For those working here on expat status who want to see the streets squeaky clean ... Chill ... you will be back home in a couple of years or less and when you want some fresh pineapple you can hop in your car and drive to the super market. It will be somewhat more expensive though. AND... Back home the company won't be paying for your housing and bills and no more cost of living expense over and above your salary so you may be complaining about the price as compared to Thailand.

Food vendors provide a service ... cheap breakfast, lunch and dinner to the thousands of Thai office workers who are making less than 20,000 per month.

Rubbish needs proper management with proper bins and better collection service. This can be done rather easily if the BANGKOK CITY GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT has the WILL to do it.

So what ? This is a Thai initiative not farang. We have no influence, this comes from the Thais themselves.

They see that there is a problem (yes blocking streets is a problem) and fix it. Problem is Thais are too much all or nothing, 2 rows of sunbeds on a beach is ok.. but they blocked it all. Same goes with the streets, some street vendors are ok but once you start blocking whole streets its too much and people step in.

Sounds like the usual all-or-nothing approach which will ultimately fail because it's not workable. I'd love to see Silom as a walking street (ie no motorized traffic) from Rama 4 to Narathiwatratchanakarindaraohmygodimsohappymystreetaddressisshort but how's that supposed to work?

Two lines of street stalls around Saladaeng have been too much, but the few food stalls had some great snacks after 7pm. Hope they can stay at their regular corners.

Some pavements or marketfloors have a yellow line which separates the stands from the walkways. Also that doesn't work, then the vendors put a chair on the walkway and sit there all day to block traffic.

Also i agree that those huge oilpans right next to pedestrians is asking for accidents to happen. Quality tourists with some overweight have a hard time passing them safely (no not me).

The basement floor of CP-tower is almost empty now, why don't they go there with their marketstands?

Yet another clean up attempt, that we all know will only stick for a short time - until everything is back to normal.

This morning was great. For the first time in years I walked from Sala Daeng BTS to the office using the footpath instead of the road. Makes a welcome change. The tesakit police were out in force too. Where are they (tesakit) going to get the butter for their bread now?

When are they going to get rid of ALL the vendors on Sukhumvit Road 24 hours a day?

they are distinctly quiet on that. Must be some big Baht involved.

Why not move the vendors to Lumpini Park, now that the Govt protesters have left it, should be lots if vacant space there, won't interfere with people trying to go places, the shoppers would go there with the intention of shopping.

Why not move the vendors to Lumpini Park, now that the Govt protesters have left it, should be lots if vacant space there, won't interfere with people trying to go places, the shoppers would go there with the intention of shopping.

and turn the park into a massive market and rubbish tip?

so, you need to fork out a lot of money and spend a lot of time eating at the fancy restaurants there now!

Street vendors are the soul of Thailand. better close Silom altogether than street vendors!

'After the footpaths are cleared of vendors and stalls, Silom will be turned into a walking street ...' following which, no doubt, the vendors will reconvene.

regulate it, rent out proper spaces and make them meet standards.

so, you need to fork out a lot of money and spend a lot of time eating at the fancy restaurants there now!

Street vendors are the soul of Thailand. better close Silom altogether than street vendors!

soul or "sole" ? We need to climb over them to get past on many streets.

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by kingalfred

the street vendors still need to make a living, where will they go now to earn a crust, cant exactly sighn on unemployment benifit can they

They should go somewhere else and attempt or at the very least strive for success and legally obtained profits.

the street vendors still need to make a living, where will they go now to earn a crust, cant exactly sighn on unemployment benifit can they

They've bloody well moved into Saladaeng. Now that soi is a mess and even more cramped than when they were selling on the footpath on Silom. Did the authorities really think this through?

the street vendors still need to make a living, where will they go now to earn a crust, cant exactly sighn on unemployment benifit can they

They've bloody well moved into Saladaeng. Now that soi is a mess and even more cramped than when they were selling on the footpath on Silom. Did the authorities really think this through?

Crazy.. on the other hand you can't expect them to dissapear.. i mean they need to make some money. They should have moved them to an other place with more room. They want a crowded place.. but by definition they should not be in a crowded place as it blocks it all.

Walked down Silom last night and was actually able to walk on the pavement rather than on the road, which you just cannot normally do even on a Monday.

Glad to see something done about the street markets and hopefully some common sense will prevail where a happy balance is struck.

Yes, food stalls in BKK are great and add to the charm of the place, nobody wants to see the place turn into Singapore, but that doesn't mean they should be crowbarred into every available pavement space.

Put the stalls in appropriate places and regulate. Simple. Narrow areas of the pavement have no stalls, wider aeas have a certain, sensible number marked out which can be rented to vendors.

What about that cesspit they call Patpong?