Straightwalking: Khao San to get 'level' pavements

Straightwalking: Khao San to get 'level' pavements

Pavements on the famous tourist strip of Khao San Road will be revamped and "made level" with clear vendor zoning established for orderliness and safety, according to City Hall.

The "re-landscaping" work is set to begin in October and finish in February next year at a cost of 48 million baht, said deputy Bangkok governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul yesterday.

He added that the improvement is necessary as Khao San Road is one of the city's best-known tourist attractions.

The work will involve repaving the footpaths and making them level all the way along the road. The surface will also be re-done with flamed-finish tiles.

The street vendors will be designated fixed trading spaces on the footpaths with 60cm-high collapsible stainless railings built to clearly divide the footpath and the road for safety reasons.

Mr Sakoltee said each vendor will be allocated a 1.5x2-metre stall space set up back to back in rows along the road.

Between the rows, each with 10 stalls, a vacant space will be left for the added ease of pedestrian movement.

Altogether, there will be 240 vendors trading from 9am to 9pm, according to the deputy governor.

The vendors, who will be zoned according to the nature of their trade, will be permitted to do business on the road for one to two years. After that, new vendors will come in, selected possibly through the drawing of lots.

Mr Sakoltee added the Khao San area will be off-limits to vendors with pushcarts and no vending stalls will be allowed to encroach on the road or trade outside the zones.

He said a plan was being mulled to make similar pavement space improvements in areas on the adjacent Ram Buttri, Sip Sam Hang and Tani roads. However, public hearings may be held first to gauge residents' opinions.

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