Bicycle lane linking parks to get safety upgrade

City Hall is working with civic groups to improve the elevated bicycle lane connecting Lumpini and Benjakiti 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’s headquarters yesterday to iron out the concerns.

Pol Capt Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, a BMA spokesman, said the meeting agreed to beef up safety along the cycle 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, and which pointed out that the lane posed a risk for sexual harassment.

Pol Capt Pongsakorn said the 1,300metre 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 UDDC 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 UDDC 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 from different faiths can co-exist.

“The structural improvements to the lane will start next year and take about a year to finish,” he said.