Fatality Spurs Bangkok Administration To Check Billboards

[Ron19]

torn down will required money who will pay the cost. the thai people will do and the owner of the structure when away and getting richer and happy planning to built another big not last long sign board and make fortune whereby later the people will pay the torn down cost what a good short term business. why not to sue them for neglect to maintain the structures they built

torn down will required money who will pay the cost. the thai people will do and the owner of the structure when away and getting richer and happy planning to built another big not last long sign board and make fortune whereby later the people will pay the torn down cost what a good short term business. why not to sue them for neglect to maintain the structures they built

I wish them luck when or if they try to sue. Edited August 14, 2012 by Ron19

[chiangmaicharlies]

Poor woman, the winds have been very strong the past few days but surely these things should be built to counter the winds.

Being pedantic, can one suffer a broken head?

OH YES

[paulswebb]

The first time I came to Thailand and saw these massive structures I thought then they were a disaster waiting to happen..They are just not designed to handle big wind loads, unfortunately I have been proved right

[theajarn]

Bangkok's idea of beautifying it's city to tourists as you come in from the airport - being hit with visual pollution like no other city in the world, and you can bet most are illegal in either location, structure or town planning (and that's a joke!).

Bangkok is nothing compared to Manila when it comes to billboards. It just doesn't compare. If you want to see neon worse than Las Vegas... go check it out.

RIP to the poor lady. I just hope her death isn't in vain... but this is Thailand, where money rules. I'm not even so sure I'm eating real chicken eggs anymore...

Edited August 14, 2012 by theajarn

[fred110]

Translation: There will be more than 900 bribes.

[indyuk]

The erection of advertising boards, and management of rental income for their adverts is a very competitive business in Thailand. Consequently it leads to extensive corruption and even turf wars. The advertising boards erected to the outside of commercial buildings that have multiple business resident cause horrendous rows when one occupant removes a board that has been erected in a way he feels screens his advert from view. The are often erected by DIY idiots. In Pattaya many hoardings can be observed that might be blown off the building during the next storm, and often are. It's a F**king nightmare.

Edited August 14, 2012 by indyuk

[airconsult]

Personally I'm sick to death of the obscenely bright led billboards shining next to the motorway.

Many times I have threatened to my wife while I am driving that I will perform some "creative" rewiring in the interests of the public good.

But complaining to the BMA == attacking an asylum with a banana

[bkk_mike]

What a shame we have to have to wait until there is a fatality before taking action on these monsters.

Isn't that S.O.P. in Thailand? Wait until something happens, then react? Cheaper too.

Almost correct. Wait until something happens, issue notice of a "crackdown", and then file it away until next time.

I couldn't have said it better, or this unsafe billboard would have been knocked down after the last time this happened...

[raybal5]

Being pedantic, can one suffer a broken head?

Being pedantic, can one suffer a broken head?

You can break an arm and break a leg so why can a head not be broken? It is acceptable to not specify which bone(s) in the leg or arm are broken so why do we need to specify skull or jaw?

[edgarfriendly]

What a shame we have to have to wait until there is a fatality before taking action on these monsters.

Isn't that S.O.P. in Thailand? Wait until something happens, then react? Cheaper too.

Nope!

Standard here is wait for something to happen, then CLAIM to be preparing to react, then return to normal life.(stealing & lying for short term gains)

[Udox]

Lets also consider the 2 metre high boards splattered on almost every tree on Sukhumvit advertising condos.

Firstly the owners tied them to any available tree and light post, sometimes actually overlapping into the road, and could easily take out a motorcyclist.

Then they were obviously told to stop tying them to trees etc. Some listened some didn't.

Those that listened then began employing staff to stand all day holding the sign next to the tree by the road (so they claimed it wasn't tied to a tree anymore)

Now they have changed tactics again and employ stooges to stand by the side of the road waving huge flags advertising the name of the condo.

Just what you need when trying to concentrate on the Bangkok traffic - some goon, waving a flag INTO the field of vision of motorists.

