Bangkok Eye To Be Taller Than London Eye

[way2muchcoffee]

There is now way that this big bicylce wheel will cost 30 Billion baht! Anyone with a brain would understand that.

Second, the Thai people would never allow this to happen. Even if it was 3 billion baht it would be an outrages sum of tax payers money to use on this.

Suwarnaphumi airport cost 155 billion baht to build.

The whole BTS (skytrain) project cost 32 billion baht but because of the depriciation of the Thai baht back then ended up costing 54 billion baht.

The whole new elevated airport rail link project cost 25.9 billion baht.

So the 29 km elevated airport link includnig trains are cheaper than this 176 meter metal wheel welded together.

Seriously, come on guys.

You're right of course. Probably a misprint in the article. The London eye cost 75 million pounds to build. That is approximately 3.5 billion baht. My guess is that the article meant to say 3 billion baht as the cost.

Edited October 14, 2010 by way2muchcoffee

[sirchai]

How about using the 30 billion to improve Bangkok infrastructure before spending money like this on a stupid idea like this....

They could- at least- buy all of us a nice house that they do have the chance to learn from us. For example how to cook fish and chips, or Sauerbraten with Krauts.....

30 billion bucks inside a wheel, holy shit.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

:jap:

[Damacles]

Most of you are missing the point; presumably as it gives you a good chance to rant about how crap things are generally. The template for these things is that it will be built and managed by a private company experienced in these things, not the Thai Government, and almost as unlikely a Thai-owned company unless its a joint venture. It would have to have International standards of practice imposed on it, with the checks not too dissimilar to taking a flight on an airline; there are plenty of horror stories these companies have learnt from over the years.

There are very few companies able to put together and operate this kind of venture; up to 80 metres its fairly simple - past that it is a major engineering project with all the issues that encompasses. Singapore hasn't been without these, not least the recent evacuation problems it had. It won't pay for itself for a long long time to come.

But the structure has complimented the city, as they all do, large or small. Every city seems to want one at the moment, its flavour of the month and often forms the back-drop for good international media, Singapore again being a good example especially with F1 built around it. Land develops around it, as do opportunities for locals.

Having said all that, I wouldn't do it, not least because of the current climate. I'd have gone for the more novelty value, less iconic choice of a transportable 80m such as the one that was in KL.

[sirchai]

How about using the 30 billion to improve Bangkok infrastructure before spending money like this on a stupid idea like this....

Just like the London Eye, which is located by the Thames River in the British capital, the Bangkok Eye should also be placed next to the Chao Phya.

I'm wondering what my wife's family will think about the idea, living in the lower north- east.

Growing rice at a place in the middle of nowhere and being poor isn't really what they always see on TV.

And all the soap operas about some rich Bangkokians.

But a fuc_king tall bicycle tire worth 30 billion baht is quite hard to understand for almost all Thais. The question is: Who'd like such a weird wheel? :jap:

[tomyummer]

30 billion baht?! Oh right. 25 billion for the land (Uncle Charoen's Beer Chang land) and 5 billion for the construction.

The real excitement of taking a ride on it will be the Russian Roulette element of "when will it topple over because of the shoddy construction and soft soil."

What a stupid, idiotic project to bring to Bangkok. Absolutely no creativity at the BMA. And we taxpayers are footing this thing?!

[tomyummer]

Oh wait a minute! I now see the underlying purpose of this project! It's so the BMA can finance a trip to London to research this stupid project! Du-oh!

[tomyummer]

How about using the 30 billion to improve Bangkok infrastructure before spending money like this on a stupid idea like this....

Totally agree - complete lack of infrastructure - bloody floods eveytime it rains, so build a ferris wheel, at least you'll be dry if you're on top of it. But at least this ferris wheel builds on the great Thai tradition of - to lazy to think of our own idea, so we'll copy someone elses.

I wholly agree with you, Jonclark. It truly is pathetic how Thailand - which is singularly uncreative as a nation - just rips off other people's ideas. At least Britain (which for all its faults has been, for centuries, an extraordinarily inventive, intellectual and creative culture) came up with its own original London Eye plan. It seems to me that the only outstanding architectural originality the Thais have displayed is their very pretty temples. The Thais are excellent at prettification - but when it comes to originality/ depth of thought or innovative production - forget it! And I agree with the comments of other contributors here: the roads in Bangkok are a joke (they literally turn into rivers when there's a downpour), and the lack of concern for pedestrians is evidenced by all the broken paving stones along many BKK pavements - plus the perpetual menace of really brainless motor-cycle riders who drive along the pavements (no 'greng jai' here!). It's all very exasperating. I agree with the other posters on this thread: more money should be spent on improving BKK's infrastructure, and not on an utterly unnecessary and useless Bangkok Eye.

