Street vendors on the march in Bangkok

[webfact]

Street vendors on the march in Bangkok

By The Nation

 

 

A street vendor network marched in Bangkok on Tuesday against government and city efforts to clear hawkers off footpaths.

 

About 200 demonstrators assembled outside the United Nations building on Rajdamnoen Nok Avenue at 7am and marched to the Public Service Centre at Government House to present a petition for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

 

They vowed to camp outside the centre until there was a response.

 

They want the government and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to scrap a policy to reopen sidewalks for pedestrians by clearing away vendors’ stalls.

 

Urging that a law be passed to protect street hawking, the group expressed its readiness to help the authorities maintain neatness and order.

 

Network vice chairman Pongsilpa Lee-in said the policy, implemented at a succession of locations since 2014, had robbed many vendors of their income.

 

She said every agency they’d approached in the past two years, including the BMA and Administrative Court, had declined to help.

 

The group wants the policy revoked and traditional vending areas returned to the hawkers within seven days so its members could make a living while negotiations on other points continue.

 

The network said it would meet with relevant agencies to discuss alternative solutions.

 

It wants a law in support of footpath hawking to ensure there will be no future flip-flops in policy.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30353692

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-04

[Just1Voice]

Sidewalks are for pedestrians, not vendors. 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I think there should be a place/places where street vendors can be accommodated and offer their wares to the public, in part to help maintain the historic retail flavor of Bangkok.

 

But why these bozos think they're somehow entitled to conduct their businesses on the public sidewalks and obstruct the purpose of having sidewalks -- which is for people to walk on and stay out of the roads -- is a mystery to me.

 

I think the better answer is for the local government to establish commercial sites for these kinds of vendors in central/accessible locations where they'd pay rent for their space, as presumably most were doing before either formally or informally on the sidewalks.

 

[seancbk]

There are plenty of areas in Bangkok where the pavements are wide enough to accommodate both pedestrians and some vendors.  How about identifying those areas, defining the spots that are suitable for a vendor and then doing an auction for the spots.   Make it a quarterly auction and ensure that the person renting the spot for 3 months is the actual vendor to stop people buying up spots then reselling them.

As for walking, I quite often walk in the road, not because of vendors but because of bloody slow pedestrians.   

[Benmart]

24 minutes ago, seancbk said:

There are plenty of areas in Bangkok where the pavements are wide enough to accommodate both pedestrians and some vendors.  How about identifying those areas, defining the spots that are suitable for a vendor and then doing an auction for the spots.   Make it a quarterly auction and ensure that the person renting the spot for 3 months is the actual vendor to stop people buying up spots then reselling them.

As for walking, I quite often walk in the road, not because of vendors but because of bloody slow pedestrians.   

"Bloody slow pedestrians", are as tiresome as those hurrying along to their rightgeous importance.

[3421abc]

Silom is run by rats thanks to all these street food vendors. They throw food and oil in the gutter clogging everything and leaving the side walk dirty w greasy oil. Sidewalks are for people to walk to for people not to sell stuff.

Edited September 4, 2018 by 3421abc

[Chris Lawrence]

The power for this stuff is in the baht; how much will it cost the street vendors?

[GR8fun in LOS]

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I think there should be a place/places where street vendors can be accommodated and offer their wares to the public, in part to help maintain the historic retail flavor of Bangkok.

 

But why these bozos think they're somehow entitled to conduct their businesses on the public sidewalks and obstruct the purpose of having sidewalks -- which is for people to walk on and stay out of the roads -- is a mystery to me.

 

I think the better answer is for the local government to establish commercial sites for these kinds of vendors in central/accessible locations where they'd pay rent for their space, as presumably most were doing before either formally or informally on the sidewalks.

 

Have to agree but it seems the basic Thai mode of thinking is "F" You!!!    I am more important than anybody else and I do what I want where and when I want  "I", "I",  "I" or perhaps "ME"  "ME"  "ME" not thinking of any body else.

Edited September 4, 2018 by GR8fun in LOS

[gaff]

4 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

Sidewalks are for pedestrians, not vendors. 

 

 

If they were not dirty greedy people maybe they could have stayed.

But I have never seen any street seller not living with rats in his cart.

Now instead of buying useless show off pickups they will buy real clean food trucks just as in EU and US.

 

 

[greenchair]

Until they have a proper welfare programme, that provides elderly, single parents, unemployed and various other groups with a livable payment per month , they have to let people work in anyway they can. The jobs of begging, motorcycle drivers and street hawkers is similar to a person receiving a benefit in the west ,albeit they have to get out of bed. 

