PHOTO: Sophon Cable TV (STV)

 

By Goong Nang(GN)

 

Pattaya – Pattaya City is continuing to renovate and refurbish the Walking Street area, according to the Pattaya Mayor, targeting to attract more tourists of every age during both the day and night time. He also denied persistent rumors of “tearing down” the street.

 

The Pattaya City Mayor Sontaya Kunplome told TPN media this week, “A major part of our recent renovation of the Pattaya Walking Street in South Pattaya is in regards to the progress of removing overhead wires and cables and placing them underground.

 

This construction work is now 80 percent completed. We ran into many problems in the past year while executing this project, many caused by old pipes and construction work beneath the street, not on any planning documents. However, we managed to persevere through this and made progress.”

 

“We also received budgetary permission from the Pattaya City Council for an overall footpath/road renovation for Walking Street. Unfortunately, in the process of moving cables underground, portions of the road were damaged and some areas are in poor condition. Our plan is to refurbish and repair the pavement along the entire road, including full painting and a new art design for the street to give the area a fresh, new look.” The mayor continued.

 

“We are also continuing work on the water drainage system into the sea and have partnered with businesses on the ocean side to improve their drainage as well as begun an extensive project on Second Road near Wat Chai and Walking Street that will expand drainage pipes and improve the overall waterworks in the area. 

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2022/01/20/pattaya-mayor-talks-about-the-future-of-walking-street/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2022-01-21

 

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Yesterday I had a wander round Walking St and surrounding sois and it is slowly returning to what it is famed for: bars with sexy girls waiting to take their customers money. The go-gos, including those owned by the Chinese and Russians, will have to wait a while longer but all together Walking Street has enough collective financial clout to repel any notions of gentrification or becoming a family oriented destination.

The mayor can tidy up the pavements, stop sewage spewing into the sea and clear away the overhead cables but no more than that, please.

26 minutes ago, champers said:

Yesterday I had a wander round Walking St and surrounding sois and it is slowly returning to what it is famed for: bars with sexy girls waiting to take their customers money. The go-gos, including those owned by the Chinese and Russians, will have to wait a while longer but all together Walking Street has enough collective financial clout to repel any notions of gentrification or becoming a family oriented destination.

The mayor can tidy up the pavements, stop sewage spewing into the sea and clear away the overhead cables but no more than that, please.

So I guess no Opera House?

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

So I guess no Opera House?

I would like to see an Arts quarter in Pattaya, sited away from the girly bars but still in the central area - maybe the Northern end of 2nd Rd. River City in Bangkok could possibly be the template.

Incidentally there are some nice paintings currently being exhibited at RGP up the escalator at the 2nd Road end. I happened accross it by accident, a nice way to pass half an hour.

No offices, 5 star hotels, IT park and shoppingmall number 15?

Lipstick on the pig??

Many of the structures on the beach side even when open before stink,  are old and rotted and full of rats.  I bet they will just reopen with no change.

 

3 hours ago, champers said:

The mayor can tidy up the pavements

Just read elsewhere he can't......

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Our plan is to refurbish and repair the pavement along the entire road, including full painting and a new art design for the street to give the area a fresh, new look.” The mayor continued.

Walking street needs more than whitewash.

 

4 hours ago, champers said:

The mayor can tidy up the pavements, stop sewage spewing into the sea and clear away the overhead cables but no more than that, please

Even he's struggling with that.

4 hours ago, champers said:

including those owned by the Chinese

Which ones are those?

Once they tear up the pavements (sidewalks) it will be years before they are repaired. They still haven't finished along Pattaya Tai.

32 minutes ago, topt said:

Which ones are those?

Panda.

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

So I guess no Opera House?

And no weekly Bocelli concerts ???

Can't see anything being done there, but they do occasionally close parts of it off to do some digging. I drive up "Walking" St regularly in the wee hours. The road is completely broken up. You couldn't walk along it without twisting your ankles at every step, so calling it Walking St is a joke. There are no pavements. I can't see they've changed anything. Several buildings sea side have been demolished, the rest look like a bomb hit them. It's a total write off. 

All of the projects he spouts off about should have been done already while they had the chance. I think they are putting money in their pockets first before doing anything they should do for the city. It is 3rd world disgusting in that place and they don't care.

Clearly holding back on the fact that the ocean side will be demolished and replaced for an extended boulevard.
Entertainment licenses will NOT be renewed and plans are made to "move" the zone to Soi Buakhao.
Bali Hai will be transformed with an added recreation park and cruise terminal.

Wishful thinking? Let's see.

6 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Can't see anything being done there, but they do occasionally close parts of it off to do some digging. I drive up "Walking" St regularly in the wee hours. The road is completely broken up. You couldn't walk along it without twisting your ankles at every step, so calling it Walking St is a joke. There are no pavements. I can't see they've changed anything. Several buildings sea side have been demolished, the rest look like a bomb hit them. It's a total write off. 

