Widening Of Beach Rd Started At North End

[fakename]

Does anyone really think the local government can out smart nature? Im quite sure, the first big storm will make some big changes in the walk way design.

[toenail]

The "finished" area of the promenade in north Pattaya (Dusit down to soi 6) has sections that are unfinished due to (my assumption) "obstacles" that need to be taken care of, such as fixing the retaining wall before laying the colored brick. (near soi 1-Beach Rd.) I hope the project managers don't forget to finish these sections and all the details such as the electric outlets for lights that are not covered by the brick but have steel rods sticking up (accident ready to happen).

I must admit the prominade/ walkway is wider since there are less tree "islands" and concrete benches occupying space. Also there is run off when it rains instead of the curbing on the old winding walkway keeping the rain water from going anywhere. Certainly easier to walk on and one can see Pattaya Bay now that indigineous trees have all been wiped out.

Another observation... instead of worrying about crime and the coconut ghosts gathering on the promenade at night, why not have the police (bib) walk around 24-7 on the prominade that attracts tourists???? Every city I know of has walking police in the high tourist areas --London, Chicago, Rome, Singapore.... Why wouldn't the police dept. want to having a walking patrol along the promindade instead of them always gathering in groups giving out tickets to the poor motor bike drivers? Give the rookies this job. Placing spot lights, removing trees, and getting rid of seating is NOT going to get rid of crime. You need police to walk around in this kind of area. (no, the security cameras do not work)

Edited July 2, 2013 by toenail

[threelegcowboy]

These brick are from Walking Street and after 8 years of wear and tear they are a little faded but holding up well. They are made of same material and painted the same as the beach bricks. There is much more foot and vehicle traffic on Walking Street than the beach.

[champers]

The "finished" area of the promenade in north Pattaya (Dusit down to soi 6) has sections that are unfinished due to (my assumption) "obstacles" that need to be taken care of, such as fixing the retaining wall before laying the colored brick. (near soi 1-Beach Rd.) I hope the project managers don't forget to finish these sections and all the details such as the electric outlets for lights that are not covered by the brick but have steel rods sticking up (accident ready to happen).

I must admit the prominade/ walkway is wider since there are less tree "islands" and concrete benches occupying space. Also there is run off when it rains instead of the curbing on the old winding walkway keeping the rain water from going anywhere. Certainly easier to walk on and one can see Pattaya Bay now that indigineous trees have all been wiped out.

Another observation... instead of worrying about crime and the coconut ghosts gathering on the promenade at night, why not have the police (bib) walk around 24-7 on the prominade that attracts tourists???? Every city I know of has walking police in the high tourist areas --London, Chicago, Rome, Singapore.... Why wouldn't the police dept. want to having a walking patrol along the promindade instead of them always gathering in groups giving out tickets to the poor motor bike drivers? Give the rookies this job. Placing spot lights, removing trees, and getting rid of seating is NOT going to get rid of crime. You need police to walk around in this kind of area. (no, the security cameras do not work)

The police should walk along the prom? How demeaning for them. Much better for them to ride their motorbikes (without wearing a helmet, of course).

[DiNiro]

The "finished" area of the promenade in north Pattaya (Dusit down to soi 6) has sections that are unfinished due to (my assumption) "obstacles" that need to be taken care of, such as fixing the retaining wall before laying the colored brick. (near soi 1-Beach Rd.) I hope the project managers don't forget to finish these sections and all the details such as the electric outlets for lights that are not covered by the brick but have steel rods sticking up (accident ready to happen).

I must admit the prominade/ walkway is wider since there are less tree "islands" and concrete benches occupying space. Also there is run off when it rains instead of the curbing on the old winding walkway keeping the rain water from going anywhere. Certainly easier to walk on and one can see Pattaya Bay now that indigineous trees have all been wiped out.

