Street vendors to get kicked off Khao San Road

Move part of plan to clear city’s pavements

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 yesterday.

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 Ban 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 l aunched 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.

Earlier, City Hall also reclaimed pavements and road surfaces in the Saphan Lek and Pak Klong markets.

In another development, the BMA’s deputy permanent secretary Chakkraphan Phewngam said yesterday that three more houses on Klong Prem Prachakorn in Laksi district were to be demolished soon to pave the way for the construction of a 891-metre shortcut linking the Government Complex to Kamphaeng Phet 6 Road.

The three are among the 12 houses awaiting demolition, of which six lie along Klong Prem Prachakorn and the remaining along Klong Bang Talat.

According to Mr Chakkraphan, the project has been delayed due to a number of residents’ houses encroaching on public canals where the road would pass.

The construction will be completed by October.