Bangkok to move forward with reorganising hawkers and vending stands

The move aims to tidy up the city by providing suitable while prioritising the safety and ease of travel for pedestrians, said the governor.

He added that BMA will discuss with street vendors to allocate suitable areas that do not block public footpaths. One of the possible solutions is to open vending zones on private properties, he said.

BMA’s City Law Enforcement Department has so far reorganised 96 vending locations for 6,048 vendors throughout the city. 86 of these locations, covering 5,419 vendors, have been approved by the traffic police.

Of the 86 approved locations, 55 of them have been officially announced as vending areas for 3,817 vendors, while the remaining 31 locations, covering 1,602 vendors, are in the inspection process.

The department has also asked the traffic police to revise the nine locations that have yet to be approved. These locations cover 629 vendors. 15,320 vendors are still opening their shops in 697 locations outside the permitted areas. 

The meeting on Wednesday also discussed regulations for vendors in permitted areas, including mandating that sellers must perform the business themselves, setting the size of umbrellas allowed in vending areas, and prohibiting leaving products, pushcarts, or other equipment on public roads.

Vendors are also required to keep the permitted areas clean and refrain from throwing garbage and wastewater into the sewers.

Chadchart added that the BMA’s effort in organising hawkers and vending stands will focus on limiting the number of sellers and permitted areas, providing vending zones on private properties, and working with the government in establishing functioning Hawker Centers.

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