Bangkok To Spend Bt15bn To Build 'Super Skywalk'

[DP25]

The most polluted place to walk is the Skywalk under the Skytrain on Sukhumvit. The Tracks overhead Trap all the exhaust from the heavy Traffic below and it hangs like a cloud over the skywalk.

Seems perfectly fine to me on the sections they have already. I'm looking forward to it being extended all the way down the line

[WarpSpeed]

This is really getting into the realms of fantasy.

Bangkok commuters don't want to walk unless it involves buying food, getting to the BTS or getting to a taxi. Who in their right minds WANTS to walk in a city where it is 40c half the year and raining the other half. The main commuter streets of Bangkok already have no air, and virtually no sunlight because of the BTS and they want to add more?

You can't even get people to climb up onto the pedestrian bridges that are there already. What would possess them to get up onto a vendor free walkway???? Added to this that it will put half the street vendors out of business.

Now if he said he wanted to pedestrianize Silom or the Sukhumvit up to 33, or build designated taxi ranks whilst getting half the taxis off the road, I might pay attention.

Why would the street vendors go out of business? If you're interested in shopping them you just walk down there and block up other peoples path instead.. An elevated, covered walk way is quite comfortable year round and I've been here 8 years now and never seen anything close to a 40c day yet.. It's not Dubai after all...

[metisdead]

A post that had a comment referencing HM the King has been removed.

Speculation, comments and discussion of either a political or personal nature are not allowed when discussing HM The King or the Royal family.

[ginjag]

The most polluted place to walk is the Skywalk under the Skytrain on Sukhumvit. The Tracks overhead Trap all the exhaust from the heavy Traffic below and it hangs like a cloud over the skywalk.

2nd Problem, is that not all access points have escalators and no elvators for handicapped... and all those stairs get to be a real pain!

Now.. If they ever Glass it in and put in some A/C with Filters.... plus proper Escalator/Elevator access... Then they would have something!

CS

Where do you ever see hanicapped people in Thailand? very few. For starters not many have wheelchairs--and if they all had them-they cannot use them outside their homes--imagine trying to navigate anywhere in a wheelchair. Our local village has handicapped people but are nearly housebound. as you say nothing for them and its bad for ablebodied persons getting around. The rich don't walk much so why should they care about pedestrians. Only this is going to fill a few pockets--as one poster said 300 million bht per kilometer. joke sure

[KRS1]

They should make it a motorcycle path, then the fun will begin.

[jackr]

Why do people have to whine and criticize? This is a decent enough idea, helping tourists and regular folk move about short distances, giving an option to not have to negotiate crowded, stuffy streets. Anything to encourage even a tiny percentage of people to not take taxis, tuk-tuks for even a short distance is a step in the right direction.

US$10M per click is not excessive for a project like this in a major capital city.

[fenny99]

The most polluted place to walk is the Skywalk under the Skytrain on Sukhumvit. The Tracks overhead Trap all the exhaust from the heavy Traffic below and it hangs like a cloud over the skywalk.

2nd Problem, is that not all access points have escalators and no elvators for handicapped... and all those stairs get to be a real pain!

Now.. If they ever Glass it in and put in some A/C with Filters.... plus proper Escalator/Elevator access... Then they would have something!

CS

What a steller idea - then we'd have an air conditioned sukhumvit style street vendor experience

You say there is going to be no access for the handicaped . You watch the one legged beggers they will manage to get up there . There is one begger in Pattaya he sits in the same spot day in day out . He gets picked up and dropped of in a nice new 4x4 . He is probably the mail earner in the family

[Chupup]

Who will all the vendors have to pay to make the Sky Walk as hard to traverse as the sidewalks lined with food vendors?

Who do you think????, the normal suspects of course

[Chupup]

Who will all the vendors have to pay to make the Sky Walk as hard to traverse as the sidewalks lined with food vendors?

Bib, bib, your in my way, bib, bib your in......?

jb1

We joke but there is no reason for this if they simply cleared the sidewalks of vendors but understandably they don't want to put these people out of business. Yet, if you take away the majority of their potential clients you will do this. So, they will have to move upstairs and then pedestrians will go back downstairs meaning that other vendors will come causing both places to not be for walking but shopping and selling I guess having two places that are difficult to walk is better than one.

Wow nisa, that's really clever thinking

[ledi]

Good idea! - Please proceed immediately!

[Levanter]

The short skywalk between Paragon and Central World is convenient and vendor-free (except for one little zone near the stairs).

[bedrock]

yes the pollution in BKK is really something , thats why I hate the place , smog , crap everywhere , spend less of the money and clean the joint up.........

Try educating the natives about littering , there are many better ways to spend money than some chaotic mono ..strosity and finish the dam_n Sky Train as well

[007]

Why not clear the damned footpaths of vendors - far cheaper...

...and tell the motorcyclists to use the road.

One positive would be, perhaps, that you wouldn't need to jump to the side every couple minutes, as the bikes (hopefully)

couldn't get up onto the 'skywalk'...

[scorecard]

Just wondering if the priorities are right.

Would it not be better to spend this money on a lot more lines / kilometres of either underground or skytrain systems to get large numbers of people across Bkk quickly.

But I still believe there is a major flaw in the fare structures of both the MRT and BTS. In a fully developed country where basically everyone has the means to pay full price then the policy of 'user pays' is workable.

I suggest Thailand still needs to masively subsidise these systems so that many more people can use them. Perhaps in 20 years time avaerage income will allow lower and lower subsidies and then use the 'user pays' approach.

Edited February 24, 2011 by scorecard

[bkkjames]

I am going to record to claim www.luckskywalker.co.th at the official mascot for this thing.

