BANGKOK, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Silom Road, a major business area in Bangkok's heartland, will open as a walking street for a second consecutive Sunday this month, a senior government official said on Wednesday.
Following last Sunday's success, Silom Road will partly open to pedestrians and partly close to automobiles on the upcoming Sunday to encourage visitors to lunch or dine at restaurants and do shopping with vending stalls temporarily erected on the sidewalks, confirmed Prasarn Wangratanapranee, assistant to the minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office.
Last Sunday, as many as 80,000 people, Thai and foreign, visited Silom walking street and spent some eight million baht (about 264,288 U.S. dollars) in a single day, Prasarn said.
Silom Road, which is heavily congested with automobiles on weekdays, was earlier planned to become a walking street only on the third Sunday of each month.
Besides, Yaowarat Road, which is part of Bangkok's China Town, opens as a walking street on weekends for people to dine at famous restaurants or food shops on either side of the road.
Elsewhere in the provinces nationwide, such walking streets will also open on the upcoming Sunday, he said.
