestrians. In others, these billboards/posters could be a factor that make some residents loathe their own city because people regard signs which are improperly placed as eyesores.
Between 2005 and 2009, a few dozen posters and billboards in the city fell down, killing several people and hurting others, as well as damaging cars and properties. The study said about 63% of respondents agreed that a fund should be to established to manage billboards and each household was willing to donate 388 baht each year to regulate the billboards and signs to improve the city landscape.
Moreover, the study found that City Hall earned about 528 million baht a year, between 2002 and 2009, from renting out roadside space for this purpose, but the visual pollution has caused a loss, in economic terms, to the city of about 912 million baht a year.
Eight years after the study, I don't think people's sentiment about roadside signs has changed much. Now the pavements are filled with hundreds of campaign posters.
Recently, netizens shared photos that showed bus commuters craning their necks to look beyond the posters for arriving buses. These posters belong to politicians who offer to bring change the country, but resort to the same political campaigns of old to promote themselves. These politicians also claim to be democratic, but don't know how to keep their campaign posters tidy in a public space, observe rules and regulations, and avoid blocking walkways.
Democracy starts from the streets and, in this case, from the pavements. At this stage, I must ask: What is the worth of these politicians? Should we vote for people who can't even respect public space and the rights of people to be safe and comfortable?