Victory Monument getting facelift

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok Governor Sukhum-bhand Paribatra yesterday presided over the launch of a project that aims to bring order to the chaos around Victory Monument.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's plans for the busy public-transport hub include the installation of 28 security cameras, 33 vertical gardens, more lights, more law-enforcement booths and a multi-purpose space. The 30 existing restrooms will be demolished and replaced with 40 new facilities.

All work will be completed by February 14, 2013, the governor said.

-- The Nation 2012-11-08

Ummmm, if there was chaos there, and there is not, none of his proposals would mitigate what he perceives as chaos. More cameras does not do anything, rebuilding the restrooms does not do anything. Building more police booths does not do anything, and might even make problems by slowing traffic down, as more lights would do. There is really no place to put more lights.

How does the building of verticle gardens bring order to chaos? That is a new one. If he truly wanted to do something substantial there, he would widen the sidewalks so the street vendors had more room to expand operations.

Ummmm, if there was chaos there, and there is not, none of his proposals would mitigate what he perceives as chaos. More cameras does not do anything, rebuilding the restrooms does not do anything. Building more police booths does not do anything, and might even make problems by slowing traffic down, as more lights would do. There is really no place to put more lights.

How does the building of verticle gardens bring order to chaos? That is a new one. If he truly wanted to do something substantial there, he would widen the sidewalks so the street vendors had more room to expand operations.

If you think that there is no chaos there, you have obviously never lived near or driven around Victory Monument.

The whole area is built on chaos.

Bus drivers, taxi drivers, motorcy taxis and car drivers all go nuts on this roundabout, without a thought for anyone else on the road.

As far as I am concerned, this is the worst area for driving through in Thailand, and yes, I have lived and driven around Victory.

Edited November 8, 201213 yr by tonytigerbkk

Ummmm, if there was chaos there, and there is not, none of his proposals would mitigate what he perceives as chaos. More cameras does not do anything, rebuilding the restrooms does not do anything. Building more police booths does not do anything, and might even make problems by slowing traffic down, as more lights would do. There is really no place to put more lights.

How does the building of verticle gardens bring order to chaos? That is a new one. If he truly wanted to do something substantial there, he would widen the sidewalks so the street vendors had more room to expand operations.

Plenty of chaos around VM. Drive through there and you take your life in your hands. I do it daily when I'm in Bangkok.

I think both points raises above are correct...

The area around VM is filled with a kind of traffic chaos, with all the different kinds of vehicles arriving and merging there.

It seems equally true to me that most of the improvement items listed by the governor in the OP article will do little or nothing to bring more order or organization to the circle.

It is chaotic, dirty and tired looking so good luck mayor!

This Nazi inspired monument celebrates the "victory" over the Vichy French in 1941, when Thailand won back the provinces lost to the French during the reign of King Chulalongkorn. In 1946, being on the loosing side in WWII, Thailand were compelled to hand these provinces back to the French who threatened to veto Thailand's entry to the U.N.

Therefore the short lived "victory" which endure for only 4 years under the Japanese evaporated some 66 years ago.

It would make more sense to remove the monument and build an underground car park in its place.

Maybe he can use that futsal floor that didn't arrive in time for the tournament....

Victory Monument getting facelift

Surely, an actual "victory" would help as well.

Best improvement would be to employ staff who know where a particular bus goes from and what it's route is, timetables will probably have to wait another 20 years.

Why isn't Victory Monument floodlit at night, or would doing so create a traffic hazard?

The improvements do not involve traffic, only the vending areas directly around the monument. Currently all the vending booths, and other structures are being leveled at Victory Point, with all other vending areas around the monument being baracaded off, with demolition to start next week.

The mayor's interpretation of chaos only involved the sellers directly around the monument, and not traffic. The vendors I talked with today expect rents to go up, but have not been told yet, and not all vendors are going to be invited back after the remodel is completed. There were some good sales as vendors were unloading their stock.

I'm waiting to see the "vertical gardens"...

But I'd really prefer some informational signage that told me what buses are stopping where, and where they're headed to.

I prefer those vertical gardens well manicured.