Pattaya, Thailand-
Pattaya City leaders are considering a recent proposal from the Redemptorist Foundation, which supports people with disabilities, to make Pattaya a so-called “Walking City”.
Redemptorist, which is a leading international organization for people with disabilities and has experience in providing education for people with disabilities, made the proposal at a City Hall meeting on June 13th, 2023.
In essence, the proposal would begin to move the central parts of Pattaya from a vehicle centric area to a walking centric area which would also have substantial support for people with disabilities.
The proposal is in its early stages but some of the thought processes were that Pattaya City needs to badly repair footpaths across the area and create programs to encourage walking over driving private vehicles. This would also create areas which would make it much easier for those in wheel chairs to travel.
Traffic in Pattaya has long been a headache and as more tourists, both domestic and international, visit Pattaya seems to get even worse daily. This is, of course, compounded by regular events and traffic construction.
Pattaya Mayor Poramese Ngampiches is reportedly reviewing the proposal and agrees that encouraging more walking would alleviate traffic issues and also encourage personal fitness. The proposal is still in its infancy stages so specifics are not yet available.