They would be far better employed waving their flags at the start of roadworks on motorways and major roads (where there are little warnings of roadworks)

I wonder what the candidate needs to put on his resume to apply for a job to stand by the road in white shirt black trousers and wave a flag with the name of a condo on it?

[Keesters]

safety..something Thailand NEVER does anything about until there is a tragedy...

[bendejo]

"If any of them are illegal, they will be demolished," the governor said.

The other option would be to pay for a special permit

[Commander Tamson]

Also wonder how many road accidents and pedestrian poked eyes from the obstructing election billboards/posters along every road and footpath. German guy I know in Phi Mai got a THB20,000 fine for having a company brand name icecream banner in front of his shop 35 x100cm. So there must be some billboard control somewhere but not consistently applied.

How niave! The operative word there is "German" - i.e, farang; i.e. extortion!!

[Jimjim]

This has happened before I think more than once before this. Over a year ago there was a similar story with similar pronouncements from the authorities. Deja vu....

Won't be surprised to see this story repeat itself later on...

[LBD1]

Bangkok's idea of beautifying it's city to tourists as you come in from the airport - being hit with visual pollution like no other city in the world, and you can bet most are illegal in either location, structure or town planning (and that's a joke!).

Have you driven into Manila from the airport?

No,is it same same ?

Try every highway from every airport in China and India. Are they legal - probably not, are they safe - probably not.

[Pawpcorn]

In as this happened in my soi, I was able to examine the fallen section of the billboard at close hand... And what I saw was extensive rust corrosion on the thin-guage angle iron, indicating that zinc-plated heavy-guage angle iron or steeel supports had NOT been used for construction.

Interestingly, all exposed metal had been painted a nice baby blue, but the hidden flat surfaces that were joined to mating surfaces were extensively corroded.

Clearly this type of design (thin guage) and materials used (non-zinc plate) was unsuitable for this application; really, a genuine safety hazard from day one.

Oddly missing from the news accounts is the fact that the billboard hit a number of power lines as it fell, knocking out power for blocks... And NARROWLY missed hitting a big power transformer, by only a few inches!

THAT would have been a rather spectacular disaster, likely causing the transformer to explode, bursting toxic cancer-causing "oil" everywhere, likely resulting in

fire, burning down the fresh-food market 5 meters away from the fallen billboard.

An open-air meat market is located 6 meters from where this sign collapsed, meraculously only killing one woman, considering this is a VERY busy heavily-

traffic area!

Incidently, I took about 25 photos of the fallen sign, showing the corrosion and ruined shops, if anyone's interested... I could post them here...

[David006]

...and the preponderance of "vision blocking" billboards/signage adjacent to intersections?...some are put up by all levels of government/administration, police etc... and those bloody blinding rural "party" flourescents...sigh..

[Ron19]

In as this happened in my soi, I was able to examine the fallen section of the billboard at close hand... And what I saw was extensive rust corrosion on the thin-guage angle iron, indicating that zinc-plated heavy-guage angle iron or steeel supports had NOT been used for construction.

Interestingly, all exposed metal had been painted a nice baby blue, but the hidden flat surfaces that were joined to mating surfaces were extensively corroded.

Clearly this type of design (thin guage) and materials used (non-zinc plate) was unsuitable for this application; really, a genuine safety hazard from day one.

Oddly missing from the news accounts is the fact that the billboard hit a number of power lines as it fell, knocking out power for blocks... And NARROWLY missed hitting a big power transformer, by only a few inches!

THAT would have been a rather spectacular disaster, likely causing the transformer to explode, bursting toxic cancer-causing "oil" everywhere, likely resulting in

fire, burning down the fresh-food market 5 meters away from the fallen billboard.

An open-air meat market is located 6 meters from where this sign collapsed, meraculously only killing one woman, considering this is a VERY busy heavily-

traffic area!

Incidently, I took about 25 photos of the fallen sign, showing the corrosion and ruined shops, if anyone's interested... I could post them here...

Well done.I hope the authorities take a good look at that.

[AiteCM]

sorry to hear about that both for the person hurt and the anti business sentiment it will spur..