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http://www.bangkokpost.com/leisure/leisurescoop/12977/bangkok-footpaths
BANGKOK FOOTPATHS
Time to take a step in the right direction By Anchalee Kongrut
By:
Published: 8/03/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Outlook
There is something strange about the footpaths on Bangkok streets, something that defies the commonsensical notion that a wealthy, highly urbanised and extremely popular tourist city should have footpaths that are at least walkable, if not convenient, clean, user-friendly and, dare we hope, beautiful. Try walking down most of the crowded streets in Thailand's capital. You will be taken aback by the construction on our public footpaths, with their piles of bricks, sand, pipes and even steel rods. Even without the trappings of ongoing construction work, there will be blockages in the forms of phone booths, electric poles and sign posts, not to mention rubbish, the smells and creatures including rats and cockroaches.
Some people may point an accusing finger at the vendors who have turned public footpaths into mini bazaars. While it is true that these merchants are part of the problem _ and it will require massive, long-term poverty eradication measures to dislodge them _ removing them does mean the problem will go away.
More than eight years ago, then Bangkok governor Bhichit Rattakul came up with construction-free roads _ he banned footpath and road excavation on some of the major roads in Bangkok. Mr Bhichit at that time seemed to understand that the root causes of the headache plaguing Bangkok's footpaths were management and structural, rather than the problems created by rubbish, food vendors and vagabonds on the pavements.
His project bore scant fruit as he had only four years to play cat and mouse with contractors and utility project developers, and no Bangkok governor since then seems to have paid adequate attention to this issue.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration spends around 40 million baht annually on the maintenance of footpaths. Last year, the city spent 42.8 million baht to fix the footpaths on 30 roads. Bangkok has 704 roads and 4,305 sois with a total footpath area of 5.5 million square metres. There are only 22 bicycle routes with a total length of 182km. Motorcycle taxis ply some of these routes.
''But the problem is more about footpaths not being carefully designed and their need for constant repairs,'' noted Mr Bhichit.
Footpaths in Bangkok are not designed to handle infrastructure. Underneath the footpaths is just compressed sand that soon collapses and subsides. Paving the entire lengths of the footpaths with concrete is not possible as the public utility authorities or other organisations responsible for telephones, cables, water and electricity need to excavate the footpaths from time to time to repair or upgrade their infrastructure. Cities with better public utility management lay utility lines in separate slots.
Judging from these facts, under the circumstances, any hope of seeing better and walkable footpaths seems to be only wishful thinking.
However, present environmental problems _ air pollution and global warming _ should prompt people to make greater use of mass public transport, or to walk more. A walkable city with a good transport system would mean that people can realistically choose to leave their cars at home, or make minimal use of them.
According to the World Bank's 2007 report on strategic urban transport policy directions, commuters made 2.7 million walking trips in a single day on Bangkok's footpaths. The report indicates that the frequency should have been much higher if the footpaths had been improved, had fewer obstructions and had been wider. The average width of a footpath in Bangkok is 1.8m, which is the minimum generally accepted standard, but this does not account for the considerable amount of space occupied by encroaching vendors and motorcycle taxis.
In the meeting on walkability in Bangkok early this year, World Bank transport economic adviser Zhi Liu said better footpaths means a better economy, less fossil fuel consumption and less respiratory problems caused by air pollution.
''Instead of being able to walk two or three kilometres to work, we have to drive, and the combustion of fossil fuels by our cars aggravates climate change,'' said Mr Liu.
He advised the authorities to use ''incentive measures'' to award or punish contractors for the way that they do their work on footpaths. Mr Liu even suggested that hiring the private sector to take care of footpaths could be the solution to ensure that Bangkok has acceptable, walkable footpaths.
But all these measures are just management manoeuvres. In the end, nothing will happen without political will, which will only come to life if there is widespread and concerted public demand for improvements.
Some aid agencies, like the World Bank, are looking at the issue of the walkability rate in the city with interest.
The bank launched a project called ''Walk the Talk: Global Walkability Index''. Last June, 80 young volunteers collected data and conducted interviews at 14 footpath areas, covering 416 square metres, across the city. The results identify the areas with the best and the worst walkability. Similar studies have been carried out in other cities, among which are Metro-Manila and Jakarta. In the end, poor quality footpaths are likely to be addressed properly, not by construction, but as a result of public pressure.
''The bottom line is the philosophy ... The philosophy is what we need to privatise ... [we have to choose between] vehicles and the feet of human beings,''said Mr Bhichit.

A global network movement _ the so-called Right to Walk Foundation _ has gained momentum since the idea was mooted in 2005 by Kanthimathi Kannan, a resident of Hyderabad in Andra Pradesh in India. She pressured the city administration into improving the footpaths in her neighbourhood. Her campaign has inspired activists in many other cities around the world.

In the eyes of most Bangkok residents, it would seem that the poor quality footpaths are still tolerable. Those who walk, walk with great caution to prevent injury to their legs, ankles and other parts of their body. Those who dig, uproot and construct, continue their mayhem. A hero, heroine or social-conscience agitator is anxiously awaited.