For any new ex-pat or Tourist visiting this great city of Bangkok, one of the first and worst things you notice is the amount of traffic and the lack of “safety and awareness for pedestrians”.
Street heroes-Young adults helping to keep Bangkok roads safer
I stumbled across my heroes on the way home from work one day. A group of scouts from the Matthayom Wat Thatthong School right underneath the Ekkami BTS station.
Underneath the Ekkami BTS station.
So off I set with a camera and a list of questions to ask my new found friends. I was to find out from the Scout leader Khun Tanawat Suwannapan, that the project of helping strangers across the road first came to fruition after a friend had been knocked down and broke a leg.
Scout group
The Scout group took to helping people every day before and after school had finished for a good hour or so as I took my spot opposite the Zebra crossing, I was astonished how these young adults put their life at risk just to see if they can change people’s attitudes whilst driving on Sukhumvit’s busy stretch of road.
Sukhumvit’s busy stretch of road.
The leader explained to me that he wants his group and himself to bring “awareness” to road user’s and pedestrians alike.
The final word goes to the scout group, as I asked them for a group quote they shouted out in unison “Chai Tanon Plod Pai Mee Nam Jai Tor Gan ”
Which translates to ” Please use the road safely and be kind to each other ”
So if you are passing that way, please say hello and thank these guys for doing their bit to help. We should all be inspired to help and support people who try to change things for the better.
httpss://youtu.be/R8sbMIt8U3I