[sustran] [sustran] Pedestrian street in Bangkok, the City of Angels

[kisan mehta]

Dear Craig and Sustran friends, ,

Your news that a 800 metre long patch of the Silom Street 
of Bangkok will be car free on Sundays is refreshing but you 
will agree that the City of Angels should reserve more than 
800 metres stretch for the angels to tread. In any case, congrats to all who worked for achieving and convincing the
Dy Premier to launch.   

While any move to deny passage to the modern horror that 
the  motorcar is even for a short patch and only for a hours 
is a good start, one has appreciate that Bangkok, crowded 
with pedestrians on all the days (and nights too) should have 
this as a regular feature on all days and for a longer stretch 
to prove the benefits of such a move to the city, its people 
and the world.  Typical pedestrian friendly street furniture cannot be installed if it is car free for a day weekly.   

You know that the orientation of London's famed Oxford 
Street was recast to remove car and enable 
pedestrians plus limited access to the London Red 
Buses. The stretch was, may be 2 km, in the 70s and 
80s for all days and all time.  Shoppers from the world 
over could crisscross freely over the carriage way, 
whatever was left for buses to move at snail speed.  

The 800 m long Silom may not provide that freedom.  
What eventually happens is that the authorities in 
charge of traffic and law and order soon come up with 
ideas to cut down even the 800 m strech.  Let us hope 
that this does not happen in a city where the Deputy 
Premier of the country is with the pedestrians.  
Best wishes.

Kisan Mehta kisansbc at vsnl.com
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Craig Townsend 
  To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org 
  Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 8:05 AM
  Subject: [sustran] Pedestrian street in Bangkok


  from The Nation online edition

  Sundays without cars on Silom

  Published on Oct 21, 2001 

  In less than a month's time, Bangkok, the City of Angels, will have its first permanent Sunday pedestrian street.

  For the first time, all motor vehicles will be banned from noon to midnight on an 800-metre stretch of Silom Road in the city's main business district from Sala Daeng to Narathiwat Nakarin intersections.

  Deputy premier Pitak Indaraviriyanun, the chief proponent of the Bangkok pedestrian-street programme, says Silom will be off limits to vehicles from November 18, with Khao San and Phra Arthit roads to follow suit as pedestrian streets shortly afterwards.

  The scheme, drawn up by the National Energy Policy Office in cooperation with the city traffic, tourism and other authorities, will create social, economic, and environmental benefits for Bangkok residents as well as foreign visitors.

  Full story at: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.arcview.php3?clid=2&id=50131&usrsess=1


  ________________________________________________
  Craig Townsend
  Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy
  Murdoch University
  South Street, Murdoch
  Perth, Western Australia 6150

  tel: (61 8) 9360 6278
  fax: (61 8) 9360 6421
  email: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au 

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