PHUKET: A public meeting is to be held in Phuket City on June 3 as authorities pursue the dream of a lightrail system to link Phuket International Airport with the holiday island's south and west coast tourist centres.
Phuket Governor Maitree Intrusud heads a committee that met yesterday and announced the meeting at the Metropole Hotel, which is likely to debate many of the issues surrounding the lack of an adequate public transport system on Phuket.
Overlooked so far in most proposals is the most important issue: how do authorities get people who have grown up using convenient but dangerous motorcycles to switch to a safer, slower means of transport, even if it has the advantage of keeping them dry?
The plan in brief is for a lightrail that starts in Surat Thani and runs through Phang Nga province, north of Phuket, linking in with the airport and proceeding south to Phuket City and Old Phuket Town. The lightrail would then go further south to Chalong Circle.
While the need for a public transport system is widely recognised, there are many obvious flaws in what's been proposed so far.
Most tourists are heading for Patong, Karon, Kata and other west coast destinations. A journey via Phuket City takes them out of their way. Buses to Kamala and Surin, north of Patong, using the Phuket coast road seem logical.
Putting more buses on the curving west coast road only increases the growing heavy traffic. Yet even Phuket's main arteries, particularly through Old Phuket Town, are too narrow to easily add a lightrail system.
One concern mentioned at yesterday's meeting was the possible effect a lightrail would have on the character and culture of the well-preserved Old Phuket Town area.
Governor Maitree also made the point that some kind of large terminus would need to be established on Phuket for lightrail vehicles. Yet property prices have gone through the roof.
Some experts say that buses are what's required, provided the service works so well that all the resorts currently busing their own employees to and from work can adopt the public system.
Getting tourists safely yet speedily to and from the airport at low cost remains one key issue. Persuading residents long used to the convenience of their own motorcycle or pickup is another.
More will be revealed on June 3 at the Metropole in Phuket City.
Phuket Governor Maitree Intrusud heads a committee that met yesterday and announced the meeting at the Metropole Hotel, which is likely to debate many of the issues surrounding the lack of an adequate public transport system on Phuket.
Overlooked so far in most proposals is the most important issue: how do authorities get people who have grown up using convenient but dangerous motorcycles to switch to a safer, slower means of transport, even if it has the advantage of keeping them dry?
The plan in brief is for a lightrail that starts in Surat Thani and runs through Phang Nga province, north of Phuket, linking in with the airport and proceeding south to Phuket City and Old Phuket Town. The lightrail would then go further south to Chalong Circle.
While the need for a public transport system is widely recognised, there are many obvious flaws in what's been proposed so far.
Most tourists are heading for Patong, Karon, Kata and other west coast destinations. A journey via Phuket City takes them out of their way. Buses to Kamala and Surin, north of Patong, using the Phuket coast road seem logical.
Putting more buses on the curving west coast road only increases the growing heavy traffic. Yet even Phuket's main arteries, particularly through Old Phuket Town, are too narrow to easily add a lightrail system.
One concern mentioned at yesterday's meeting was the possible effect a lightrail would have on the character and culture of the well-preserved Old Phuket Town area.
Governor Maitree also made the point that some kind of large terminus would need to be established on Phuket for lightrail vehicles. Yet property prices have gone through the roof.
Some experts say that buses are what's required, provided the service works so well that all the resorts currently busing their own employees to and from work can adopt the public system.
Getting tourists safely yet speedily to and from the airport at low cost remains one key issue. Persuading residents long used to the convenience of their own motorcycle or pickup is another.
More will be revealed on June 3 at the Metropole in Phuket City.
Corruptness of a system itself is demonstrated by bringing to a table superfucious solution, that are not suited resolve a problem at all by its design, except as for spending funds, and to claim on the basis of this imitation of useful activity, "we care about the people"
Same as the proposal of ferry line HKT-Haad PaTong
Posted by Sue on May 28, 2014 11:17