City Hall is working with civic groups to improve the elevated bicycle lane connecting Lumpini and Benjakitti parks following complaints of safety blind spots.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) held discussions with the Urban Design and Development Centre (UDDC) and the We Park group at the BMA headquarters yesterday to iron out the concerns.
Pol Capt Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, a BMA spokesman, said the meeting agreed to beef up safety along the cycling lane, also known as the “Sa Phan Khiao”.
He said complaints were made by the First Pin Project, a group which points out areas unsafe for women, which pointed out that the lane posed a risk for sexual harassment.
Pol Capt Pongsakorn said the 1,300-metre bridge was built in 2000 and is in need of maintenance. The lane is open around the clock but some light bulbs installed along the lane have been stolen while city inspectors are unable to patrol the area all night.
He said the UDCC will help with modifying the bridge’s design to enhance safety and spruce up the surrounding areas.
The maintenance and the design improvement work is expected to get underway next year and take up to 150 days to complete.
Chindarat Chayothin, another BMA spokesperson, said the UDCC and the We Park will also look to improve the design of another lane linking the Phra Pok Klao Skypark crossing the Chao Phraya River and Klong Ong Ang canal.
The lane provides access for people visiting the old community of Kadeejeen where Buddhists, Muslims and Christians have lived side by side for more than a hundred years.
The community is popular with visitors as it is a living example of how people of different faiths can co-exist.
"The structural improvements to the lane will start next year and take about a year to finish," he said.