Thailands Moonsoon Season full speed ahead!
Heavy rains started pounding Thailand around 9PM local time last night and continued into the morning as Tropical Storm Nari made landfall in Vietnam.
Pattaya's New Improved Beach Rd
Showing posts with label Infrastructure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Infrastructure. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Pattaya prepares for Thunderstorms and possible flooding
The weather outlook has been bleak in Pattaya for most of the week. Pattaya103.com had a nice article about yesterdays flooding and forecast.
Storms bring Pattaya to Grinding Halt
All through the week the 103 weather has been predicting the
storms that hit today, bringing the city to a grinding halt and adding
to the usual afternoon gridlock in many areas.Power outages were fixed quickly but the internet in the area has, from many suppliers, been up and down today as all roads from the Sukhumvit to the Beach saw major flooding making some unpassable.
The railway road on the East side took it badly as Siam Country club road, Nerm Plab wan and Khao Noi as well as KhaoTalo became gushing rivers. Our own Drive time DJ, Goldfinger, was told to stay at home as his journey would have seen him attempting to cross 1 metre deep waters on his motorcycle.
On Beach Road business was seriously affected as much of the area was under water, and second road too saw more than its fair share.
Two separate storms hit the region as they came across Asia from China...and more is expected. We are told to be prepared for similar weather for at least the next 3 days.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Thailands tourist destinations suffering from poor infrastrcture
Thailand's infrastructure continues to suffer from poor planning and under estimated growth.
You see it everytime a new road is cut. They are typically 6-8 meters wide and this is supposed to support 2-way traffic with parking. Small roads with land on either side being purchased for major condo and housing developments with no thought on how to support the wave of coming traffic.
According to an article in The Nation newspaper today this can be largely blamed on private sector investment not being matched by government spending...
2. "This has especially held true for Koh Samui "Its tourism numbers are restrained by the lack of capacity, and it cannot attract broader charter flights and low-cost carriers. This is not entirely a bad thing, as the hotel market has stabilised and positioned the island at the top end of the market, but longer-term it will impair the growth cycle. The airport, roadways, water and electricity are key priorities for the government," he said.
Pattaya's Theppraya road was a classic example of this. 10-12 years ago it was a small deserted 2 land road with littole mom pop shops lining it selling gasoline, plants, and a few mini marts. With a rapid expansion the citys of Pattaya and Jomtien were forced to put together a project to widen the road to support the new massive development. It took over 6 years to complete and has turned out fairly nice.
Fortunately city officials carried this construction out from Hanuman Cove in Jomtien Beach all the way out to soi Chaiyapreuk. Figuring out where to put the u-turns could prove to be another difficult challenge with already most of the traffic on this new road heading the wrong way down the street.
Another issue is the number of tour buses on the roads now. It seems like there are at least 10 times more buses around town than just a few short years ago. These tour buses wind their way down narrow sois to try and bypass the traffic problems the bigger roads can no longer support. This clogs up sois locals use, mostly on small motorbikes, to negotiate the congestion on larger roads. Check out this video below and take a ride down Jomtien Beach Road!
According to an article in The Nation newspaper today this can be largely blamed on private sector investment not being matched by government spending...
- " The key issues are the same as in Phuket and all of Asia's resort destinations at present. Private-sector investment fuelled by booming economies is not being matched by government spending on infrastructure," said Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks, a Phuket-based hotel and residential consulting firm. "Also, Thailand's resort destinations are no longer simple idyllic destinations but are becoming urbanised, with issues now of population growth, traffic, waste disposal and crime. Local government does not have the support for this growth."
2. "This has especially held true for Koh Samui "Its tourism numbers are restrained by the lack of capacity, and it cannot attract broader charter flights and low-cost carriers. This is not entirely a bad thing, as the hotel market has stabilised and positioned the island at the top end of the market, but longer-term it will impair the growth cycle. The airport, roadways, water and electricity are key priorities for the government," he said.
Pattaya's Theppraya road was a classic example of this. 10-12 years ago it was a small deserted 2 land road with littole mom pop shops lining it selling gasoline, plants, and a few mini marts. With a rapid expansion the citys of Pattaya and Jomtien were forced to put together a project to widen the road to support the new massive development. It took over 6 years to complete and has turned out fairly nice.
Fortunately city officials carried this construction out from Hanuman Cove in Jomtien Beach all the way out to soi Chaiyapreuk. Figuring out where to put the u-turns could prove to be another difficult challenge with already most of the traffic on this new road heading the wrong way down the street.