Another observation... instead of worrying about crime and the coconut ghosts gathering on the promenade at night, why not have the police (bib) walk around 24-7 on the prominade that attracts tourists???? Every city I know of has walking police in the high tourist areas --London, Chicago, Rome, Singapore.... Why wouldn't the police dept. want to having a walking patrol along the promindade instead of them always gathering in groups giving out tickets to the poor motor bike drivers? Give the rookies this job. Placing spot lights, removing trees, and getting rid of seating is NOT going to get rid of crime. You need police to walk around in this kind of area. (no, the security cameras do not work)

The police should walk along the prom? How demeaning for them. Much better for them to ride their motorbikes (without wearing a helmet, of course).

Then who will monitor the scamming police?

[wwex]

I like that they are building, or planning to build, a jetski scam viewing platform over the steps opposite mikes, could turn into quite a tourist attraction I predict

[Awohalitsiktoli]

It will be interesting to see what happens when they hit the walkway area that is already very narrow (they are, in fact, right there now). There is hardly any room for a proper walkway and lane extension. And you cannot reclaim more of the beach area because it is already receeding. Too bad that all of those old-growth trees that provide at some shade and beauty will be destroyed by this idiotic project.

[thaibeachlovers]

These brick are from Walking Street and after 8 years of wear and tear they are a little faded but holding up well. They are made of same material and painted the same as the beach bricks. There is much more foot and vehicle traffic on Walking Street than the beach.

Did they replace the original pavers 8 years ago? Walking St was paved in the 90's ( I was there then ). I don't think they are painted- the surface is made of a coloured cement.

[threelegcowboy]

The other posts about the brick was my focus. To the best of my memory what I have stated is close to being correct.

Time line is 8 years or longer on walking street. Ok that is a long time and still getting use out of those bricks. You say longer, OK, but the bricks on beach will last longer.

You say the brick on walking street are made from colored cement. I was there also(cant remember when, could have been 1995 or 2004). I do remember packed sand, asphalt then brick. Do not remember if the brick was colored cement or just painted. I do think the paint soaks in to this type of porus concrete and only painted mostly on top suface of the concrete brick.

Edited July 2, 2013 by threelegcowboy

[Rimmer]

These brick are from Walking Street and after 8 years of wear and tear they are a little faded but holding up well. They are made of same material and painted the same as the beach bricks. There is much more foot and vehicle traffic on Walking Street than the beach.

Did they replace the original pavers 8 years ago? Walking St was paved in the 90's ( I was there then ). I don't think they are painted- the surface is made of a coloured cement.

Right! Its not paint it is a skim of coloured cement on the blocks, The colours are made from zinc oxide powder.

[brewsterbudgen]

It will be interesting to see what happens when they hit the walkway area that is already very narrow (they are, in fact, right there now). There is hardly any room for a proper walkway and lane extension. And you cannot reclaim more of the beach area because it is already receeding. Too bad that all of those old-growth trees that provide at some shade and beauty will be destroyed by this idiotic project.

Why is it "idiotic"? Surely something had to be done about the sorry state of the promenade. It's already looking better and at least it should be given the benefit of the doubt.

[DiNiro]

It will be interesting to see what happens when they hit the walkway area that is already very narrow (they are, in fact, right there now). There is hardly any room for a proper walkway and lane extension. And you cannot reclaim more of the beach area because it is already receeding. Too bad that all of those old-growth trees that provide at some shade and beauty will be destroyed by this idiotic project.

Why is it "idiotic"? Surely something had to be done about the sorry state of the promenade. It's already looking better and at least it should be given the benefit of the doubt.

The previous promenade was only 5 or 6 years old!

It was in a sorry state since there was zero maintenance and the city set up vendor tents directly on top of the flower beds.

Will it happen again?

Yes.

[Awohalitsiktoli]

It will be interesting to see what happens when they hit the walkway area that is already very narrow (they are, in fact, right there now). There is hardly any room for a proper walkway and lane extension. And you cannot reclaim more of the beach area because it is already receeding. Too bad that all of those old-growth trees that provide at some shade and beauty will be destroyed by this idiotic project.

Why is it "idiotic"? Surely something had to be done about the sorry state of the promenade. It's already looking better and at least it should be given the benefit of the doubt.

