Gold Star Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 The deadly square sidewalk holes every 10 feet along the Jomtien Beach sidewalk have been an annoyance and serious hazard to anyone trying to walk along the beach promenade for quite some time now. They are closely spaced, and some are littered with sharp debris and over 2 feet deep. It requires your full attention to walk safely around these traps without falling into one and suffering a serious injury. Glance over at the beautiful view of the sea and waves on the sandy beach, and break your leg. I cannot understand how this fantastic beach sidewalk, the main attraction of the city, has been allowed to be in such a state of disrepair and danger for so long. One of my personal pet peeves. I was all smiles this morning for a change. Today, positioned on the north end of the Jomtien Beach sidewalk promenade, there has been a flurry of new activity. I saw construction barricades erected preventing beach access parking beside the sidewalk, and a few large palm trees delivered and sitting next to some of the holes, ready for planting. Crane trucks have delivered pallets of sidewalk pavers and spaced them out to the south, all the way past Soi 8. Logically, to minimize disruption to tourism and businesses, you would think that the right plan would be to close a small section of the beach sidewalk area and finish it, before moving onto another section like the wave of fans in a US football stadium. Given the size of the beach parking area that is cordoned off now, there must be a massive army of hundreds of foreign workers on their way that are going to attack it tomorrow like ants on sugar. I'm very happy to see an effort made to finish the job, but I am afraid that this repair is going to drag on. The beach umbrella businesses and associated food vendors are already hurting badly now during this low season and from the continued state of promenade disrepair and neglect. Do they really need to go through more unnecessary hardship as they wait for the area to open, parking access to be restored, customers to return, and business to get back to normal. Lets see how all this unfolds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittenKong Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I suspect that they have closed off that long area to be sure that no one parks there for the duration. Cars would be in the way of whatever crane/digger vehicle they will use to plant the palm trees or move the pallets of paving tiles around. I admit that I am curious as to where exactly the paving tiles will go. Perhaps not all the holes will get a palm tree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnybay Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Good news, be nice if they put bench seating around each tree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzz Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I suspect that they have closed off that long area to be sure that no one parks there for the duration. Cars would be in the way of whatever crane/digger vehicle they will use to plant the palm trees or move the pallets of paving tiles around. I admit that I am curious as to where exactly the paving tiles will go. Perhaps not all the holes will get a palm tree? The tiles will be placed around the tree as they did in Pattaya. No? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Star Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 This morning, Friday July 1 16, brought me another smile. Many workers arrived along with truckloads of sand, soil, an excavator for lifting and placing the palms, a bobcat, and even more tall palm trees were delivered to the site as well. They are working between the north corner all the way south to Soi 4. Debris was being dug out of the holes by hand, in preparation for setting the palms in. Still too early to say whether each square hole will get a palm, be filled flat with the sidewalk paver blocks, or they get placed around the base of the palms once planted. Either way, it is great to see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Star Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 Here's some of the work being done this morning: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johng Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Would have been better if they had left the old trees that where there originally and built the new footpath around them...but at least with the palm trees there will at last be some shade now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrobay Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Thanks for the photos , was there yesterday and was going to comment on the very incompetent cement work; See photos 3 and 4 in OP. Notice the cement separating in those photos , and will only get worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johng Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Almost as soon as they had started last year a storm and resulting flood washed away parts of the new path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johng Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Not my photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrobay Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Amazing ^ photos of a man made disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johng Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 As soon as the proper rain sets in this year I expect we will see many more photos like these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpcoe Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 FYI, in the CCTV thread, Kwan posted pictures of the trees being planted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonewolf99 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 This is an utter travesty...where is Som Chai and his family going to toss their uneaten som tam along with the Poly plates and plastic bags...? The holes also kept a modicum of dog crap off the actual walkway. And as for being a shady tree, like the Tropical Almond or a Tamarind trees they cut down these palm trees are not in the same league. Another factor not considered are the tree roots. On the original beach before human intervention the roots held the beach together. Now there will massive erosion and also the new tree roots will just push the concrete further apart creating more cracks and the chance for tropical downpours to wreck it all again.... and again and again etc... talk about a job badly planned and carried out. The first thing they need to learn is how to actually mix concrete in this country...it is not 9 parts sand and cat crap to 1 of cement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Star Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 41 palms have now been planted in the first 41 square holes from the north corner. All palms delivered have been planted. Don't expect any more beach shade. They are so close to the road and are so small anyway, that only a few strategically parked cars will enjoy the afternoon shade, as the sun tracks across the beach over on the seaside. Barricades have now been removed from the north corner to about Soi 4. The remaining barricades to Soi 8 are still in place preventing parking, along with the untouched pallets of sidewalk pavers. No army of workers or equipment is around today like yesterday's big push. I hope they get back to work after the weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonewolf99 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Saw two of the guys supposed to be working on this have slung hammock between two of the trees already and were kicking back enjoying the sea breeze.... Could they have picked a worse tree ? Oh well...maybe this one.... http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2009/06/gympie-gympie-once-stung,-never-forgotten/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balo Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Just watch out for falling coconuts , the trees are full of them , wear a helmet if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzz Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 One of the stupidest things I have ever seen was the cutting of hundreds of massive shade trees along Pattaya & Jomtien Beaches. Who designed the 'improvements'? Not a landscaper, that for sure. Looks like some greedy morons planned (leveled) the place so they