Welcome to the first of my regular columns - Talking Point - which will appear every week on the English Click website. Topics commented on will cover a wide range of different news items, events and activities happening both here in Thailand and in other countries.
One news story I have just read is that Bangkok's Governor Apirak is planning to spend 15 billion baht over the next year on projects that are designed to improve the city and the lives of its residents. That sounds like good news to me!
Out of the total budget, the largest share - 12 billion baht - is scheduled to go towards extending the mass transit systems like the BTS and BRT and improving the road infrastructure. Anybody who lives in Bangkok knows just how frustrating it can be to be caught in a massive traffic jam, and any measures to speed up travelling around the city are certainly more than welcome.
2 billion baht is earmarked for recreational and knowledge facilities such as libraries, cultural centres, museums and exhibition centres, and a further 1 billion baht is going towards improving the environment with 9 new public parks. It's great to hear that there will be more green spaces in the 'concrete jungle'!
Another 700,000 baht is being allocated to upgrading some of the inner city's footpaths, a much needed project for us pedestrians. I just hope they fix up some of the pavements I use on an almost daily basis!
John |