The "sorry state of the promenade" could have been made better without the widening of the road (e.g. power cleaning the old bricks and replacing others). The City has a track record of doing nothing to maintain the promenades they create. I have no reason to assume they will keep the new one in good shape. In addition, they are cutting down the old-growth trees to create the new promenade (a huge one went down today). There will be no shade and no place to sit. I have no idea how they are going to deal with the narrowing of the promenade from where they are working on it now to the Walking Street arch. They seem to have no idea what they are about to create in terms of a massive traffic jam where Beach Road and South Road intersect. The project is a giant waste of money, which is, of course, its purpose

[Asia2000]

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[toenail]

Dear City Council (yes, there is one) As I walk along completed sections of the new beach promenade, I wonder if any of you who live here ever have walked along Beach Rd--or do you just buzz down Beach Rd. in your new SUV without even giving a glance at the beach or beach walkway? Or do you only think of the amount of money one can bring in by renting more vendor space along the new Beach Rd lane or the new flat, promenade when Pattaya has another weekend event? As I walked along the new walkway today (under the scorching sun - no shade trees anymore) I didn't see one trash bin for people to throw their empty plastic or foam containers...trash just sitting on the new walkway.And of course, there were already a couple beach chair vendors that had set up "camp" along the edge of the new bricked walkway. Then I noticed how a couple fellows in wheel chairs no longer were in their usual spot, but had to move down further where the was shade for them to relax. Meanwhile I look at the beach shore (where the beach chair renters had not picked up the trash) and the shore line looked like a dump of plastic artifacts. Is this a way a responsible city council should act? Just ignore what is going on; yet, expect the tourists to return once they have made their first visit here? And like the other post mentioned, is there such a mentality of having MAINTENANCE budgeted annually to keep the city project up instead of decaying before they are completed????? (the only reason I live in Pattaya is because my job is here - and where I live...Africa...Middle East...or Asia, I consider it my HOME, so I do care about what is going on in this city.)

Edited July 3, 2013 by toenail

[petermik]

Dear City Council (yes, there is one) As I walk along completed sections of the new beach promenade, I wonder if any of you who live here ever have walked along Beach Rd--or do you just buzz down Beach Rd. in your new SUV without even giving a glance at the beach or beach walkway? Or do you only think of the amount of money one can bring in by renting more vendor space along the new Beach Rd lane or the new flat, promenade when Pattaya has another weekend event? As I walked along the new walkway today (under the scorching sun - no shade trees anymore) I didn't see one trash bin for people to throw their empty plastic or foam containers...trash just sitting on the new walkway.And of course, there were already a couple beach chair vendors that had set up "camp" along the edge of the new bricked walkway. Then I noticed how a couple fellows in wheel chairs no longer were in their usual spot, but had to move down further where the was shade for them to relax. Meanwhile I look at the beach shore (where the beach chair renters had not picked up the trash) and the shore line looked like a dump of plastic artifacts. Is this a way a responsible city council should act? Just ignore what is going on; yet, expect the tourists to return once they have made their first visit here? And like the other post mentioned, is there such a mentality of having MAINTENANCE budgeted annually to keep the city project up instead of decaying before they are completed????? (the only reason I live in Pattaya is because my job is here - and where I live...Africa...Middle East...or Asia, I consider it my HOME, so I do care about what is going on in this city.)

Its in the minutes of the next "Preston Guild Meeting" of the City Council to discuss this post and reply

p.s. The Preston Guild meets every seven years

[Awohalitsiktoli]

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thanks for those pics. Another old-growth tree chopped down. Here is a picture from 1970. It shows the area leading up to Walking Street. You can see a nice tree on the right. That tree is now huge and is situated across from McDonalds. It has been there a long time and provides valuable shade. And it, too, will be chopped down for the sake of "progress."

[morrobay]

The objective of this project is to streamline the beach for mass tourism ,tour busses , mini van, and the touring masses. The extra lane is for bus parking and drop offs as well as for parking for the masses of Thais visiting from Bangkok every weekend. If they do not install benches ( for the girls) then the conspiracy will be complete for the transformation of the beach to mass tourism.

The question I have is : What percent of city hall and the business community are in favor of this transformation ? Is it a minority or majority ? If its a minority who are in favor and benefiting then how was this transformation forced on the city ?. But if its a majority, then this is what the Thai people want and what city hall wants as well as the busines community.

