When Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra revelled in Bangkok’s first completed bike lane in the Rattanakosin area late last year, little did they know how the innocuous project would rebound on them.
A sign saying “Parking is allowed for customers” is posted in front of shops on Phra Sumen Road. Photos by Apichart Jinakul.
Backed by Gen Prayut, the cycle lane in the old part of town was officially opened on Dec 28, a gift from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to city dwellers.
Far from perfect, the eight-kilometre track nevertheless drew wide praise from cyclists and environmentalists as part of the city’s efforts to take “green” transport more seriously.
But not everyone loves it.
The project has created deep divisions among business operators along Phra Sumen and Tanao roads. They claim the protected strip has caused their roadside businesses to suffer a 70% drop in revenue.
The vendors are demanding the government review the scheme.
“Space in front of my store is blocked by markers, making it difficult for customers to drop by the store,” complained Wiwat Assavapreechavong, a shop owner who has sold school uniforms in Bang Lamphu for over five decades.
He was complaining about the plastic poles installed to mark the 8km protected bike lane running through the old city, including along Phra Sumen and Tanao roads.
According to Mr Wiwat, roadside parking was allowed between 9am to 3pm and 8pm to 6am from Monday to Saturday, with no charges. Spaces along the roads were available for drivers during the day on Sunday but they were charged 10 baht for parking.
Roadside parking in front of his shop became impossible after the launch of the project.
Developed and maintained by the BMA, the clockwise route, which starts and ends at Loha Prasat on Ratchadamnoen Avenue and runs along Tanao, Kalayanamaitree, Sanam Chai, Tai Wang, Maharat, Na Phra Lan, Na Phra That and Rajini roads.
The lanes are painted in green with a white bike logo, while ramps connecting footpaths and cycle lanes have been modified to facilitate cyclists. Better drain covers have also been installed to ensure safer riding.
Suwakit Chantasilp, the owner of Chamlongsilp Co in the Bang Lamphu area, said the lack of roadside parking space has turned customers away and he called on the BMA to remove the lane markers to make space available for cars.
He also complained that the strip wasn’t worth the investment as only a handful of cyclists use the lane, especially during the day on weekdays.
“It gets busy only when campaigners use it to promote a bike-related event,” he said.
The cycle lane has worsened the problem of traffic congestion in the area, Mr Suwakit said, adding double-deck buses for tourists who go sightseeing around Rattanakosin areas already occupied the spaces.
Officials are ready to enforce the rules every day, Mr Wiwat added.
Pol Lt Col Poowadon Oonpothi, traffic police inspector at Chanasongkham station, said it was the job of police to enforce the law or they could face a charge of neglect of duty.
The inspector suggested operators affected by the project could file a complaint to the government or City Hall.
Orasri Silpi, president of the Bang Lamphu community, and a group of 300 people affected by the bike lane submitted a petition to the Phra Nakhon district office director, calling for City Hall to remove the bike lane markers.
They said the markers blocked customers and caused heavy traffic and accidents in the area. The protected bike lane was a significant factor in putting drivers at risk of collision and injury, while cyclists who use the left-most lanes were also in danger.
They proposed the government make changes to developing bike routes on other roads that are less congested.
Ms Orasri insisted residents do support the idea of green transport but state officials must conduct proper studies to see whether an area is conducive to bike lanes and whether a project will cause problems to people living nearby.
Public hearings must be held to allow residents to discuss and voice their concerns over a project, she added.
Phra Sumen Road and Tanao Road are ideal for developing city bike lanes due to their location, Thaweesak Lertprapan, director of the Traffic and Transport Department which is assigned to work on lane development around Rattanakosin Island said. These two roads link with other main roads that lead to Rattanakosin Island.
Mr Thaweesak stressed the need for the development of protected bike lanes, saying they help provide safety for cyclists.
“It is one way to make cyclists feel comfortable and safe on city streets. And that encourages people to use bikes,” he added.
On his weekly Returning Happiness to the People television programme, Gen Prayut was positive about the project, saying an increase in the use of bicycles would create more business opportunities for the community’s cycling routes.
He was optimistic that the routes would boost business in the long run, and urged vendors to adjust their businesses to cater to the growing number of bicycle users and tourists along cycling routes.
One possible thing they could do, he said, is to provide bicycle stops in their communities to attract cyclists. They could be used to promote products from the area.
“People may need to make sacrifices to make the city a better place to live,” he said, citing Colombia’s Bogota where people have cooperated to make the city friendlier for pedestrians and cyclists by having streets shut off every Sunday to traffic.
“Vendors should turn a crisis into an opportunity. Be creative with your stores and boost sales,” he added.
Cycling campaigner Nonlany Ungwiwatkul admits the bike lane is mostly empty during weekdays as it is promoted by the BMA for tourism rather than for commuters.
But she said locals and business operators should adapt to the new infrastructure, citing delivery as never being a problem for business operators in Chinatown’s Sampeng area, even though the roads are much smaller than in Rattanakosin.
The avid cyclist said it could not be helped if residents and business operators want to live with heavy congestion.
But she asked: “Don’t you want the city to develop?”
Bangkok’s first complete bike lane on Phra Sumen Road is appreciated by cyclists but is causing a huge drop in business, locals say.