Reviving canals for the people
Restoring waterways has potential, writes Ariane Kupferman-Sutthavong
As roads rapidly multiplied and connected communities across Bangkok over the past few decades, many khlongs were abandoned by commuters who swapped boats for cars. Today, the crisscrossing waterways retain a leisurely flow while residents impatiently squeeze their cars into the jammed arteries that snake into and around the city’s central areas.
After several monthly cycling trips into the semi-rural setting of Bang Mod, a group of volunteers, the Can Do Team who have been working with communities in Thung Khru district, saw the potential of bringing back canal access to link small communities and mass transit access.
The volunteer group approached long-time resident Sonthaya Semtapphra and sought advice from Kanjanee Budthimedhee who chairs the Graduate School of Design and Planning at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) to work out on the possibilities.
Mr Sonthaya has spent several decades cycling through the area’s maze of tracks and knows the locality like the back of his hand.
It has long been his wish for a proper bicycle path to be established for locals to commute, while Ms Kanjanee wants Bangkok’s canals to re-emerge as a transport option for those living in the suburbs.
After a few discussions and surveys, the three parties eventually agreed they could get the wheels in motion, joined by other enthusiasts.
A draft proposal began to take shape last September and ideas were turned into an 8km path along Bang Mod, linking BTS Wutthakat station to the Puttha Bucha temple, passing through six communities in Thung Khru and Chom Thong districts.
“We chose the best possible route to help strengthen Bang Mod communities,” says Ms Kanjanee, explaining the path will be a shortcut for locals to get to the mass transit system to travel into the city.
“At the same time it will help outsiders to gain access to the neighbourhood for weekend leisure trips.
Currently, commuters in the area can get to the city via two choices: Drive to the city directly, or take road transport for almost 15km to Wutthakat station. It’s vice versa for outsiders wanting to gain access to the area.
Since January, the group of community activists, architects and cycling enthusiasts have met often to work out a cycling route plan to revitalise the canalside community of Bang Mod.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) seemed enthusiastic about the proposal submitted in early June, Ms Kanjanee says. Ms Kanjanee says the scheme’s initiators and backers — comprising more than 20 local inhabitants, KMUTT graduates, academics and volunteers — designed the route according to the principles of safety, convenience and good connectivity to schools, markets and mass transport systems.
The 1.5 metre-wide path, planned with handrails on both sides and lighting, should benefit both the local population and cyclists from other parts of the city, she adds. The budget estimate for construction hardware – roughly 22-25 million baht – includes shelters every kilometre for rain protection or the sale of produce.
Ideally, the architect envisions a walkway on which children could play while the elderly take a stroll as they head to the temple.
The path is a good way of drawing people from outside the community to Bang Mod, says Ms Kanjanee. It allows for access to the community’s local economy, which she hopes the project will enhance.
If completed, the route will be connected to a 2km section of canal-side walkway, already frequented by locals and cyclists wishing to explore the area’s lush, quiet orchards. This connects Puttha Bucha temple to local restaurants and the community centre at Krua Vichalai.
Krua Vichalai is the intended spot for a community market which the group hopes to open shortly. Locals will be able to sell produce from their orchards and vegetable farms, team members say.
“There was so much noise coming from the khlong,” Chanyawee Cheamsawat, the owner of Krua Vichalai centre, said when recalling how busy the canal was 18 years ago when she moved there. The canal was then a busy transport route and long boats passed by loudly, Ms Janyawee says, as she looked at the now quiet waterfront.
She believes the cycling path will bring more activity to the locality. It will prompt locals to take their boats out again to trade with visitors, she adds.
Aside from the draft design which the network has submitted to the BMA, the network also asked for 4.5 million baht in funding from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation to carry out population surveys and look into locals’ needs and concerns regarding the project.
Following those discussions, Ms Kanjanee found most of them had worries about garbage management and safety.
Drawing from her experience in architecture and planning, she believes safety won’t be an issue if the route is busy with activities and people.
However, the group will address such concerns with the locals themselves, to decide on the best solutions.
Around a million baht is intended for research work, she says, while the rest of the money will go to other community projects such as the market.
Mr Sonthaya has other plans as well, including a street art wall along the canal. The community activist says he brought the matter to Bangkok-based artists and locals, asking them to help paint the fence.
The Can Do Team also hopes to open a community centre in the future, complete with a coffee shop, organic farming courses and bicycle rental service, he adds.
According to Ms Kanjanee, carrying out such additional initiatives helps create a sense of community belonging and area ownership, which will strengthen the communities.
Looking at the larger picture, she says the bicycle path will also create an alternative and sustainable mode of transport to link Bangkok’s south to skytrain lines operating in the city centre.
The Bangkok khlongs could still remain the city’s lifeblood, the architect argued, pointing to a map featuring the zigzagging canals throughout the capital.
Phasi Charoen canal brings people from the city’s west to the city centre, while Saen Saep canal connects those residing in the east, she noted. As public motorboats roam both canals, these already constitute alternative transport routes in themselves.
However, the Bang Mod canal is deemed too narrow and difficult to navigate, she argues. She believes the cycling path could be the connection instead.