Giving the pavement back to pedestrians

Authorities are taking action in a bid to make Bangkok pavements safe and friendly for pedestrians again. Traffic police have been ordered to get tough with motorcyclists who ride on footpaths, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has banned street vendors from the sidewalks of many roads.
Under their campaign to “make pavements safe and free from vehicles”, traffic police last week began slapping fines of between Bt400 and Bt1,000 on errant bikers. On the first day of the crackdown, Wednesday, more than 700 were ticketed for
riding on pavements, mostly in
congested areas of the city.
The “tidy sidewalks” policy is targeting parts of the city with a high
concentration of pavement stalls, including Silom, Ramkhamhaeng, Chatuchak, Ratchadamnoen, Khao San, Bobae, Tha Tian and Sukhumvit. Street vending is now prohibited during the day in these areas, with sellers only allowed back after 7pm rather than 5, as was the case previously.
Street vendors affected by the measure have complained that it cuts their hours of business and has led to reduced sales and income. Bangkok pedestrians, however, should feel the benefits as the daily obstacle course of barbecue stalls, noodle outlets and bric-a-brac for sale is swept from their path. But, of course, that depends on effective enforcement of the BMA’s order.
As things stand, in many areas stalls hog the pavement and leave little space for pedestrians, forcing them to walk on the road and risk being hit by vehicles.
There are clear boundaries for vendors to set up shop on the pavement, but in many cases these are not enforced. The crowds of customers they can attract, especially at rush hour and peak shopping times, just worsens the spread of the stalls.
Part of the problem lies in an attitude of selfishness. Some of the vendors seem not to care that their actions cause others inconvenience and put them in harm’s way. Some take the easier option of plying their trade on crowded pavements close to home, rather than travelling to the spots officially earmarked for them. They also want to sell at times of peak traffic, making busy sidewalks even more congested.
Adding to the problem are the motorcyclists, including motorbike-taxi riders, who use pavements as shortcuts to avoid traffic jams. Pedestrians can find themselves being honked at on the pavement by motorcyclists. And if they don’t move fast enough they risk being injured – a fairly frequent occurrence.
Pedestrians also have to deal with the consequences of motorists who choose to park their cars on pavements to avoid parking tickets. The cracked paving stones that often result are just one more obstacle that those on foot must negotiate. Authorities should find ways of restricting access to sidewalks for motorcycles and cars by, for instance, installing metal posts.
Traffic police are too few in number to guard the pavements all day, meaning that many sidewalks are still likely to be invaded by stalls, motorbikes and cars at certain times during the day. Critics also warn that the policy of fining motorcyclists for riding on pavements could become just another opportunity for corrupt cops to take bribes.
But the bid to “return pavements to pedestrians” deserves praise from city residents, who have suffered abuse of their sidewalks for decades. We just hope that the authorities properly enforce the law for the benefit of the city as a whole. Street vendors, motorcyclists and motorists must be made aware that pedestrians have priority on pavements.