Walking and cycling community network building in Bangkok has commenced

Walking and cycling community network building in Bangkok has commenced

During 2013-2015, the Opportunity Foundation had successfully implemented a “Cycling Community Building for Bangkok Livable City” project with supports from Thailand Cycling Club (TCC) and Office of the Thai Health Promotion Fund (ThaiHealth).  It was found that some of the 12 communities involved in this project had stirred up their neighbouring communities’ interest in cycling promotion with a possibility that they could work together as a network.  Institute for Social Research and Actions Foundation, another NGO in the same group as the Opportunity Foundation, then follows up with a “Project for Building Cooperation Network of Walking and Cycling Communities in Bangkok”.  The project would work to build two networks of cycling communities as examples for others.  Two areas are selected based on performance of communities in the previous project. One is in the inner city with Wat Pracha Rabutham 4 community as the core community in Dusit District.  Another one is in the outer city with Baan Ma Koh Lang community as the core community in Sapan Soong District.    

On 11^th November 2015, ISRA staff held a meeting with leaders of the six communities that would work together in Dusit District to explain about the project and listen to their problems and needs concerning walking and cycling. TCC was invited and represented by Mr. Gawin Chutima, a committee member, and Mr. Prachak Samaya, a coordinator on cycling community and network.

Mrs. Prathueng Chuaykliang, Project Manager, gave the explanation, highlighting that it would involve signing an MoU with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), but success depends mainly on actions of the communities. 

Community leaders, on the other hand, gave accounts of problems they faced in using bicycle in daily life, such as the proposed cycling route was much used by cars as a short cut, and blocked by parking cars and carts.  They proposed several measures that would help them use bicycle more in daily life, such as going to fresh markets which were within 3 km. distance.  These measures include public relations about cycling routes and how the road can be safely shared, bicycle parking facilities better with closed circuit TV, enough lighting for night ride, and measures to prevent unruly car parking, for example.

The TCC committee member suggested that for the project to be successful, correct data in details were needed in order to come up with the most appropriate actions.  So a survey of all households in the six communities to obtain data about their bicycle use and traffic on the proposed route should be conducted.  The suggestions were welcome by the project staff and consultation would be held with community leaders to ways to do it properly.

Reported by Gawin Chutima

TCC Committee Member

12^th November 2015

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