Suvarnabhumi bike lane to close for 7 months

Suvarnabhumi bike lane to close for 7 months

Bikers pedal in the Sky Lane as an aircraft comes into land at Suvarnabhumi airport. (Photo by Thanarak Khunton)
Bikers pedal in the Sky Lane as an aircraft comes into land at Suvarnabhumi airport. (Photo by Thanarak Khunton)

Suvarnabhumi airport will shut down its bicycle tracks for seven months from April 11 to improve facilities for riders.

The Sky Lane will close from April 11 and should reopen in mid-November, Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) and Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) said on Wednesday.

The 23.5-kilometre-long main track circling the airport is a joint project between the two agencies. Another shorter track for children and bikers for leisure is in the same area.

AoT and SCB improved the old tracks, formerly known by pedallers as the Green Lane, and called it the Sky Lane when it was relaunched in December 2015.

The two agencies vowed to improve the bike lanes to world standard.

After the closure next month, they will put in an additional lane for bikers, build a bike bridge to connect the field with a long-term parking area of the airport, add a first aid station, a rest stop, a bike centre and a track for runners, according to the statement.

The bike centre features a food court and shops to repair and sell bicycle gear.

The Sky Lane now has parking space for 1,500 vehicles. A link to connect the tracks with the long-term parking area of the airport will enable it to have parking lots for 3,500 more.

The improvement is to handle more bikers due to its increasing popularity. Up to 3,000 bikers pedal the bike lane on weekdays and peak at 10,000 in morning and evening hours on weekends.

AoT and SCB will hold a biking event on April 8-9 to temporarily bid farewell to the Sky Lane before its seven-month closure.

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