In the west money is taken from the rich to pay the less fortunate and keep them off the streets. I think the rich should not get everything. Let the people make a living or pay the taxes so they can stay home. 

[Vacuum]

4 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But why these bozos think they're somehow entitled to conduct their businesses on the public sidewalks and obstruct the purpose of having sidewalks -- which is for people to walk on and stay out of the roads -- is a mystery to me.

The answere is easy; making money.

[sanemax]

1 hour ago, seancbk said:

There are plenty of areas in Bangkok where the pavements are wide enough to accommodate both pedestrians and some vendors.  How about identifying those areas, defining the spots that are suitable for a vendor and then doing an auction for the spots.   Make it a quarterly auction and ensure that the person renting the spot for 3 months is the actual vendor to stop people buying up spots then reselling them.
As for walking, I quite often walk in the road, not because of vendors but because of bloody slow pedestrians.   

There are the large spaces right next to pavements where people can sell things .

Not on the road side , on the other side .

They are called shops

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

Sidewalks are for pedestrians, not vendors. 

 

There can be room for both if the sidewalk is wide enough, which many of them are, but I cannot remember about the sidewalk as I only go to Khaosan Road fake degrees stall about once a year for a copy of a bus ticket to use in the UK?

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, seancbk said:

There are plenty of areas in Bangkok where the pavements are wide enough to accommodate both pedestrians and some vendors.  How about identifying those areas, defining the spots that are suitable for a vendor and then doing an auction for the spots.   Make it a quarterly auction and ensure that the person renting the spot for 3 months is the actual vendor to stop people buying up spots then reselling them.

As for walking, I quite often walk in the road, not because of vendors but because of bloody slow pedestrians.   

You have to excuse some of the old codgers who are not as quick on their feet as you.

[samsensam]

 

why not set up markets in specific areas as they do very effectively in many countries (and have done on asoke and larn luang), all the vendors in one place where the customers can go and buy or browse as they wish.

 

the pavements are then free of blockages and can be used by the vast majority of people going about their daily life, not shopping or browsing, and can do so with ease.

 

not to mention the disabled who have as much right to use the pavements unhindered as anyone, the elderly, those with small children and pushchairs and anyone else who just wants to go where they want to go.

 

 

[The manic]

6 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

Sidewalks are for pedestrians, not vendors. 

 

Pavements and sidewalks are natural homes to vendors. Without such people urban areas are blighted. Lower Suk is a case in point. Its dreadful since the social cleansing took place. Its ruined.

[The manic]

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I think there should be a place/places where street vendors can be accommodated and offer their wares to the public, in part to help maintain the historic retail flavor of Bangkok.

 

But why these bozos think they're somehow entitled to conduct their businesses on the public sidewalks and obstruct the purpose of having sidewalks -- which is for people to walk on and stay out of the roads -- is a mystery to me.

 

I think the better answer is for the local government to establish commercial sites for these kinds of vendors in central/accessible locations where they'd pay rent for their space, as presumably most were doing before either formally or informally on the sidewalks.

 

They are not Bozos. That's a cheap insult. They are hard working people who provide a brilliant service. They have families to feed. Make Bangkok great again. Fire the BMA!

[The manic]

2 hours ago, 3421abc said:

Silom is run by rats thanks to all these street food vendors. They throw food and oil in the gutter clogging everything and leaving the side walk dirty w greasy oil. Sidewalks are for people to walk to for people not to sell stuff.

 Street markets are the heart and soul of a city. Especially Asian cities. You sound like you are too fussy to enjoy Asia.

[CG1 Blue]

9 minutes ago, The manic said:

It seems to me it's the foreigners here that are selfish. If you don't like it clear off back to your sterile anodyne country of origin. Street vendors are part of Bangkok life. And they provide a brilliant service.

I couldn't agree more. The street vendors have been plying their trade on the pavements and scraping a living since long before the fussy foreigners arrived in Thailand. It's part of Bangkok's DNA.

People leaving their home countries, moving to Bkk, then trying to turn Bkk into their home countries....I'll never understand that.

[Media1]

Just rich thugs destroying what Thailand was built on

[Media1]

2 hours ago, CG1 Blue said:

I couldn't agree more. The street vendors have been plying their trade on the pavements and scraping a living since long before the fussy foreigners arrived in Thailand. It's part of Bangkok's DNA.

