Benjakiti Park (Queen Sirikit)

[reeshoward]

The bike lane (around the lake) is now closed until further notice

[RickG16]

Benchasiri makes a good nearby alternative... maybe not for bikes though.....

[thecyclist]

On 11/26/2019 at 3:50 PM, RickG16 said:

Benchasiri makes a good nearby alternative... maybe not for bikes though.....

Most certainly not for bicycles, which are not allowed in Benchasiri, but the Suvarnaphumi bike lane is a good alternative. 

 

[mstevens]

The whole of Benjakiti Park is to close soon for something like 18 months and will be redeveloped.

[reeshoward]

8 hours ago, mstevens said:

The whole of Benjakiti Park is to close soon for something like 18 months and will be redeveloped.

Good to know - will this redevelopment also include the adjacent Tobacco Monopoly ?

[bbi1]

On 11/26/2019 at 3:50 PM, RickG16 said:

Benchasiri makes a good nearby alternative... maybe not for bikes though.....

Even better alternative are the bikes you will find at an gym. They're called exercise bikes. Nice cool aircon and you don't breathe in all those PM2.5 particles down into your lungs.

[RickG16]

1 minute ago, bbi1 said:

Even better alternative are the bikes you will find at an gym. They're called exercise bikes. Nice cool aircon and you don't breathe in all those PM2.5 particles down into your lungs.

That's true. When I'm in BKK though I do find the parks like an oasis from the mayhem surrounding them. It's a good point about the air though... and I think those masks might restrict breathing when running.

[buick]

11 hours ago, mstevens said:

The whole of Benjakiti Park is to close soon for something like 18 months and will be redeveloped.

i remember reading about that not long ago but haven't been able to find the article via google.  as one poster noted, i'm interested in what the plan is although not certain the overall plan was outlined in the article i read.  i visit benchasiri park often and i imagine it will be overflowing once the bigger one is shutdown.  i went into mind lock after thinking about that and forgot what was in the rest of the article !!!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Even better alternative are the bikes you will find at an gym. They're called exercise bikes. Nice cool aircon and you don't breathe in all those PM2.5 particles down into your lungs.

 

Actually, when the air outside is bad due to PM2.5, it's not going to be much different inside in air conditioned rooms. It's the same bad air as outside, just cooler because of the AC...  Gyms here aren't using air purifiers, as a general rule AFAIK.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 11/26/2019 at 3:30 PM, reeshoward said:

The bike lane (around the lake) is now closed until further notice

 

How about the parallel but separate walking/jogging path there?

 

[bbi1]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Actually, when the air outside is bad due to PM2.5, it's not going to be much different inside in air conditioned rooms. It's the same bad air as outside, just cooler because of the AC...  Gyms here aren't using air purifiers, as a general rule AFAIK.

 

I would've thought the air inside would be quite a bit better than outside if no doors/windows are left constantly opened in an airconditioned gym.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

I would've thought the air inside would be quite a bit better than outside if no doors/windows are left constantly opened in an airconditioned gym.

 Nope!  The air inside the gym comes in from outside... And air con units alone don't really do anything to reduce PM2.5 levels...

 

[bbi1]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 Nope!  The air inside the gym comes in from outside... And air con units alone don't really do anything to reduce PM2.5 levels...

 

So commercial aircon units used in gyms & shopping centres suck air in from the outside while only the aircon units in a condo/apartment room sucks air from the inside, correct?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I wasn't saying that... I don't know whether commercial AC systems pull air from outside or just recirculate inside... I'm guessing they just recirculate same as at home...

 

But either way, it's the SAME air... the AC units don't filter out pollution of the PM2.5 kind.

 

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[thecyclist]

13 hours ago, mstevens said:

The whole of Benjakiti Park is to close soon for something like 18 months and will be redeveloped.

That's a pity. It's a great park. There is nothing wrong with it, no upgrading required, if redeveloping means into a new park(except for the bike lane which is too narrow and very dangerous) If on the other hand it means we are getting another shopping mall or some other <deleted>..... 

[wordchild]

i have no idea if this is accurate but i spoke to a security guard on duty at Asoke entrance. My Thai is v poor (i am not sure his was much better!) and also he made clear to me , at the outset, that he "did not know much"!

However what he seemed to say was that there was significant construction planned over the next 12/18 months, that is obvious from the amount of equipment in there at the moment, and that parts of the park would be closed over the next year or more, in stages as i gathered, from what he seemed to be saying.

At the moment most of the Eastern (Asoke)  side of the lake , bike lane and running area seems to be closed, but he said  bikes and runners could use the opposite side; no idea if that is true or how that would work, maybe i will take a look at the weekend.

I really doubt the park would be commercially redeveloped , from what i saw, it looks more like a water management/drainage project.  

[OneMoreFarang]

I am often several times in the Tabaco monopoly and I did not notice any change which looks like something is shut down or will be shut down.

Obviously that does not mean that can't happen in the future but in the moment it looks like no change.

[androokery]

4 hours ago, thecyclist said:

That's a pity. It's a great park. There is nothing wrong with it, no upgrading required, if redeveloping means into a new park(except for the bike lane which is too narrow and very dangerous) If on the other hand it means we are getting another shopping mall or some other <deleted>..... 

It's a wonderful park. Especially in the evening. I don't think it needs a major overhaul, but it would be nice if they fixed the wooden boardwalk where a lot of the wood has rotted away. I believe there's concrete underneath so it's not really a safety issue. Except for tripping. 

[wordchild]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am often several times in the Tabaco monopoly and I did not notice any change which looks like something is shut down or will be shut down.

Obviously that does not mean that can't happen in the future but in the moment it looks like no change.