Reading the OP would have been an idea rather than just complaining about the pavement's condition...

"“We also received budgetary permission from the Pattaya City Council for an overall footpath/road renovation for Walking Street. Unfortunately, in the process of moving cables underground, portions of the road were damaged and some areas are in poor condition. Our plan is to refurbish and repair the pavement along the entire road..."

3 minutes ago, kcpattaya said:

Clearly holding back on the fact that the ocean side will be demolished and replaced for an extended boulevard.
Entertainment licenses will NOT be renewed and plans are made to "move" the zone to Soi Buakhao.
Bali Hai will be transformed with an added recreation park and cruise terminal.

Wishful thinking? Let's see.

May well be your wishful thinking but it's also nothing more than your unfounded speculation.

1 minute ago, kcpattaya said:

Clearly holding back on the fact that the ocean side will be demolished and replaced for an extended boulevard.
Entertainment licenses will NOT be renewed and plans are made to "move" the zone to Soi Buakhao.
Bali Hai will be transformed with an added recreation park and cruise terminal.

Wishful thinking? Let's see.

And what of the many places that are not really part of the nightlife scene..... from The Pattaya Beer Garden,  Tankay Seafood and similar restaurants, The 7-11s, Nang Nual and A few Kebab Shops.....

I can safely say that I won't be visiting Walking Street anytime soon with my family, no matter how much renovation they do.  

4 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Reading the OP would have been an idea rather than just complaining about the pavement's condition...

"“We also received budgetary permission from the Pattaya City Council for an overall footpath/road renovation for Walking Street. Unfortunately, in the process of moving cables underground, portions of the road were damaged and some areas are in poor condition. Our plan is to refurbish and repair the pavement along the entire road..."

Sure, that may have been the plan. But what's the point of doing it now? You don't start a major refurb by building pavements.

 

1 nobody can walk there while they're building in any case.

2 the pavements will all be dug up again in the process of surrounding work.

 

It's a joke. Some of the clubs have made a half hearted attempt at reopening, but it just means a long tail back at chucking out/up time. It's dead, passed on, gone over to the other side. RIP. The mayor's avin a larf.

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

So I guess no Opera House?

i was hoping for a Casino.

This translate into continue to put a bandAid on the problems doing so continues to generate $$$$$ for him.

6 hours ago, champers said:

Yesterday I had a wander round Walking St and surrounding sois and it is slowly returning to what it is famed for: bars with sexy girls waiting to take their customers money. The go-gos, including those owned by the Chinese and Russians, will have to wait a while longer but all together Walking Street has enough collective financial clout to repel any notions of gentrification or becoming a family oriented destination.

The mayor can tidy up the pavements, stop sewage spewing into the sea and clear away the overhead cables but no more than that, please.

Good news. I hope you are right.

 

What I would like to see is easy access from the north. And not stinky. 555  Now that would be a major improvement. So you don't have to risk your life to access the Street.

1 hour ago, kcpattaya said:

Clearly holding back on the fact that the ocean side will be demolished and replaced for an extended boulevard.
Entertainment licenses will NOT be renewed and plans are made to "move" the zone to Soi Buakhao.
Bali Hai will be transformed with an added recreation park and cruise terminal.

Wishful thinking? Let's see.

The transformation will be a gradual affair. As the mayor hinted that Walking Street will be for "tourists of any age day and night". As I know, no new bar licenses have been approved and existing licenses will allow to run out and not be renewed. 

1 hour ago, bradiston said:

Sure, that may have been the plan. But what's the point of doing it now? You don't start a major refurb by building pavements.

 

1 nobody can walk there while they're building in any case.

2 the pavements will all be dug up again in the process of surrounding work.

 

It's a joke. Some of the clubs have made a half hearted attempt at reopening, but it just means a long tail back at chucking out/up time. It's dead, passed on, gone over to the other side. RIP. The mayor's avin a larf.

See this article re pavements and cables elsewhere in Pattaya:

https://thepattayanews.com/2022/01/20/pattaya-mayor-apologizes-and-explains-the-problem-with-the-long-under-construction-sidewalks-on-central-and-south-pattaya-roads/

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Walking street needs more than whitewash.

 

Why? It was a fantastic place that perfectly suited its purpose, just as it was. That purpose was simply to have fun, nothing else.

If one yearns for a clean, sterile and puritanical city full of judgmental evangelists, feminists and single issue nut jobs all trying to shove their bigoted views down one's emasculated gob, there are plenty such places to be found in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and every other boring western location.   

"You can't polish a turd"

7 hours ago, webfact said:

water drainage system into the sea and have partnered with businesses on the ocean side

Businesses on the ocean side!!!!! 

Aren't these illegal businesses, I read all buildings on the ocean side of walking street were built illegally.

Why would City Hall partner with criminals?