'Beautiful lanes' - bid to make Bangkok beautiful and serve as tourist attractions

[webfact]

'Beautiful lanes'
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is working to encourage each of its 50 districts to have a street designated a "beautiful lane", BMA adviser Wichai Sangprapai said yesterday.

He also warned any city law-enforcement district head who failed to comply with the plan could face transfer to an inactive post.

Wichai said he would propose the idea to Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra in a bid to make Bangkok beautiful and serve as tourist attractions. If the "one beautiful lane, one district" plan succeeded, he would seek to expand it further.

He cited as an example, Phra Nakhon district's Rajadamnoen Avenue from the Royal Plaza to the Sanam Luang, which should have no street hawkers. Also, Bang Sue district should beautify the Prachacheun Road along the waterworks canal. He said areas near these "beautifiul lanes" would be allowed to retain their street stalls.

Meanwhile, Sukhumbhand on Monday attended a "Thai Village" event in Washington hosted by the Thai Embassy and the Thai community. At the event he revealed that the BMA would launch a website for tourists. It will also gather comments from visitors in order to improve the city.

On July 18, Sukhumbhand and his team collected an award from Travel+Leisure magazine after Bangkok was voted the world's best city for the fourth year running.


-- The Nation 2013-07-25

[ChrisY1]

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is working to encourage each of its 50 districts to have a street designated a "beautiful lane", BMA adviser Wichai Sangprapai said yesterday.

He also warned any city law-enforcement district head who failed to comply with the plan could face transfer to an inactive post.

You just gotta love the management style here.....first we try to "encourage".....if that doesn't work...we transfer you out! ))

[kirk0233]

It Is likely the district will identify a street that is better than the rest and call it "beautiful". No end to improve anything.

[gchurch259]

A good place to start, Get all the vendors off Sukumvit and put them in the many vacant lots with rented stalls !!

Continue the walkway under the BTS from Soi 28 to Siam Station so people can walk without the sidewalk being full of vendors and hawkers.

[bob4you]

If you take out the vendors then it becomes a motor bike and motor taxi lane, even more dangerous for the public unless barriers are put up you can walk through but not drive through.

[FM505]

A good place to start, Get all the vendors off Sukumvit and put them in the many vacant lots with rented stalls !!

Continue the walkway under the BTS from Soi 28 to Siam Station so people can walk without the sidewalk being full of vendors and hawkers.

Yes, good start.

I also like the idea of modernizing klong routes for a safe and civilized commute with BTS style stations as well as a parallel economic stimulus with shops / restaurants along a walk way.... Potential for further street traffic reduction.

[Cuban]

Are the tangled mass of telephone and power cables considered art then?

The beautification ideas will be adding more street clutter in the form of flowers and signs saying how beautiful it is rather than removing old posts and their fixing studs (trip hazards) and the invasion of vendors that clog the sidewalks.

Choose the places to get a make over based on numbers of pedestrians not some random area scheme which probably has as it's underlying motive the distribution of city funds to flower/plant nurseries in the form of on-going contracts and their kick-backs.

Cheaper to send a man out with an angle-grinder and repair team - but there is no profit in that.

[newermonkey]

Nowhere will become "Beautiful" in Thailand until they bury all the "UGLY" overhead wires and poles. Until then most of Thailand will remain "UGLY"

[Bagwan]

Nowhere will become "Beautiful" in Thailand until they bury all the "UGLY" overhead wires and poles. Until then most of Thailand will remain "UGLY"

I'd like most of the advertising hoardings taken away. There's been a few incidents of them blowing down in high winds.

[moradave]

Pattaya is in the process of widening and beautifying Beach Road. It looks great. No vendors on the beach side, and I never have seen motorcycles on the beach side walkways. They are also burying all of the overhead wires and cables. Way to go, Pattaya.

Edited July 25, 2013 by moradave

[Centrum]

A good place to start, Get all the vendors off Sukumvit and put them in the many vacant lots with rented stalls !!

Continue the walkway under the BTS from Soi 28 to Siam Station so people can walk without the sidewalk being full of vendors and hawkers.

It's not Sukhumvit, but according to my translator, there are moves to remove all sidewalk vendors from Rajaprarop Road near the Indra Hotel/ shopping complex.

There are large signs opposite the shopping centre protesting a decision to remove all sidewalk vendors and relocate them in the new Pratunam market.