Bangkok Need More Parks!

We need more parks!

Green areas biggest priority for city residents: BMA poll

BANGKOK: -- Nearly threequarters of the city's residents are satisfied with the performance of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), according to a BMAsponsored opinion poll released yesterday.

Of 10,079 respondents surveyed between August 1328 by Durakij Pundit University, 72.5 per cent said the BMA's performance was satisfactory, grading the Democratled management 2.9 out of a possible 4.

The highest priority for respondents is more public parks and green areas, followed by cleaner streets, then better public transport and traffic management, more promotion for tourism, extension of Skytrain routes, better garbage disposal, cleaner water in rivers and canals, more facilities for exercise and sports, expansion of bus services, and greater efforts towards crime prevention.

The problems respondents want to see urgently solved are, in descending order: traffic congestion, floods and ineffective drainage, slow and ineffective garbage collection, air pollution, drugrelated crime, crime against individuals and property, polluted water in rivers and canals, litterstrewn streets, the lack of green areas, and insufficient street lighting in some areas.

Phra Khanong, Saphan Sung, Dusit, Prawet and Ratcha Thewi were rated the top five for performance while Thawee Watthana came bottom of the pile, just beneath Bang Khae, Bang Rak, Yannawa, Bang Khor Laem and Samphanthawong.

-- The Nation 2009-09-30