The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has come up with an idea to carve out spaces on pedestrian’s footpaths to accommodate motorcycle taxi stands so that they would not trespass roads.
There are currently more than 5,400 motorcycle taxi stops across Bangkok, with 2,339 of them located on roads, 1,779 on private land and 1,375 on street pavements.
The city administration is expected to come up with a design on motorcycle taxi stops that would be erected on certain parts of street pavements which are wider than 4 metres in February. Motorcycle taxis will be confined in these spaces which will be clearly marked with motorbike taxi stand signs.
As for sidewalks which are less than 4 metres in width, the city administration plan to consult with private landowners for the use of small portions of their land to make room for motorcycle taxi stops.
Adisak Kanthamuanglee, assistant director of the Town Design and Development Centre, told Thai PBS that he agreed with the city administration’s idea, noting that road pavements are public property which should be shared to all people for mutual benefits.
He said that the new order on the use of street pavements must be fair to all stake-holders.
The city administration has been trying to solve the problem of illegal parking on street pavements by motorcycle taxis but with little success because it does not have the sole authority to tackle the problem which is within the jurisdiction of a four-party panel comprising the BMA, the Land Transport Department, the police and the military.
A motorcycle taxi driver told Thai PBS that he supported the city administration’s idea but was concerned that the taxi stops might be used by tuk-tuk and taxi drivers to park their vehicles.
