New Walking Streets in Bangkok a success or opportunism?
The new Walking Street on Silom road in Bangkok seems like a bull's eye and that makes you want more. The city council of Bangkok (BMA) therefore announced yesterday that five new locations will be added.
It was Prime Minister Prayut's idea (at least he claims it) to temporarily close busy streets in Bangkok and turn them into a pedestrian zone full of market stalls. This shower of the Prime Minister is especially intended for the poorer Thai who like to sell their food or trinkets on markets to richer Thai or tourists. Tourists happy and the less fortunate Thai also happy. A classic win-win.
The other side of the coin is that there was something to make up for. A number of streets in Bangkok have been swept clean, leaving street vendors without income. This was necessary because a life-threatening situation had arisen. Emergency services such as the fire brigade and ambulances no longer had free passage due to the many stalls, with all the consequences that entailed.
However, robbery of bread is not good for the image of the politically responsible and a plan was forged: temporary markets or Walking Streets. The first appeared in Silom on December 22 last year. The Silom district, the business heart of Bangkok, now transforms every Sunday into a street filled with stalls and displays where visitors can buy and taste everything, including handicrafts and local products from Bangkok's 50 districts.
Following the success of Silom Walking Street, five new locations have been designated: Chaengwattana 5 (North Bangkok), Yaowaraj Road in China Town (Central Bangkok), Ramkhamhaeng 24 (East Bangkok), Bang Khunnon road (South Bangkok) and below the Rama 9 bridge also in the southern part of Bangkok.
Whether more Walking Streets will be added is not clear. However, the question is whether the other markets and market vendors are happy with the extra competition from the temporary Walking Streets in Bangkok. If they start grumbling, the BMA or Prayut will have to conjure up a gift from the top hat again.
I just walked over it and it was very cozy and lots of food stalls where you can buy everything.
Lumpini Park hosted a folklore event with representatives from all over Thailand. Today the last day.
Dear Khan,
I'll take a snippet from the news.
A number of streets in Bangkok have been swept clean. That was about footpaths.
Because a dangerous situation had arisen for emergency services.
Are the emergency services driving on the footpath?
Wouldn't it be better to use the emergency lanes.
They are taken by people in traffic jams.
Even on the main road from Sattahip to Pattaya there is a traffic jam at a traffic light then we go
standing on the emergency lane. Move aside for emergency services. Never heard of it. We Thais only think of ourselves.
Cor van Kampen.
Just wonder how arriving or departing guests with luggage from hotels on these "walking streets" can get to or leave the hotel with a taxi.
It was also whispered a while back that they wanted to turn soi 4 – Sukhumvit into a “Walking street”. And then only the first part from Sukhumvit, along the Nana plaza to pretty much the Hillary bar with the live music. The problem will indeed be the hotels that no longer get taxis at the door (for example Nana or the Dynasty)
I have suggested to Mr. Phrayuth through the digital advice channels indicated by him to make a walker's paradise from the MBK to BTS Asok, following the example of many large and smaller cities in the world. Only public transport and taxis are allowed in the area in 1 lane and in 1 direction; the strip is equipped with an electronic system that repels other vehicles.
It seems that there is a bit of listening, also to expats.