Reason For Stone Block Sidewalks

[AskTheCPT]

I'm not an engineer or anything so I wonder why the hel_l don't they pave the sidewalks. I wear athletic shoes and trip all over the place and I can't imagine the poor bar girls with their stiletto heels.

Is it because it creates jobs when they come loose every month? Is it because the city is over a swamp? Someone throw me a bone please...

[givenall]

I'm not an engineer or anything so I wonder why the hel_l don't they pave the sidewalks. I wear athletic shoes and trip all over the place and I can't imagine the poor bar girls with their stiletto heels.

Is it because it creates jobs when they come loose every month? Is it because the city is over a swamp? Someone throw me a bone please...

Yes it is very stupid they way they do. If thy would sure up the ground and use sand then it would make more sense since it rains a lot over here but using concrete under them is beyond my understanding

[Thongkorn]

it would be a good start if they were all the same hight, and takeaway the Concrete Electric poles, There is one on beach road that is about 1 meter wide with a Phone Booth that is 1 meter wide , pointless having a sidewalk /pavement.

[IanForbes]

Sidewalks are NOT for walking on. They are for parking motorcycles or for the nearby shop owners to spread their wares. People are supposed to walk in traffic to keep the hospitals busy.

[TheGoodDoctor]

Comical how the OP somehow relates the topic (like every topic on TV) is prostitution.

[Jimjim]

I suspect it's actually got something to do with the soil in Bangkok. And the fact that flooding is a problem. Thais are not imbeciles, no matter how much you all may like to think that. It very well could be because cracks in sidewalks would definitely happen with all the flooding and water coming up from underneath, and the bricks are easier to deal with replacing, etc.

[sanook2me]

I suspect it's actually got something to do with the soil in Bangkok. And the fact that flooding is a problem. Thais are not imbeciles, no matter how much you all may like to think that. It very well could be because cracks in sidewalks would definitely happen with all the flooding and water coming up from underneath, and the bricks are easier to deal with replacing, etc.

I'd normally agree but they use little brickettes for building too or when using breeze blocks they don't stagger the the joints they just place them so you have vertical lines running up, you learn how to build walls as a kid with plastic boxes...even then you know to stagger the joints to make it as strong as possible.

I have seen these vertical joints running over 8 courses (not sure of spelling) high in such places as Future Park Rangsit....

I suspect the small blocks are a left over legacy from previous government purchases... either way they are a bit daft to use in a country where the pavements take a hammering from motorbikes / trollies / food carts etc.... large paving slabs or tarmac surely is the way forward..

Does tarmac melt in the hot conditions or can it be made to weather it?

The cables do my head in they are so ugly and god knows how they work out which one is which and is live etc.......

I have noticed drinking fountains throughout BKK on the pavements so these must feed off underground pipes so it can be done with the electrics and telephone cables..

[Dakhar]

I suspect it's actually got something to do with the soil in Bangkok. And the fact that flooding is a problem. Thais are not imbeciles, no matter how much you all may like to think that. It very well could be because cracks in sidewalks would definitely happen with all the flooding and water coming up from underneath, and the bricks are easier to deal with replacing, etc.

It is really not a matter of "thinking that" it is really a matter of being "shown that." You see, after an over whelming proponderence of evidence, a belief or an assumption can be made.

Kind of like when you touch something hot it hurts etc... you connect the dots and "poof" a reality is born.

But inspite of that, you may have something there regarding the bricks for paht ways etc. I personally like the bricks, I think it looks better.

[bkkjames]

the bricks look nice, for the first 3 months until the inevitable sinking / shifting takes place.

anyone walk near the landmark or pacific place recently? - the sidewalks (i use that term loosely) are an absolute distaster and embarrassment for a so-called tourist area.

interestingly, if one goes farther up sukhumvit they use concrete in many places instead of the bricks. the one i walk on near the bts station closest to my home is older than me, no cracks (or have been filled), no sinking, no potholes, no broken pieces everywhere. I am sure this is the case in most areas of bangkok where they don't use the old 'throw a little sand down, place brick on top - return in a year to fix it' method.

[Dakhar]

job security?

[JSixpack]

Thai sidewalks are like open freeways compared to Vietnam sidewalks.

Count yer blessings.

[nidge]

I thought they used bricks for me! If i'm ever out riding my bike on the street, it's much more fun jumping the holes that form when the bricks sink into the ground, or imagining that an area of bricks that all stick up at funny angles are like a set of tree roots. there's always a bright side. Some times you just have to be a bit daft to find it.

[Jimjim]

I suspect it's actually got something to do with the soil in Bangkok. And the fact that flooding is a problem. Thais are not imbeciles, no matter how much you all may like to think that. It very well could be because cracks in sidewalks would definitely happen with all the flooding and water coming up from underneath, and the bricks are easier to deal with replacing, etc.

It is really not a matter of "thinking that" it is really a matter of being "shown that." You see, after an over whelming proponderence of evidence, a belief or an assumption can be made.

Kind of like when you touch something hot it hurts etc... you connect the dots and "poof" a reality is born.

But inspite of that, you may have something there regarding the bricks for paht ways etc. I personally like the bricks, I think it looks better.

Thank you for that lesson as if I'm 5 years old. Nice to see you have some bias towards Thais. You're right, Thais are imbeciles, every last one of them...

[PhilHarries]

Thai sidewalks are like open freeways compared to Vietnam sidewalks.

Count yer blessings.

They are open freeways compared with those in Phnom Penh.

