Cables to head underground thanks to 'tidy up Phuket' project

[webfact]

Cables to head underground thanks to 'tidy up Phuket' project
Suthicha Sirirat


Ugly tangles of power and telephone cables are a common sight all over Thailand.

PHUKET: -- The ongoing plan to tidy up Phuket’s electricity and telephone cables and the island’s streets has been kicked into action again, following a meeting on Tuesday (April 8).

Phuket’s Vice-Governor Jamroen Thippayapongtada gave a general overview of the plan, but has not listed specific areas where the work will take place.

The plan is to tidy up the wires, stop illegal signs and organise booths operating on the side of the road, to improve the look of the island.

Officials also want to introduce more coin-operated self service petrol pumps around the island.

“We have already improved the landscape on many of the main routes where we organised the electricity and telephone wires, but we still get complaints from people,” V/Gov Jamroen said.

“We do not want visitors to think negatively of Phuket, so we need to decide a way to put this in action to get a solid result.”

The landscape improvement plan will include main arterial route 402, which runs from Rawai, north over the main bridge over to Phang Nga, plus many side roads and sois.

“We also need to set up regulations to stop illegal advertising signs, and booths selling goods on the side of the road without permission. There are already departments which take care of this, but the rules need to be seriously enforced.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/cables-to-head-underground-thanks-to-%E2%80%98tidy-up-phuket%E2%80%99-project-45654.php


-- Phuket News 2014-04-11

[LivinginKata]

Wow - that is a bold plan ...

The plan is to tidy up the wires, stop illegal signs and organise booths operating on the side of the road, to improve the look of the island.

Best of luck with that. I would just be content with having the side walks clear of vendor's signs, extensions, whatever blocking the pavements. Think about it, how far can you walk on a pavement anywhere in Thailand, before you have to divert onto the road.

Officials also want to introduce more coin-operated self service petrol pumps around the island.

Maybe those officials should get out of their a/c offices and look. I see those coin petrol pumps just about every where.

We do not want visitors to think negatively of Phuket, so we need to decide a way to put this in action to get a solid result

Really really How about cleaning up the Tuk Tuk and jet ski scams, that would be a very good start.

[huahinjoe]

Great initiative, I noticed they making new roads, clearing up the lands, dredging canals, fixing the cables, lots of things happening around Kathu in the past few months...

About this spagetti cables all around Thailand I always wonder, it shouldn't be easier just to do it properly at the first time?

[icare999]

so it will be tangled mess but underground better to just tidy it above ground and us money for more important issues. Underground cabling is very very expensive compared with above ground

[seabass69]

A plan following a meeting...next please.

[steelepulse]

Did I miss where this budget is going to come from? Pie in the sky wishing, but until Phuket gets a percentage of all tax revenue sent to BKK, this will never happen, although I would think a feasibility study would be in the works to appease the local politicians $$.

[phuketrichard]

they stated the same thing after the Tsunami in 2004 that all cables in Patong along beach road would be placed underground.

you can see the results

[Shot]

“We also need to set up regulations to stop illegal advertising signs, and booths selling goods on the side of the road without permission. There are already departments which take care of this, but the rules need to be seriously enforced.”

That would take care of every problem.

[DaveHKT]

Mr. Vice Governer,

A good start would be restricting the amount of posters/banners placed at the side of roads advertising condos and electoral candidates. Not only are there for too many they also block the line of sight of motorists trying to join main roads from side streets.

[jobsworth]

i find all the poles festooned with cables very attractive.

maybe i am a minority of one.

they provide an excellent habitat for some of the wildlife which has been displaced by our inteference.

edible creepers use the cables for support and monkeys and squirrels use the cables as a highway.

there is a sort of beautiful anarchy about the sight.

[bander]

Keep on dreaming, if they can't sort out the cables in the air, how can they possible do it underground?

[AhFarangJa]

Keep on dreaming, if they can't sort out the cables in the air, how can they possible do it underground?

That's an easy one, the local government always has it's head in the sand.