Well, I would guess you haven’t been in there for a week or so. I think you will find that there is a significant amount going on right now if you get the chance to visit again!

[OneMoreFarang]

8 hours ago, wordchild said:

Well, I would guess you haven’t been in there for a week or so. I think you will find that there is a significant amount going on right now if you get the chance to visit again!

Where exactly?

 

I drive often, including yesterday, with my bike from Sukhumvit Soi 4 through the Tabaco Monopoly to Rama 4. And in that area I didn't see anything unusual.

[wordchild]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Where exactly?

 

I drive often, including yesterday, with my bike from Sukhumvit Soi 4 through the Tabaco Monopoly to Rama 4. And in that area I didn't see anything unusual.

 the top end of the lake, Asoke side. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

20 hours ago, thecyclist said:

(except for the bike lane which is too narrow and very dangerous)

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that....

 

Actually, for my tastes, the current width is OK for casual riding.. Except, the park is inhabited by both Thai and farang bike racing types who like to zoom around and past slower riders, sometimes in very unsafe fashion.

 

A wider bike path would help. But so would more courteous riding etiquette by some of the "professional" riders there who seem to think of it as their own personal race track.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

17 hours ago, wordchild said:

At the moment most of the Eastern (Asoke)  side of the lake , bike lane and running area seems to be closed, but he said  bikes and runners could use the opposite side; no idea if that is true or how that would work, maybe i will take a look at the weekend.

 

My wife runs there regularly, and was out at the park this morning for a run. Her account matches yours, and is different than the blanket statement given by the OP.

 

My wife's account is, both the running and bike paths are closed for about a one-third+ section of the loop,  being the part along Asoke Rd from the bike rental concession to the park entrance where the parking area is. The rest, she said, remains open at least for now.

 

My understanding also has been that they planned to do the park renovation in segments.... but what that will actually mean in implementation who knows.

 

This morning, my wife said a lot of runners were in the park, going one way on the running path on the opposite side away from Asoke, and then returning the opposite way via the bike path!  What that's going to mean for the bicyclists...dunno... This was early like 6 am....

 

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[thecyclist]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that....

 

Actually, for my tastes, the current width is OK for casual riding.. Except, the park is inhabited by both Thai and farang bike racing types who like to zoom around and past slower riders, sometimes in very unsafe fashion.

 

A wider bike path would help. But so would more courteous riding etiquette by some of the "professional" riders there who seem to think of it as their own personal race track.

 

Yes the mix of 'professional riders' and family with kids riding at a snail's pace, and everything in between, plus pedestrian forgetting about the bikes when crossing, makes it so dangerous. Even the much wider Suvarnaphumi lane had many accidents :That's probably why they closed it for a while a couple of years to widen it even further. 

[thecyclist]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

My wife runs there regularly, and was out at the park this morning for a run. Her account matches yours, and is different than the blanket statement given by the OP.

 

My wife's account is, both the running and bike paths are closed for about a one-third+ section of the loop,  being the part along Asoke Rd from the bike rental concession to the park entrance where the parking area is. The rest, she said, remains open at least for now.

 

My understanding also has been that they planned to do the park renovation in segments.... but what that will actually mean in implementation who knows.

 

This morning, my wife said a lot of runners were in the park, going one way on the running path on the opposite side away from Asoke, and then returning the opposite way via the bike path!  What that's going to mean for the bicyclists...dunno... This was early like 6 am....

 

 

Having to go back and forth instead of loops kind of takes the fun out it. Most cyclist probably have given up on it completely. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, thecyclist said:

Yes the mix of 'professional riders' and family with kids riding at a snail's pace, and everything in between, plus pedestrian forgetting about the bikes when crossing, makes it so dangerous. Even the much wider Suvarnaphumi lane had many accidents :That's probably why they closed it for a while a couple of years to widen it even further. 

 

How is the airport area track riding experience these days?

 

How do you best get to it with a bike from the center of town, if you're not driving a car/truck/van?

 

[samran]

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

My wife runs there regularly, and was out at the park this morning for a run. Her account matches yours, and is different than the blanket statement given by the OP.

 

My wife's account is, both the running and bike paths are closed for about a one-third+ section of the loop,  being the part along Asoke Rd from the bike rental concession to the park entrance where the parking area is. The rest, she said, remains open at least for now.

 

My understanding also has been that they planned to do the park renovation in segments.... but what that will actually mean in implementation who knows.

 

This morning, my wife said a lot of runners were in the park, going one way on the running path on the opposite side away from Asoke, and then returning the opposite way via the bike path!  What that's going to mean for the bicyclists...dunno... This was early like 6 am....

 

 

She's right. I run there regularly and there are plans up for people to see. It will be done in phases so it is never fully closed from what I see.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I guess the question re Benjakiti right now is -- have they actually closed the bike path section that remains open and turned it over to joggers/runners..... or.... the two-thirds bike path section that remains open simply isn't a good riding experience anymore and no one wants to use it?

 

[Emmess]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I guess the question re Benjakiti right now is -- have they actually closed the bike path section that remains open and turned it over to joggers/runners..... or.... the two-thirds bike path section that remains open simply isn't a good riding experience anymore and no one wants to use it?

 

I go there every Saturday and Sunday mornings for my cycling. Could not go last week as was travelling. Will file a report tomorrow after coming back.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, Emmess said:

I go there every Saturday and Sunday mornings for my cycling. Could not go last week as was travelling. Will file a report tomorrow after coming back.

 

My wife went back again tonight for an evening run, and reported the security guards were telling folks that bicycling was no longer allowed, even on the remaining open sections of the bicycle track there... Which apparently is now taken over by runners and joggers.