Blockwork sidewalks are an Asian thing and given the amount of times they get dug up it is probably the best solution. Just a pity they can't seem to take the time and effort to provide a decent bedding for the blocks but even then the water gets through anyway. Once that happens the base material gets washed away and the blocks start to sink. Having said that though, Pattaya walking street has been done a good few years now and is still in reasonable condition so it can be done.

Also the sidewalks in KL and Singapore show that it can be done.

[robblok]

According to my gf they just dont fix things here on a permanent way because this way the government people who are in charge of budget can award constructors the work every time. This way they can get kickbacks a lot. If they were to make it good one time it would damage their kickback revenue.

I have seen too much corruption here to dismiss this right away. The gf works as a guide and tells me how often they take government jobs and how often fake invoices are asked (and given). Everyone always tries to make a buck off government money.

[givenall]

Sidewalks are NOT for walking on. They are for parking motorcycles or for the nearby shop owners to spread their wares. People are supposed to walk in traffic to keep the hospitals busy.

dont forget the street sellers

[IanForbes]

The beach walk in Pattaya is about 2 kilometers long and it's still reasonable. The paving slabs are reasonably flat and level. I don't see them being dug up all the time. So, it CAN be done. The pathways along the moat in Chiang Mai are also good. I much prefer walking there than on the sidewalks next to buildings.

[Dakhar]

I suspect it's actually got something to do with the soil in Bangkok. And the fact that flooding is a problem. Thais are not imbeciles, no matter how much you all may like to think that. It very well could be because cracks in sidewalks would definitely happen with all the flooding and water coming up from underneath, and the bricks are easier to deal with replacing, etc.

It is really not a matter of "thinking that" it is really a matter of being "shown that." You see, after an over whelming proponderence of evidence, a belief or an assumption can be made.

Kind of like when you touch something hot it hurts etc... you connect the dots and "poof" a reality is born.

But inspite of that, you may have something there regarding the bricks for paht ways etc. I personally like the bricks, I think it looks better.

Thank you for that lesson as if I'm 5 years old. Nice to see you have some bias towards Thais. You're right, Thais are imbeciles, every last one of them...

Like all things, there are exceptions... Kind of like when you see a beautiful slim American.... Some how, some way the stars aligned right, and Poof it just happened. No rhyme or reason for it, it just happened. I have met some Thai's that simply amaze with their intelligence, and I think to my self, we (of the western world) have been given so much and yet in many cases have accomplished so little with our many tools/oppertunities etc etc... what is our excuse? (and in some cases what is my excuse)

and then there is another group, that every one sees daily, the group that drive the wrong way down a one way, the group that drive their mortorcy's on the foot path, etc etc etc. Like I said, there is a preponderance of evidence that develops a belief, it just doesn't occur in a vacuum.

[phetaroi]

If thy would sure up the ground and use sand then it would make more sense since it rains a lot over here but using concrete under them is beyond my understanding

I don't agree at all. My mother lived in Winter Park, Florida for years and many of the older streets were brick on just sand. The streets were often like roller coasters after a while.

[LooseCannon]

I'm not an engineer or anything so I wonder why the hel_l don't they pave the sidewalks. I wear athletic shoes and trip all over the place and I can't imagine the poor bar girls with their stiletto heels.

Is it because it creates jobs when they come loose every month? Is it because the city is over a swamp? Someone throw me a bone please...

Comical how the OP somehow relates the topic (like every topic on TV) is prostitution.

Here's a bone for the OP & I have managed to incorporate prostitution to make it easier for him.

Thailand is a country barely above 'third world' status & as such it's basic infrastructure (roads, bridges, water & electricity distribution etc. AND pavements) are very poorly developed. The upside to this is that there are lots of young & cheap high-heel wearing prostitutes to stumble along said poorly constructed pavements, that for some reason are acutely attracted to fat, old & ugly white men.

Now go to a country with beautifully engineered & constructed pavements and .....? Surprise, surprise, suddenly you are not the centre of attention....

When Thailand eventually gets a standard of pavement that is enjoyed in 'first world' countries the local women will not be interested in you & certainly you wouldn't be able to afford them.

[IanForbes]

I don't see the need to nitpick, and I don't see where the OP was referencing prostitution. He just said the women wearing stilleto high heels would have trouble walking on the so called "sidewalks".

I just pointed out that they were NOT sidewalks... and don't have anything to do with "walking" at all.

I don't think women from ANY social status, and wearing hill heels, would enjoy walking on Thai streets. As he said, it's tough enough just wearing running shoes. If I didn't watch my step I'd trip over dozens of items in only a 100 meters.

[LooseCannon]

I don't see the need to nitpick, and I don't see where the OP was referencing prostitution. He just said the women wearing stilleto high heels would have trouble walking on the so called "sidewalks".

I just pointed out that they were NOT sidewalks... and don't have anything to do with "walking" at all.

I don't think women from ANY social status, and wearing hill heels, would enjoy walking on Thai streets. As he said, it's tough enough just wearing running shoes. If I didn't watch my step I'd trip over dozens of items in only a 100 meters.

He actually said "...the poor bar girls with their stiletto heels." - But that is not the point.

The point is - if you want well constructed pavements that are keep free of obstructions, moving motorcycles etc you will need to live in a country that has reached a certain level of economic & social development. Thailand has not reached that point, thank god, because when it does it will bear very resemblance to the place that we know & love.

I have a beautiful pavement outside the front of my house in Australia - it is well maintained but it comes at a price, namely my local council rates & all the other taxes that maintain the infrastructure, the parks the roads, the underground power & telephone cables etc etc.

But what I don't have is beautiful young stiletto wearing ladies walking past calling out "Hansum man, you sleep me"