can profit & rent tents to vendors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awohalitsiktoli Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 One of the stupidest things I have ever seen was the cutting of hundreds of massive shade trees along Pattaya & Jomtien Beaches. Who designed the 'improvements'? Not a landscaper, that for sure. Looks like some greedy morons planned (leveled) the place so they can profit & rent tents to vendors. I agree.....in fact, for me it was the most idiotic act that I have ever seen! It would have been much better--for people and the environment--to have left the old-growth trees in place. They could have constructed a nice walking path through the trees, with proper places to sit in the shade. But they made the worst decision possible (amazing Thailand). Right now they are planting more palm trees, this time on the beach. The palm trees will do virtually nothing to prevent beach erosion. And they provide almost no shade. They could have planting the same trees that they cut down--the trees that "nature" told them should be there. It is all about "making money" and creating an "image" of what they think a beach should look like. Here is a pic that I took today: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Star Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 Today July 6, barricades that were placed from Soi 4 to Soi 8 blocking beach parking for days now since the beginning, have now been taken down and set aside. Nothing was being done in that area where the pallets of bricks have been delivered. Now many stalls are available again for beach parking while we wait for something to happen next. I wonder if they will be stolen before they get installed. Where the palms have been planted, there are now 2" plastic pipes about 1 to 2 meters long staged on the sidewalk for some purpose. They have slits cut into them every 10 cm, and a few wooden poles were also delivered. Anyone care to speculate what these would be used for? There were a few workers present, not doing much of anything, and some more bags of soil sitting on the sidewalk. One good feature that they could have used more of, is notches in the sidewalk in some places for the huge rolling green garbage bins, instead of letting them roll around loosely on the street. A concept in Thailand that they just never seem to grasp for tourism, is aesthetics. How often have you tried to take a photo of a beautiful temple or beach, only to have some stupid wires or signs, rubble, or garbage bins sticking right in the middle of the otherwise pristine image? Right at the north entrance of Beach Road at the big 'Jomtien Pattaya Beach' letter bench thing, there seems to constantly be something ugly there ruining the shot, either in the foreground, or the background. I'm thinking of the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas' sign, and how people, parking, signs, and and garbage is managed in that spot, to get the millions of tourists that flock there a proper memorable photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrobay Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 One of the stupidest things I have ever seen was the cutting of hundreds of massive shade trees along Pattaya & Jomtien Beaches. Who designed the 'improvements'? Not a landscaper, that for sure. Looks like some greedy morons planned (leveled) the place so they can profit & rent tents to vendors. I agree.....in fact, for me it was the most idiotic act that I have ever seen! It would have been much better--for people and the environment--to have left the old-growth trees in place. They could have constructed a nice walking path through the trees, with proper places to sit in the shade. But they made the worst decision possible (amazing Thailand). Right now they are planting more palm trees, this time on the beach. The palm trees will do virtually nothing to prevent beach erosion. And they provide almost no shade. They could have planting the same trees that they cut down--the trees that "nature" told them should be there. It is all about "making money" and creating an "image" of what they think a beach should look like. Here is a pic that I took today: more palm trees.jpg Jomtien used to have a nice atmosphere right along this section with winding path and full growth trees. Its now looking like a glorified parking lot. They just cant stop ruining the environment here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfish Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Good news, be nice if they put bench seating around each tree beach chair vendors would riot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minnehaha Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 name one public space for any purpose that is designed with any sense of style or utility and win the booby prize. nothing has ever been designed or built with aesthetics except for a few golf courses that i can think of. same with trees. why must all trees be chopped in half ? remember the great sathorn tree massacre decades ago? yet, go to yangon or kuala lumpur and they love trees. colonization was missed by thais and the culture never changed or developed. thais seem rather inbred in a sense this way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emster23 Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Maybe they should (or already have?) just make it a permanent repair project: lifetime employment. Personally, I'm waiting for the death trap stairs near Silver Sand to give way. Lack of storm drains etc has led to severe erosion under them. Sorry don't have a photo. And then there are the solar powered streets lamps, yet to shine. Give an eyeball to them: many not vertical, more resemble a bamboo grove.... Maybe all part of plan to keep us "in the present moment" with death or disability lurking in so many places. Perhaps a video game could be developed: "I walked Jomtien beach and survived" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Star Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 Here is one of the noise control signs on the Jomtien Beach sidewalk, indicating a 2000 baht fine for blaring music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Star Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 Jomtien Beach 5 Stage Reconstruction Plan For those that may not have seen this sign posted at the North end of Jomtien Beach outlining the reconstruction plan, here you go. Now that they are almost finished replacing the natural trees that they cut down with new coconut dropping killer palms, they are nearly finished work on Location 1. Artistic renditions of the 5 phases are as follows... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Star Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 Beach Reforestation Many tall coconut palm trees were replanted this afternoon right on the beach where the original trees were cut. Some new Royal Palms were planted as well on the sidewalk, and some had wooden bracing installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dotpoom Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 What baffled me was, not only why have so many together in single file, but in some cases they are side by side, leaving only a few inches to actually walk on the footpath to walk past them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balo Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 This project is a success, no doubt about that . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Star Posted July 7, 2016 Author Share Posted July 7, 2016 Alas, the magnificent spacious engineered tropical view yesterday created with such cost and effort was only but a fleeting glimpse. Today, the beach chair and umbrella people have moved back in, staking their claim amongst each newly planted palm tree, returning it into the beach ghetto state it was. They hung their tarps on the new stainless steel railings, and blocked the beach access points from the stairway with their old umbrellas, supplies, dilapidated junk, tools, and garbage bins. It made me recall something I learned from some physics course long ago, that the natural state of the universe is disorder and chaos, rather than organization and order. Apparently, in this part of the universe, things return to their natural state the fastest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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