Damrong Sawaengkaweelert (center), deputy
director of DASTA, presides over the meeting.
Warunya Thongrod
Subways, high-speed trains and airports options are being considered by
national planning officials who have begun a seven-month study to
develop a transportation master plan for the greater Pattaya area.
Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration is paying Pisut
Technology Co. 15 million baht to draft the plan to integrate
transportation in Pattaya and nine surrounding sub-districts. At a March
27 meeting, Pisut consultants said initial plans include connection of
high speed trains, development of park-and-ride lots, “development
piers,” a unified public-transport system, and even air transport.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome, who early in his first term suggested Pattaya
needs an elevated “skytrain” system, led audience members in suggesting
the consultants should study a subway system linking Pattaya-area
communities.
“I believe subway trains would help solve traffic issues very well since
there is an increase in the number of cars exiting and entering Pattaya
city every year,” agreed Pattaya Business & Tourism Association
President Sinchai Wattanasartsathorn.
Consultants said the their report will take into consideration
transportation initiatives already being built or in planning, including
high-speed trains, the Buraphawithi-Pattaya highway, Pattaya-Maptaput
highway and proposed bypass tunnels under three Sukhumvit Road
intersections. The final plan will split proposed projects into five
development phases.
DASTA began work on redeveloping Pattaya in August 2011, calling for 15
billion baht in funding over 10 years for 132 projects in Pattaya and
nine surrounding sub-districts. Very little of the plan has been
implemented, as national politicians have shown little enthusiasm to
fund the long list of pork-barrel projects largely suggested by
Itthiphol, including the skytrain idea. In 2012, the Cabinet axed 56
projects and cut the total package by 38.5 percent to 9.2 billion baht
over eight years.
Set up by a 2003 royal decree, DASTA was given a mission to integrate
and oversee tourism development in areas designated to have superb
natural environments, cultural and traditional importance and have been
developed for tourism purposes.
DASTA Deputy Director Dumrong Saengkaweelert and Thaweepong Wichaidit,
manager for the Pattaya Special and Adjacent Areas Office, said a
comprehensive transportation master plan is needed desperately in
Pattaya, which now attracts more than 9 million visitors a year. Streets
and highways, they said, have been simply unable to cope with the
meteoric growth in tourist numbers over the past decade.
“It is great that DASTA is supporting us here since we can use the
master plan to connect over 930 sq. kilometers of all nine areas to
build a citywide transportation system,” Itthiphol said. “Each area can
present their plans to the working committee for consideration in order
to build a consistent master plan for each area’s development to proceed
in the same direction.”