[bander]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Great initiative, I noticed they making new roads, clearing up the lands, dredging canals, fixing the cables, lots of things happening around Kathu in the past few months...

About this spagetti cables all around Thailand I always wonder, it shouldn't be easier just to do it properly at the first time? alt=w00t.gif width=18 height=20>

Thais do anything properly, thats not happening in this century

[bander]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Wow - that is a bold plan ...

The plan is to tidy up the wires, stop illegal signs and organise booths operating on the side of the road, to improve the look of the island.

Best of luck with that. I would just be content with having the side walks clear of vendor's signs, extensions, whatever blocking the pavements. Think about it, how far can you walk on a pavement anywhere in Thailand, before you have to divert onto the road.

Officials also want to introduce more coin-operated self service petrol pumps around the island.

Maybe those officials should get out of their a/c offices and look. I see those coin petrol pumps just about every where.

We do not want visitors to think negatively of Phuket, so we need to decide a way to put this in action to get a solid result

Really really How about cleaning up the Tuk Tuk and jet ski scams, that would be a very good start.

Keep on dreaming

[razer]

Will this kill the "third world experience" for the 5-star tourists?

[tonypace02]

One 10 cm. fiber optics cable could easily replace more than 200 times as many cables as shown in the photo and require a conduit about the same size as a household water pipe. It is time one community take the leadership and bring the country technologically into the 21s century besides cell and computer technology. It is surprising that Phuket, of all places, might take on that roll.

[Ulic]

It will take decades to complete this project but as they say a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

Good on them for taking the first step. It will be a continuous project.

[attrayant]

Undergrounding, as it's often called in the utility world, it much more expensive than aerial transmission - anywhere from 3-6 times more expensive. I used to work for Verizon back in the States and we only undergrounded cables when forced to do so by local ordinance. It's also more difficult to repair when things go wrong. Especially in wet areas, manholes have to be pumped out before any sort of repair work can begin. It also requires a significant upgrade in telecom infrastructure, such as pressurized trunks (which can keep water from seeping into cable if sheaths get damaged).

Keep on dreaming, if they can't sort out the cables in the air, how can they possible do it underground?

They won't just pick up all that spaghetti and move it underground. They'll keep the existing aerial spider webs in operation until underground high-capacity trunks are run to the distribution points. Just one hicap trunk can replace hundreds of copper pairs. If they really want to leap into the 20th century tech, they'll run fiber rings. It really is much neater, but it's also much higher tech and, like I said before, where does the money come to upgrade all the facilities? Telecoms often have deep pockets and lots of reserve cash, but I don't see them spending all that money without a clear return.

[tiffanystoyz]

I did underground cabling in the states Costs are high are they going to start charging more for bribes? You have to have concrete junction boxes PVC pipe Trenching equipment Not to mention pumps to keep water out. Then Fiber optics splicing is not easy take years of practice to do correctly It takes about two weeks to do 500 feet of lines correctly But if you work 24 hour shifts can 7 days a week Might have it done in 50 odd years. And 500 billion baht later Not counting inflation.Then 600 trillion baht

[ChaiLor]

I don't why there are so many people that want to change this about Thailand or change that, I like Thailand for what it is, the cables add character, it seems some people are determined to sanitize Thailand to the point it becomes Singapore or the West, I like Singapore and the West but if I want Singapore or the West then I'll go to Singapore or the west, keep Thailand as it is!

[tiffanystoyz]

Better idea and cheaper replace all above ground poles and cables with new updated junction boxes configure lines with power top row cable tv and internet middle phone lower lines Concrete poles can be installed along old till ready to do switch. then just pull out old and recycle save on cost.

[ggt]

The plan is to tidy up the wires, stop illegal signs and organise booths operating on the side of the road, to improve the look of the island.

It would be one of the most aesthetically pleasing ventures ever...if the cleanup of overhead "spider-web" looking wiring were to be tidied up all over Thailand...This is real progress...I am so happy to see someone do something about these eyesores...