People leaving their home countries, moving to Bkk, then trying to turn Bkk into their home countries....I'll never understand that.

True

[Media1]

3 hours ago, The manic said:

 Street markets are the heart and soul of a city. Especially Asian cities. You sound like you are too fussy to enjoy Asia.

Who cares what they say really

[anon537687643]

Street Vendors don’t want to go places/ markets that are allocated, they prefer to be in your face,blocking the sidewalks in places where a lot of folk are on foot. So keep it or them off the streets! Those who think they’ve been removed because of foreigner complaints really are in a fantasy world !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

 

[lamyai3]

4 hours ago, samsensam said:

the pavements are then free of blockages and can be used by the vast majority of people going about their daily life, not shopping or browsing, and can do so with ease.

The removal of the vendors so far has shown one thing very clearly - Bangkok's pavements are very far from being free of blockages. Citywide, you can barely walk a few yards without being obstructed by a medley of badly placed lampposts, concrete flowerpots, piles of garbage, electricity boxes, and random pillars. The width of the pavements is completely arbitrary and smacks of a lack of urban planning with all sorts of encroachments from shops etc. When vendors would set up previously, they tended to slot between these ugly obstacles and obscure them, so aside from making the city alive and colourful, they were often only appearing to block some part of the pavement when it was actually already blocked.

 

At ground level things are even worse. Uneven surfaces and lousy drainage allow flash flooding in minutes during a heavy downpour, unsecured paving slabs ensure you'll be shooting black sludge-water up the back of your legs and shirt for several days afterwards. Random kerb sizes from a few inches to more than a foot, rusty gratings, broken manhole covers and various recesses and protrusions do nothing to help public safety, small wonder cycle lanes have never worked out and the city is considered so disabled-unfriendly. Regarding the earlier comment about rats, these seem to have become emboldened since the vendors have disappeared, darting out fearlessly as though they now own the path. Risks of a collision with a sewer rat have actually increased in the past year, especially late night when foot traffic is less and garbage is sat awaiting morning collection. All in all, the city's sidewalks are a dog's breakfast. 

[Nyezhov]

6 hours ago, The manic said:

 Street markets are the heart and soul of a city. Especially Asian cities. You sound like you are too fussy to enjoy Asia.

Got to be a balance though...

[sanemax]

6 hours ago, CG1 Blue said:

I couldn't agree more. The street vendors have been plying their trade on the pavements and scraping a living since long before the fussy foreigners arrived in Thailand. It's part of Bangkok's DNA.

People leaving their home countries, moving to Bkk, then trying to turn Bkk into their home countries....I'll never understand that.

It isnt foreigners trying to change Bangkok though , its the Thai authorities .

We foreigners either agree with or disagree with the changes , but foreigners are not trying to change anything  

[LazySlipper]

Only when threatened do these hawkers show some form of benevolence. I find them, a lot but not all, to be generally rude and dirty. The very cause of the booming rat population in Bangkok.

 

Maybe I am a wet blanket but I would love to be able to use the sidewalks for what they are meant to be used for... walking.

[LazySlipper]

12 hours ago, The manic said:

They are neither greedy or dirty and you are lieing about rats.  They are poor. Time for you to take your hate out of Thailand and return to your paradise country

 

Geez... you really are overly PC and quite judgmental and are obviously a Joe Citizen in regards to the Thais. Maybe you should return to your hovel country... I agree with everything the guy you criticized said and I should know cos I lived in Bkk for over 6 years nest to hawkers and I learned to really not like them.

[cmsally]

A friend of mine (who knows BKK very well) told me that his favourite coffee place which used to be in an actual building has now been moved to a street stall. Reason being , their rent went up to 50k per month !!! Don't know what it was before but definitely a lot less. For many people running a small business, renting a building is simply not an option.

For many of the old style restaurants / accommodation blocks etc. that were owner operated, it was not uncommon to rent a small space in that building to a friend / neighbour for a small sum so they could make a living. That kind of business model is starting to disappear as more places are sold for large sums or rented for large sums. Not a good time for the small business operator in Bangkok.

[a977]

As all the vendors are in one place demonstrating why does not the BMA send in the Gestapo the local rangers and check all their permits for sell goods and also the revenue Dept to check their taxation receipts, then the police could check all their carts and motorcycles for registration, no have licence, permit or taxation receipt off to monkey house, problem solved footpaths return to people vendors get free accommodation at Government expense. Then watch the vendors shut up and stop complaining