[sustran] Pedestrians to reclaim the streets

[William Ross]

Dear Friends

I thought the following article might be interesting to people on the list.
It appeared on page 6A of Bangkok's English language newspaper 'The Nation'
27 September 2001.

For those who don't know:
* Silom Rd is the heart of Bangkok's business district during the day, and
an active night market and entertainment venue at night and weekends, some
may know it as 'Patpong'
* Khao San Rd is probably the world's biggest tourist / backpacker centre -
the road is lined with hotels, hostels, cafes (internet and coffee),
restaurants, street markets, travel agents - everything the tourist could
desire

There are many other roads in Bangkok which could profit (economically,
environmentally, socially) from such treatment, hopefully this is just the
start. I will be contacting the Minister with a few more suggestions.

--------
*Road closure

Pedestrians to reclaim Silom

Govt hopes move will boost tourism, save energy costs

The governmetn plans to close a stretch of central Bangkok's busy Silom Road
on Sundays, starting from November 18, as part of a campaign to save energy,
Deputy Prime Minister Pitak Intrawityanunt revealed yesterday.
The move will turn the 800-metre stretch from the Sala Daeng junction to the
Narathiwat intersection into a pedestrian street on Sunday afternoons, and
is intended to promote tourism, reduce air pollution and to encourage family
outings, Pitak said.
Yaowaraj and Khao San roads are likely to be included in the plan, he said.
Khao San is more likely to be the next on the list for the "Sundays only"
treatment, as it is shorter and houses fewer businesses than Yaowaraj Rd.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Metropolitan Police have
voiced their support for the move, according to Pitak, who chairs the
government committee on energy saving promotion.

- the rest of the article is non-transport related -
---------

--------------------------------------------------------------
Dr William Ross

Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies
Mahidol University
Salaya Phutamonthon
Nakhonpathom 73170
Thailand

Tel: (+662) 441 0211-16 ext 232
Fax: (+662) 441 9509-10
Email: frwro at mahidol.ac.th
--------------------------------------------------------------


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20010928/c05dd9b8/attachment.htm