Edited July 5, 2013 by morrobay

[DiNiro]

They are creating rental space.

The trees, the benches & landscaping was wasted space.

Look what the did to the beach, the footpaths and sois. Every square centimeter is valuable space to be exploited.

.....and yes, they will put up vendor tents in the new lane on weekend festivals.

[fforest1]

The objective of this project is to streamline the beach for mass tourism ,tour busses , mini van, and the touring masses. The extra lane is for bus parking and drop offs as well as for parking for the masses of Thais visiting from Bangkok every weekend. If they do not install benches ( for the girls) then the conspiracy will be complete for the transformation of the beach to mass tourism.

The question I have is : What percent of city hall and the business community are in favor of this transformation ? Is it a minority or majority ? If its a minority who are in favor and benefiting then how was this transformation forced on the city ?. But if its a majority, then this is what the Thai people want and what city hall wants as well as the busines community.

Why this has happened I am not really sure...But I do know the beach promenade was just about the only park and green space in the whole city....The beautiful trees have mostly been cut down and the seating all removed....

Its sad that the one little strip of simi nature Pattaya had has been steamrolled over....All they need now is to line the beach with permanent vendors selling gaudy crap to finish the beach off....

Edited July 5, 2013 by fforest1

[ThaiBob]

The objective of this project is to streamline the beach for mass tourism ,tour busses , mini van, and the touring masses. The extra lane is for bus parking and drop offs as well as for parking for the masses of Thais visiting from Bangkok every weekend. If they do not install benches ( for the girls) then the conspiracy will be complete for the transformation of the beach to mass tourism.

........

A conspiracy? It always amazes how opinions or bar stool conjecture is stated as facts.

[jayceenik]

The objective of this project is to streamline the beach for mass tourism ,tour busses , mini van, and the touring masses. The extra lane is for bus parking and drop offs as well as for parking for the masses of Thais visiting from Bangkok every weekend. If they do not install benches ( for the girls) then the conspiracy will be complete for the transformation of the beach to mass tourism.

+1 though "Conspiracy" is not really the qualifier I'd use here.

I'd just say that all the things you mention would be paramount in my mind if I were ruling Pattaya.

Getting rid of the Coconut Bar has been a City Hall objective for quite some time - Pattaya's image as a family destination, you know ...

[wwex]

the last path was not designed with drainage in mind. theres no way they could stop the sand being washed away where ever there are steps and the path turning into a puddle whenever it rains. it had to be replaced. but the shade trees didnt have to go and theres no way the space can be used in the daytime now except for covered stalls and as a path to the beach. as far as chairs go, the girls will just sit on mats, they already are

[toenail]

-and a year from now (when 75% is completed though the contractors will have been long gone..) we will witness the following:uglly spray painted black lines on the brick with numbers for the vendors to know where their location is (this was done with the old prominade 2) oil stains and such on the newly laid brick due to the stalls cooking and dumping their cooking oil on the walkway (when there is a festival) 3) bricks already coming loose without anyone repairing the new holes 4) daily trash still dropped around the promenade due to no trash bins (does the city know what trash bins are?) 5) crime and such continuing after midnight along the beach due to no police patrolling the area (-but the surveiance cameras, numerous spot lights , removal of trees. and no where to sit are suppose to decrease the crime--I forgot).

[CRUNCHER]

It is saddening to see so much negativity in this thread. Some, or even all, of the disasters the doom sayers predict may come to pass. But then again they may not. So lets give it a chance!

Pattaya is not the playground of the mega rich. What is being done has to be seen in that context. In addition to the huge numbers of Asian tourist, Thai tourist also come in their droves. Their needs have to be catered to. Individually they may not contribute much, but collectively they are what Pattaya keeps going on.

I have reservations about the use of the extra lane, but am prepared to wait and see.

As to the promenade - I think it is looking pretty good and a big improvement on the grotty state it was in before. I anticipate when the extra lighting goes in it will look much better at night.

When the palm trees mature there will be more shade. There will also be space for those who like to walk in the sun - something that was almost impossible before.