[PaulHamon]

I also think this is aimed mostly at tourists, because, as already stated, Thai's do not walk.

the current skywalk under the bts line is great, east to walk along and gets you places, looks like they're just extending that.

Plenty of Thai's walking on it everday, it only goes for about 2km currently, but more of this would be a great improvement.

Have you people not seen the thousands of Thais in the Lumpini park at sunrise and sunset, they WALK and EXERCISE... just not in the SUN.

[rak sa_ngop]

This could be a great money spinner for the BMA because currently the sky walks do not allow you to pass through a BTS station without buying a ticket.

[thaibestlover]

Not a good idea this kind of system.

Women will much more raped, because they dont have the possibilities like in streets.

If they want to escape they have to jump...

Not really safe for women,,,

[Thai at Heart]

Who will all the vendors have to pay to make the Sky Walk as hard to traverse as the sidewalks lined with food vendors?

Bib, bib, your in my way, bib, bib your in......?

jb1

We joke but there is no reason for this if they simply cleared the sidewalks of vendors but understandably they don't want to put these people out of business. Yet, if you take away the majority of their potential clients you will do this. So, they will have to move upstairs and then pedestrians will go back downstairs meaning that other vendors will come causing both places to not be for walking but shopping and selling I guess having two places that are difficult to walk is better than one.

Wow nisa, that's really clever thinking

Indeed, raised areas for vendors might be next on the list. Forget Venice of the East.

Bangkok, Where your feet never touch mother earth.

[bkkjames]

Perhaps the BMA is listening to the PHD folks about Bangkok being under water in seven years and are just making sure they will be able to still get their food items without getting their feet wet?

[chmiroau]

Why not clear the damned footpaths of vendors - far cheaper...

What you don't understand is that many of these foot path operators pay to have their shop on the foot path. This money gets syphoned off as either a graft or a tax to the government. All of the big suburban shopping centres have markets in the car park. All of these markets taking up the available car parking spaces pay (on average) 200b per night. So if you add all that up the shopping centre management makes a lot more money from the markets than it does from the cars being parked there.

Expect the same from these public walk ways and accept that the walkway markets will be kinda like a toll.

[Thai at Heart]

Now.. If they ever Glass it in and put in some A/C with Filters.... plus proper Escalator/Elevator access... Then they would have something!

At 300M Baht per Km, that's what everyone should be expecting.

I wonder if this money mightn't be better spent on an integrated computer controlled traffic system, as opposed to Sergent Somchai flicking a switch.

[newermonkey]

I presume they will build ramps at strategic points to allow the police motorcyclists easy access so they can continue their fine example of weaving in and out between the pedestrians on the foot paths.

PS. Why build elevated walkways where the BTS is already offering a good service to pedestrians? why not be sensible and build this in places where its needed, between areas that dont already have a transit system?

People wont walk where there is already a good transit system in place, I would only use it if they offered free use of segways.

This wouldn't be a kick back project to the contractor would it? Sounds like an awfull lot of money for something that will never be used

Edited February 24, 2011 by newermonkey

[bkkjames]

Note to self - sell ground floor retail store and lease out as many second story units along line as possible.

All joking aside - the skywalk between Central World and Paragon is the nicest walk in Bangkok. - smooth, lots of room, not many umbrella / phone toting hiso wannabe types walking like snails x 3 wide.

[Macmundi]

No use. The vendors will take over. Either that or some gangsters will allocate space for them and collect rent from them assuring them they won't get chased away. And who are these gangsters? Who else but the police and santiban.

[ARGUSEYE]

I also think this is aimed mostly at tourists, because, as already stated, Thai's do not walk.

the current skywalk under the bts line is great, east to walk along and gets you places, looks like they're just extending that.

Plenty of Thai's walking on it everday, it only goes for about 2km currently, but more of this would be a great improvement.

Have you people not seen the thousands of Thais in the Lumpini park at sunrise and sunset, they WALK and EXERCISE... just not in the SUN.

..... And have you not noticed that most of the Thais at 6 a.m. in Lumpini Park are of CHINESE origin??

[exbelg]

will be nice to walk into the pollution and the roads full of beggars or vendors

[DP25]

the current skywalk under the bts line is great, east to walk along and gets you places, looks like they're just extending that.

Plenty of Thai's walking on it everday, it only goes for about 2km currently, but more of this would be a great improvement.

Have you people not seen the thousands of Thais in the Lumpini park at sunrise and sunset, they WALK and EXERCISE... just not in the SUN.

Hard to see these things from a barstool

[Frankster]

This is a good idea ...

Here ya go.

[jfchandler]

I always wonder where these things come from.... Never heard one peep about this proposal before... Now all of a sudden it's been approved???

I have no idea if all or part of this will ever be built... But it is an interesting idea...

As for the existing Sky Walks associated with the BTS Sukhumvit Line, there are good stretches of that where there are absolutely no vendors set up anywhere... the section between Chidlom past CentralWorld until just before you get to the Siam shopping malls area... the section from Asoke BTS running across Soi Asoke to the Interchange and Exchange Towers... some others...

I don't know who's responsible for those segments... BTS or BMA or otherwise... But they are always clear.... So there's at least some hope the future project, if built, could be kept clear... though I doubt it.

PS - The comment by another poster above about the relation between the BTS stations and the Skywalks is an important one....

Right now, to traverse the Childom station on the Sky Walk there, you have to go thru the BTS station gates...which is a 15 baht toll, even if you never get on the train....or go down the stairs to the street and cross underneath to the other side.

Someone needs to tell the BMA... better not build an elevated walkway from Nana to Soi Bearing and try to charge 15 baht for every BTS station you must pass thru.

Edited February 24, 2011 by jfchandler