Effects of pedestrianisation on the commercial and ... - Eco-Logica

esearch, liveability is expressed in the quality <strong>of</strong>
the local environment which will act as an
attractor <strong>of</strong> customers to the businesses in the
area. As stated in the Table 1, the changes in
sales volume and rental values were considered
to be good indicators <strong>of</strong> improved business
activity resulting from improved liveability.
Other things being equal, improvements in these
indicators can be attributed to an improvement
in the local pedestrianised environment.
Changes in sales volume
Sales volume is the sales volume <strong>of</strong> a retail shop
in a specified period <strong>of</strong> time. The sales volume
depends on various factors such as the
economic condition <strong>of</strong> the country or the area
and the amount <strong>of</strong> activity in the area. The
number <strong>of</strong> customers to the area is a direct
factor affecting the sales volume. If the area can
attract more visitors then the shops in the
location will have more potential customers.
Pedestrianisation tends to increase the sales
volume as it attracts more visitors to the area <strong>of</strong>
implementation (Plate 2). Even though the
economic condition <strong>of</strong> the country is good and
rising, unappealing areas don’t attract visitors
Plate 2:More customers is more sales
resulting in business closures in that area (Colin
Buchanan and Partners, 2001). Pedestrianisation
can remedy such a situation.
In the current study the respondents were asked
about the status <strong>of</strong> their sales volume. About
47% (Figure 2) <strong>of</strong> the respondents replied that
their sales volume had increased, “Sales
increased after the project, people like to walk
and shop...” replied one restaurant owner, while
35% said that their sales volume had not
changed, “...my business has not changed
much…because <strong>of</strong> the footpath shops..” said a
souvenir shop owner. The reason for this can be
attributed to the location <strong>of</strong> the shop which was
away from the mainstream pedestrian area and
also because <strong>of</strong> the services the shop <strong>of</strong>fered. A
few guest houses in the study were located
inside “soi’s” or lanes lacking direct contact with
the mainstream <strong>of</strong> the pedestrian activity.
“...the guest house is away from the main road
so not much affect but the tourists have to walk
with their luggage...” said a guest house
manager. It has been found that the
establishments which benefited the most were
the food and souvenir shops. It can be noted
from the activity <strong>of</strong> the street that not only
foreign tourists avail the retailing service, but
also the local Thai people buy from the shops on
Khao San Road.
Changes in the Property/Rental Values
Figure 3: Change in the Rental Values
Fluctuation in rental values in a commercial area
mainly depends upon the amount <strong>of</strong> business
done in the area. This sub-section will discuss
the results obtained on the vacillation <strong>of</strong> rental
values in Khao San Road. The respondents were
questioned about the changes in the rental value
<strong>of</strong> their business premises. The majority <strong>of</strong> the
responses (52%) (see Figure 3) expressed “no
World Transport Policy & Practice________________________________________________________
Volume 13.1 September 2006
42