As to seating - for the past 2 or 3 weeks they have been installing groups of 3 concrete blocks with threaded bolts. There is no wiring so it cannot be for lights and if not seats it is difficult to imagine what they are for. If it is seating there will be plenty of it.

So lets give this project a chance before we assume the worst.

[ThaiBob]

The objective of this project is to streamline the beach for mass tourism ,tour busses , mini van, and the touring masses. The extra lane is for bus parking and drop offs as well as for parking for the masses of Thais visiting from Bangkok every weekend. If they do not install benches ( for the girls) then the conspiracy will be complete for the transformation of the beach to mass tourism.

........

A conspiracy? It always amazes how opinions or bar stool conjecture is stated as facts.

It is saddening to see so much negativity in this thread. Some, or even all, of the disasters the doom sayers predict may come to pass. But then again they may not. So lets give it a chance!

Pattaya is not the playground of the mega rich. What is being done has to be seen in that context. In addition to the huge numbers of Asian tourist, Thai tourist also come in their droves. Their needs have to be catered to. Individually they may not contribute much, but collectively they are what Pattaya keeps going on.

I have reservations about the use of the extra lane, but am prepared to wait and see.

As to the promenade - I think it is looking pretty good and a big improvement on the grotty state it was in before. I anticipate when the extra lighting goes in it will look much better at night.

When the palm trees mature there will be more shade. There will also be space for those who like to walk in the sun - something that was almost impossible before.

As to seating - for the past 2 or 3 weeks they have been installing groups of 3 concrete blocks with threaded bolts. There is no wiring so it cannot be for lights and if not seats it is difficult to imagine what they are for. If it is seating there will be plenty of it.

So lets give this project a chance before we assume the worst.

Three cheers for a logical post!

[Awohalitsiktoli]

Virtually all of the posts here have been "logical" to some degree. Some seem overly pessimistic. Others are overly optimistic. One thing I can't agree with is the idea that palm trees, mature or not, are going to provide sufficient shade. They do provide some shade, but so do very thin pencils. To create a shade space with palm trees would require that the City plant hundreds of them close together. That is not happening. The value of the old-growth shade trees should not be minimized. Yes, the new pathway will look nice. But, so what? It was not necessary. They could have cleaned the old one up and done some repair work in places. And they could have banned parking in the left lane (except for a few hours so that businesses could receive and send out goods) and removed all of the motorcycles for rent, etc. OK, I will wait and see, but I think they are creating a disaster; one that was not necessary. Maybe I am wrong.

[fakename]

I think most people here get enough sun, so it is shade trees that is needed, not sun. Palm trees dont provide any sun, but falling coconuts do give nice head aches.

If there are too many negative post about this project, maybe its because most of us have seen other projects, and know how they usually end up. Yes, we will see what the end result is, but a good guess, is it might be nice for a while, then the parking will get out of control, again, and the third lane will be of no use, except for causing more accidents.

[brewsterbudgen]

It is saddening to see so much negativity in this thread. Some, or even all, of the disasters the doom sayers predict may come to pass. But then again they may not. So lets give it a chance!

Pattaya is not the playground of the mega rich. What is being done has to be seen in that context. In addition to the huge numbers of Asian tourist, Thai tourist also come in their droves. Their needs have to be catered to. Individually they may not contribute much, but collectively they are what Pattaya keeps going on.

I have reservations about the use of the extra lane, but am prepared to wait and see.

As to the promenade - I think it is looking pretty good and a big improvement on the grotty state it was in before. I anticipate when the extra lighting goes in it will look much better at night.

When the palm trees mature there will be more shade. There will also be space for those who like to walk in the sun - something that was almost impossible before.

As to seating - for the past 2 or 3 weeks they have been installing groups of 3 concrete blocks with threaded bolts. There is no wiring so it cannot be for lights and if not seats it is difficult to imagine what they are for. If it is seating there will be plenty of it.

So lets give this project a chance before we assume the worst.

Good post. I guess negativity is just the nature of many expats and this forum would be rather dull if it wasn't!

[morrobay]

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2001-2005 The Beach's long gone days of glory

Were these photos lost in the shuffle ?