Let’s pave the way to a better capital

If you want to know whether City Hall cares about your well-being, try walking. The city’s pavements are a key indicator. And don’t be surprised if you find it less than comfortable. The state agency, which has a budget of more than 75 billion baht in its coffers, seems to find it difficult to provide safe and comfortable pavements for residents.

Many would agree with me: Walking on Bangkok’s pavements can be a challenge even for able-bodied residents. Forget about using the pavement if you are in a wheelchair, given so many obstacles, such as misplaced power poles and poorly designed pedestrian flyovers. And it seems we never lack potholes, which I cannot help but think were intentionally created to wow foreign tourists!

Yes, there are some areas where we can find pavements in physically good condition, but most of them have been taken over by motorcycle taxis and vendors. Some motorists occupy them as a personal parking lot, forcing pedestrians to walk on the edge of the road.

Walking on pavements that are under repair can be nightmarish.

One evening after work, I decided to take a walk after exiting Hua Lamphong MRT station — a short distance from my home in the Rama I area. As the road was quiet with almost no cars, and with good street lights, it should have been a pleasant experience.

I was wrong.

Along the pavement, I had to negotiate uneven surfaces, and several times I had to jump off the sidewalk onto the road. Onlookers must have thought I was practicing my dancing while I tried to keep myself in the pedestrian zone.

Eventually, I was forced to give up after a few hundred metres, and instead walked on the side of the road. I didn’t want to stumble into piles of sand, stacks of cement bags, or rolls of steel bars left on the pavement, trip on the uneven surface, or fall into an open drainage pipe.

The repair site was left as if the workers had just rushed off a few seconds ago to answer the call of nature and would definitely be back in a few minutes. But it has been in that condition day and night.

During the day, ongoing repair work forces pedestrians to walk on the road. At night, the contractor and workers just leave the site in the same condition with no considering for safety. What if pedestrians or some children tripped or fell into the drainage pipes that were left open?

Such open sites reflect how City Hall barely takes into account pedestrians’ safety.

This wasn’t the first time I was forced to walk on the street and look behind my back for the cars racing up behind. In January, the pavement at Asok was also under repair, leaving no safe space for pedestrians to walk.

I remember how the Pathumwan skywalk, provided by the BTS operator that linked the four corners of Pathumwan Intersection for years, simply disappeared last year when two shopping malls tore it down to modify the entrance in the hope of enticing shoppers into their buildings. As there was no temporary replacement, pedestrians who wanted to cross the road were forced to walk about 500 metres to the closest pedestrian bridge. The other option for them was to wait at the traffic lights as a zebra crossing was not available.

As a matter of principle, those working on construction sites in public spaces must provide safe pedestrian areas.

Contractors who win contracts from City Hall for pavement repairs or the BTS skytrain operator in the skywalk case — can forget about the safety of pedestrians when repair work is under way, as it can help them save some money and let them make a larger profit.

But the BMA cannot afford to forget. Public safety must be a priority, highlighted in the terms of reference when City Hall opens any construction bid.

There’s a good example for the BMA to learn from, without having to fly abroad. Look at how the MRT has always provided a protected pedestrian strip next to construction sites, at Hua Lamphong station or the future Sanam Chai station in the old town quarters, to facilitate pedestrians.

Without pedestrian zones like in the above cases, it’s clear that the people’s safety isn’t City Hall’s main concern. That’s why city officials hardly seem to care about inspecting ongoing repair sites, to ensure that safety regulations are observed properly once work has begun.

City administrators seem to take much pride in Bangkok’s modern look, with thousands of high-rise structures. It’s a pity they forget the importance of good walking spaces which are a key indicator of a liveable and healthy city.