Another issue is the number of tour buses on the roads now. It seems like there are at least 10 times more buses around town than just a few short years ago. These tour buses wind their way down narrow sois to try and bypass the traffic problems the bigger roads can no longer support. This clogs up sois locals use, mostly on small motorbikes, to negotiate the congestion on larger roads. Check out this video below and take a ride down Jomtien Beach Road!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Thailands Pattaya and Jomtien Beaches...Oh how they are being missed
Hello to all readers, Pattaya Real Estate Market clients and advertisers. I have been unfortunately out on an assignment until around the 10th of next month.
Business is as usual as both Khun Sa and Khun Naan are there handling things. I am being forwarded messages and in the loop despite the very poor internet out here offshore. Please check back on the blog as i will be forwarded updates and able to help with translation I will still be updating this blog as much as i can in addittion to the forsaleinpattaya.blogspot.com and forrentinpattaya.blogspot.com blogs.
Having been stuck in a hotel in a remote town for the last three weeks in Malaysia made me realise just how much Pattaya and Jomtien have grown.
For example.
It was a 700B cab ride to the nearest atm machine.
Beer was on average 180B for a big bottle of Tiger and 22B for Heineken.$$$.
We had 15-30 minute waits for taxis, no sorng taews or motorbike taxis anywhere. Often very difficult to get one to come pick us up in an offbeat area.
As much as Pattaya and Jomtien have grown and as much as the congestion is building at least there is almost always cheap public transportation available, and a 7-11 close by not to mention the plethora of atm machines and the convenient access to your money. Looking forward to getting back. Thanks for all the support from our friends, family, clients, and advertisers!
Brian
Pattaya Real Estate Market Team
Business is as usual as both Khun Sa and Khun Naan are there handling things. I am being forwarded messages and in the loop despite the very poor internet out here offshore. Please check back on the blog as i will be forwarded updates and able to help with translation I will still be updating this blog as much as i can in addittion to the forsaleinpattaya.blogspot.com and forrentinpattaya.blogspot.com blogs.
Having been stuck in a hotel in a remote town for the last three weeks in Malaysia made me realise just how much Pattaya and Jomtien have grown.
For example.
It was a 700B cab ride to the nearest atm machine.
Beer was on average 180B for a big bottle of Tiger and 22B for Heineken.$$$.
We had 15-30 minute waits for taxis, no sorng taews or motorbike taxis anywhere. Often very difficult to get one to come pick us up in an offbeat area.
As much as Pattaya and Jomtien have grown and as much as the congestion is building at least there is almost always cheap public transportation available, and a 7-11 close by not to mention the plethora of atm machines and the convenient access to your money. Looking forward to getting back. Thanks for all the support from our friends, family, clients, and advertisers!
Brian
Pattaya Real Estate Market Team
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Will Thailand be able to cope with more Arrivals?
As Thailand continues to grow in both business travelers and tourism, will the much lamented Suvarnabhumi Airport be able to cope with these increasing numbers and what is Thailand and the AOT doing about it? I found this article in the Bangkok Post addressing the issue:
Suvarnabhumi Airport will need to carry out the next phase of expansion as soon as the current upgrade works are completed or faces yet again the perennial problem of capacity lagging behind traffic demand.
"The airport's phase 3 expansion will have to proceed immediately after the current phase 2 is finished over the next 5-6 years," Somchai Sawasdeepon, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told the Bangkok Post.
He raised this awareness as Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), the state-controlled operator of the country's six main airports including Suvarnabhumi, is attempting to bring forward the completion date of Suvarnabhumi's phase 2 expansion by one year to 2016 to cope with the rising traffic.
Suvarnabhumi has been plagued with congestion as governments and AoT did not heed to planners' suggestions that the expansion should be carried out right after the airport was opened in September 2006.
As Southeast Asia's busiest airport, Suvarnabhumi has been operating beyond its annual capacity of 45 million passengers for a few years and AoT foresees the passenger volumes of 52.2 million this year.
Suvarnabhumi is handling 830 flights a day, operated by 100 international carriers, with some 150,000 passengers passing through it each day.
Phase 3 would involve the construction of a second mid-field passenger terminal, the fourth runway and the expansion of the eastern wing of Suvarnabhumi's main passenger terminal.
Works under phase 3 would render an incremental capacity of 13 million passengers a year, allowing Suvarnabhumi to cope with the demand until 2022, according to Mr Somchai.
