Street vendors to get kicked off Khao San Road

A food vendor navigates through traffic and pedestrians on Khao San Road. City Hall has ordered pavement vendors to move out by Aug 1. (AP file photo)
A food vendor navigates through traffic and pedestrians on Khao San Road. City Hall has ordered pavement vendors to move out by Aug 1. (AP file photo)

Street vendors will be banned from pavements and roads on Khao San Road, Bangkok's top tourist destination, and two other locations in the city, starting from Aug 1, Bangkok deputy governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul said Tuesday.

The other two sites are Lao market, or Talat Laos, in the Klong Toey area and a flower market in front of Wat Hua Lamphong in Bang Rak district.

For Khao San Road, Mr Sakoltee said vendors would be relocated to a temporary area designated for vending close by.

Their stalls would be set up in an orderly way without any encroachment on pavements and the road surface, he said.

Mr Sakoltee said a City Hall inspection earlier found pavements along Khao San Road were packed with vending stalls both day and night.

The inspection was launched in response to Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang's order after the agency received public complaints about vendors encroaching on paths.

Mr Sakoltee said the congestion could also be dangerous in the event of a fire.

After vendors relocate, a parking space for ambulances and a security checkpoint will be built to provide health services and safety for tourists.

"The reclamation will not ruin the image of the tourist spot as vending stalls will be regulated in an orderly fashion to create a more scenic area," said Mr Sakoltee admitting that some vendors are still resisting the relocation.

Khao San Road is the third bustling location where the scheme has been implemented this year following a market outside Central Lat Phrao in Chatuchak district and Bang Kapi market in Bang Kapi district.

As for Talat Laos which currently serves as a temporary vending area, the City Law Enforcement Department will submit a letter to reclaim the area to Mr Sakoltee for approval by this week.

Mr Sakoltee said the relocation would also be applied to vendors at the market outside Wat Hua Lamphong, which was previously designated for temporary vending after 7pm in an agreement between vendors and the Bang Rak district office.

However, they later breached the agreement and would be moved to Phong Phra Ram market, a much quieter area, he said.

Mr Sakoltee insisted new vending locations must be prepared for all vendors, adding that the scheme initiated by Pol Gen Asawin had received positive feedback from the public.

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Vocabulary

  • breach (noun): a failure to follow a law or rule - การละเมิดกฎหมาย, การละเมิดกฎข้อบังคับ
  • bustling: full of busy activity - อึกทึกครึกโครม
  • complaint: when someone says that something is wrong or not satisfactory - การบ่น, ข้อที่ไม่พอใจ
  • congestion: a situation in which a place is crowded with people or vehicles - แน่นขนัดไปด้วยรถหรือคน
  • designated: marked, separated, or given a name for a particular purpose - ถูกกำหนด
  • encroachment: gradually covering more and more of an area of land - การบุกรุก
  • feedback: advice, criticism or information about how good or useful something or somebody's work is - ผลสะท้อนกลับ,การตอบกลับ
  • reclamation: the process of "reclaiming" land; to make land that is naturally too wet or too dry suitable to be built on, farmed, etc ถมทะเลหรือคลองให้เป็นพื้นดิน -
  • temporary: done or used for only a limited period of time, i.e., not permanent - ชั่วคราว
  • vendor: someone who sells something, but often not in a shop - พ่อค้าแม่ค้าแผงลอย

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