Bangkok's Silom Road to turn walking street on Dec 21 for shopping

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Silom road to turn walking street on Dec 21 for shopping



BANGKOK: -- Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will close Silom road on December 21 and turn it into a long walking street for vendors to sell and tourists to shop.

The closure of the broad in this important financial district was agreed upon at the meeting of the BMA and the Metropolitan Police Bureau yesterday.

Mr Wallop Suwandee, chief advisor to the Bangkok governor Sukhumband Paribatra, said the section from
Dusit Thani hotel to the Narathiwat Ratchanakharin intersection will be closed to traffic from 12 pm to midnight on December 21.

The section closed to traffic is about 800 metres.

He said the closure of the road was intended to allow the over 1,000 street vendors who were evicted from major and busy sidewalks of the capital during the campaign to “Return sidewalks to the People” to have rooms to trade to ease their troubles.

However he said that there are also other activities on the road to promote Thai culture in addition to trade.

Students from various institutions will exhibit their works, perform cultural shows, and sales of quality products from selected communities, as well as products of Bangkok brands.

Well known restaurants and food shops will be present to serve visitors and tourists.

Mr Wallop added that the BMA has already met and explained to Silom residents and business operators about the closure of the road.

However access to Bangkok Hospital will be open to facilitate the people, he added.

(Photo : Thai PBS File)

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/silom-road-turn-walking-street-dec-21-shopping


-- Thai PBS 2014-12-04

[DonaldBattles]

BMA stopping a major street and traffic for street peddlers is a serious mistake and will create big problems for the businesses in the central distract. I lived on silom for 30 years and am glad I am not there now. If they close the street how will access to the hospital be possile?