Continued expansion of Bangkok's airports are needed based on long-term projections of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA), he said.
Both organisations foresee passengers passing through Bangkok _ Suvarnabhumi and the old Don Mueang airport _ are expected to soar from 69.5 million in 2017, to 84.7 million in 2022 before reaching 102 million in 2027, an annual average growth rate of 3.4%.
AoT is working with EPM Consortium, its project management consultant for phase 2 expansion, to cut the development time to 58 months from 70 months, by trimming periods required for each work phase.
"It is a challenge to do so while ensuring the quality of works required, but that's possible," Mr Somchai said.
The long-delayed phase 2 project requires a capital outlay of 62.5 billion baht and will raise Suvarnabhumi's passenger handling capacity by 33% to 60 million passengers a year.
AoT is also attempting to embark on the construction of the third runway, which was originally part of the phase 2 expansion. It was subsequently detached following a series of trouble which hit the current two runways including a subsidence of a section of the western runway on July 5.
AoT now expects the physical construction of the third runway, 4,000 metres in length, paved with 73-cm-thick bitumen, and runs in parallel to Kingkaew Road, would be up and running just about the same as time as the completion of phase 2.
The undertaking is estimated to cost up to 13 billion baht, 7.8 billion baht of which would go toward compensating some 4,000 households affected by the construction, while the building cost itself is around 3.6 billion baht.
The Suvarnabhumi chief conceded that the third runway may not provide much of the relief to Suvarnabhumi's congestion, but will smooth traffic movements when the existing two runways go into maintenance.
Suvarnabhumi Airport will need to carry out the next phase of expansion as soon as the current upgrade works are completed or faces yet again the perennial problem of capacity lagging behind traffic demand.
"The airport's phase 3 expansion will have to proceed immediately after the current phase 2 is finished over the next 5-6 years," Somchai Sawasdeepon, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, told the Bangkok Post.
He raised this awareness as Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), the state-controlled operator of the country's six main airports including Suvarnabhumi, is attempting to bring forward the completion date of Suvarnabhumi's phase 2 expansion by one year to 2016 to cope with the rising traffic.
Suvarnabhumi has been plagued with congestion as governments and AoT did not heed to planners' suggestions that the expansion should be carried out right after the airport was opened in September 2006.
As Southeast Asia's busiest airport, Suvarnabhumi has been operating beyond its annual capacity of 45 million passengers for a few years and AoT foresees the passenger volumes of 52.2 million this year.
Suvarnabhumi is handling 830 flights a day, operated by 100 international carriers, with some 150,000 passengers passing through it each day.
Phase 3 would involve the construction of a second mid-field passenger terminal, the fourth runway and the expansion of the eastern wing of Suvarnabhumi's main passenger terminal.
Works under phase 3 would render an incremental capacity of 13 million passengers a year, allowing Suvarnabhumi to cope with the demand until 2022, according to Mr Somchai.
Continued expansion of Bangkok's airports are needed based on long-term projections of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA), he said.
Both organisations foresee passengers passing through Bangkok _ Suvarnabhumi and the old Don Mueang airport _ are expected to soar from 69.5 million in 2017, to 84.7 million in 2022 before reaching 102 million in 2027, an annual average growth rate of 3.4%.
AoT is working with EPM Consortium, its project management consultant for phase 2 expansion, to cut the development time to 58 months from 70 months, by trimming periods required for each work phase.
"It is a challenge to do so while ensuring the quality of works required, but that's possible," Mr Somchai said.
The long-delayed phase 2 project requires a capital outlay of 62.5 billion baht and will raise Suvarnabhumi's passenger handling capacity by 33% to 60 million passengers a year.
AoT is also attempting to embark on the construction of the third runway, which was originally part of the phase 2 expansion. It was subsequently detached following a series of trouble which hit the current two runways including a subsidence of a section of the western runway on July 5.
AoT now expects the physical construction of the third runway, 4,000 metres in length, paved with 73-cm-thick bitumen, and runs in parallel to Kingkaew Road, would be up and running just about the same as time as the completion of phase 2.
The undertaking is estimated to cost up to 13 billion baht, 7.8 billion baht of which would go toward compensating some 4,000 households affected by the construction, while the building cost itself is around 3.6 billion baht.
The Suvarnabhumi chief conceded that the third runway may not provide much of the relief to Suvarnabhumi's congestion, but will smooth traffic movements when the existing two runways go into maintenance.
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