Yeah! We need more yellow braille tiles on bumpy and incomplete Sukumvit sidewalks! That was the most ingenious Thai project yet. Top that! What's next? Handicap accessible buildings?! Ha ha ha!

[yellow1red1]

Bull's eye for RPG? Easy target for the Cambodian trained Re-shirt army.

How right you are. Perhaps they could turn it into a giant roulette wheel than has a major problem on each of the spokes. The wheel spins and wherever it stops will be the source of the next crisis in Thailand -- the Red Shirts, Muslim separatists, the over-valued baht, Thaksin, human trafficking...can you fill in a few more crisis for me?

not without getting censored, no sirree

[jayjayjayjay]

Having a BKK Eye maybe a good idea if they can put up a 3G antenna on top of it too

How about putting antenna on opposing sides. Then 3G could emulate the come go come go come go speed of land-line internet!

[quiksilva]

A 200m diameter wheel can accommodate a little over 100 gondolas.

Each of these can accommodate approximately 8-10 people (even in the London Eye you dont get to go up by yourself, rather you can hire a gondola for your own but at a higher rate!).

So let's say 750 passengers per rotation which lasts about 30 minutes.

If operating hours are the same as London Eye say, 10.00am - 9.30pm non stop.

That will be 23 'flights' per day.. you do the maths.

Edited October 15, 2010 by quiksilva

[Bagwan]

Why the negativity? This is a great idea. When it is finished we can make a start of the Skytrain. At the present it is much too flat, boring and lacks proper pace. Lets have some really steep gradients put in ski slope fashion, tighten up the corners and bank them, maybe we can even get trains to loop the loop and a water chute is a must have. A start has been made on jazzing up some of the roads with overpasses but they hardly offer an exhilarating experience and we have to rely on other road users to generate any heavy heart pounding. Dodgem cars we already have so kudos to Thailand for that. Get  rid of all the noodle and tom yam stalls and convert them to sell ice cream and candy floss.  Instead of using real M69 grenades use real pineapples filled with fertiliser to use as 'pineapples' on a 'knock the lady out of bed' stall, as contrast to the present practice of 'get a farang into bed'.  Hawkers could make a living selling devices that issue a 'boing' sound which are guaranteed to raise a laugh. 

To complete the fun a three ring circus is required. Oh, we already have one. It is called Parliament Building. Forget clowns, just get the Heart of Goals team involved. 

Thailand's motto presently seems to be 'For a good time - go somewhere else'.

[mstribling]

How about using the 30 billion to improve Bangkok infrastructure before spending money like this on a stupid idea like this....

Totally agree - complete lack of infrastructure - bloody floods eveytime it rains, so build a ferris wheel, at least you'll be dry if you're on top of it. But at least this ferris wheel builds on the great Thai tradition of - to lazy to think of our own idea, so we'll copy someone elses.

What a completely stupid remark. If something works and is incredibly popular then you shouls use it. Why think of a new idea when you already have one that works. So what new ideas do you think up every day? I bet you just copy what everyone else does. How did you end up in Thailand? Did you just follow the crowd or did you think of it independently? I thought not. Many countries have copied the London Eye becuase it's so popular. Do you drive a car, or did you come up with your own transport idea? Everyone copies what's good. Why would you try to reinvent the wheel (pun intended) all the time?

This will make money. You can't spend all money on infrastructure. Would you go on holiday to somewhere that had great infrastructure but no attractions?

What is popular? where is it popular?

Do you think if Iraq made Eiffel Tower tourists will come in millions?

Why would Brit travel to BKK to take a ride on a wheel which he/she has back home

Why do they travel to BKK for prostitutes when they have plenty at home.

It seems your thinking is so twisted that even a 30billion baht wheel will not fix.

[Hawk]

This is a fine example of why I refuse to pay any taxes to any government as these so called leaders simply throw one's hard earned money into the fire of stupid ideas.

I'm sure the working class girls and boys of Thailand will be enraptured by this wonderful waste of their tax money.

Edited October 15, 2010 by Hawk

[Boater]

There's an awful lot of graft priced into it if the cost is 30 billion baht.

- after all, they're not reinventing the wheel...

it has corruption painted all over it

the london eye only cost 75 Million Pounds to build ( 3.75 Billion ) ,

esp when the ' Bangkok Govener ' and ' Private Firms ' are invloved....

[newermonkey]

Why do they just have to copy all the time, don't the planners have any imagination at all?