Bangkok To Spend Bt15bn To Build 'Super Skywalk'

[webfact]

BMA's Super Skywalk will make Bangkok pedestrian friendly

By Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong

The Nation

Pedestrians in the capital will be able to enjoy greater convenience and safety now that Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has promised to spend Bt15 billion on building the Super Skywalk System, a 50-kilometre clutter-free elevated walking space.

The construction is scheduled for completion in four years.

"It will help Bangkok residents move around more easily in crowded areas," Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribratra said yesterday.

Since the skywalk will be covered, pedestrians will not have to worry about sun or rain, and close-circuit television and adequate lighting will also ensure safety. As the walkway will be linked to the mass transit system, such as the BTS and the subway, Sukhumbhand hopes people would be encouraged to leave their cars at home.

He explained that the first phase of the walkway would cover 16km and construction would begin next month at a budget of Bt5.2 billion. The walkway will go down Sukhumvit Road, starting at Soi Nana and ending at Soi Bearing. This phase will also include some parts of Phya Thai, Ramkhamhaeng and Wong Wien Yai.

The second phase will be 32km long and cover Ratchadamri, Silom, Sathorn, Phetchaburi, Ramkhamhaeng, Ekamai, Thonglor, Phaholyothin, Thon Buri and the Bang Wa areas.

BMA said the Super Skywalk System would be an integrated project that addresses the needs of pedestrians on a long-term basis.

Space for pedestrians is the only issue that has not been seriously addressed to meet the growing density of buildings in the past decade. "During the past 10 years, walking areas have covered just a kilometre and half," Sukhumbhand said.

The Super Skywalk project is part Sukhumbhand's "Krungthep Gao-na" campaign.

-- The Nation 2011-02-23

[bonobo]

Great if they can do it, but as there have been BTS tracks in Thonburi for a number of years extending far beyond the two stations there and with no hint of a completion date) , I am not holding my breath.

[asiawatcher]

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

[whybother]

It saves them fixing and keeping the street vendors off the foot paths, I suppose.

[bunnaag]

50 km walkway without people selling all kinds of things in Bangkok?No cluttering?No way.

[givenall]

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

There are no such thing as sidewalk in Thailand. Sidewalks are for the vendors and of course the rent goes to the corrupt police. i am sure vendors will open their stand on these sidewalks as soon as they open

[Guest]

The elevated walkways won't have street vendors for the simple reason that the BMA will ensure that the concessionaires who rent shops on the walkway won't have competition of that kind.

[inmysights]

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

You walk up the end of Sathorn and see just how bloody boring Bangkok would be without them.

Better to fix the pavements and lock the selfish buggers who insist on parking their bloody bikes on the footpaths.

I'm looking forward to the 'skywalk'. Being a walker and all ...

[jimbeam1]

Encourage people to leave their cars at home, finished in 4yrs, Bt15bn is that before or after the powers to be have had their slice? I am sorry but Thais have no Idea how to drive a car, ride a motorbike or use a footpath. Or are they going to give special instruction on how to use the "super walkway".

jb1

[inmysights]

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

There are no such thing as sidewalk in Thailand. Sidewalks are for the vendors and of course the rent goes to the corrupt police. i am sure vendors will open their stand on these sidewalks as soon as they open

On Phuket, the small space outside any shop is rented on by the shop owner, nothing to do with the police. I wouldn't've thought Bangkok any different?

[inmysights]

Encourage people to leave their cars at home, finished in 4yrs, Bt15bn is that before or after the powers to be have had their slice? I am sorry but Thais have no Idea how to drive a car, ride a motorbike or use a footpath. Or are they going to give special instruction on how to use the "super walkway".

jb1

I too thought about the majority of Thais reluctant to walk ANYWHERE. So how about installing those moving walkways a la Suwanabhum?

[NoBrainer]

That's 300 Million Baht per Kilometer. Sounds like it will be very well Padded. Maybe the railings will be Gold Plated?

[UberBraun]

 Not a word on WHERE these Super SkyWalks are to be built.

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

At least elevated, they should be free of motorcycles, but the vendors?  Hmmm, keeping 50 km clear, I kinna doubt it, at least not without some serious policing.  Oh dear, guess it won't happen.

[dumpling]

This will add nicely to the 'bladerunner' feel of the city ,,, a good idea.

[DP25]

 Not a word on WHERE these Super SkyWalks are to be built.

Here ya go.

[Berek]

So how about installing those moving walkways a la Suwanabhum?

BWAAWK BWAAWK BWAAWK. End of the runway. BWAAWK BWAAWK BWAAWK. End of the runway.

[gregb]

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

Current corruption rate for government contracts is 30%. That means the yokles in the BMA stand to make a cool 4.5 billion from this idea.

Exactly how much would they make clearing the vendors from the footpaths? Not only would that get them zero, it would result in protests by a bunch of pissed off vendors.

Seems to me the choice is obvious.

I just wonder how long it will be before this new "Super Skywalk" is crowded with illegal vendors, and the government decides it needs to build "Super Skywalk 2" to correct the problem. Anyone who has ever tried to walk from the Anut Sawaree skytrain station to catch a bus after about 9 pm knows exactly what this skywalk will look like in practice.

[Nisa]

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

[jimbeam1]

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

[Nisa]

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.

[grantbkk]

This is the most obvious idea by the government to steal money since the 30 billion Baht Bangkok Eye. This will never happen. New government, new ideas.

[yesdavy]

Isn't it amazing how people think having surveillance cameras stops crimes? Same goes for alarms. Uh, here's a news flash...these security blankets do not "assure safety" or prevent crime, they only alert somebody when it has happened, assuming somebody is a) paying attention, and cares. Then what? Depends on where you are, doesn't it.

This is hardly a new or innovative concept. Years ago, Cincinnati invested heavily on the same misconception and later demolished it due to lost revenues by retailers since pedestrians found it difficult to access ground level storefronts. This brilliant idea devalued real estate. The only one to benefit from this is the cousin that gets the construction contract.

[Misterwhisper]

And yet another hub for Bangkok: Super Skywalk Hub of the World

[CosmicSurfer]

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

[corkman]

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

[hyperdimension]

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.

[appropriate]

Sukhumbhand was confident that the Super Skywalk System would be able to encourage many people to leave their cars at home.

And what, leave their 3 million baht volvo outside their 2,000b p/m wooden shack? Sure how are they going to get face that way???

[appropriate]

Anyway, will this be done before or after the BTS and MRT are finished?

[WarpSpeed]

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

Yeah have golf carts to chauffeur you around too while your at it .. I think the walks above Sukumvit are fine just the way they are, a bit melodramatic that description of yours....

[Thai at Heart]

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.