Claims that the longest elevated walkway in the capital would protect commuters from both rain and sun were fully discredited this week when it flooded during heavy rainfall.
Images of people clinging to the skywalk’s railings and tip-toeing along its elevated edge to avoid the flooded path were spreading online today after being shared online following Tuesday night’s deluge.
“Bangkok, the city with the perfect life,” Phudsachar Phongsay wrote sarcastically, quoting a blithe City Hall slogan for the capital.
In the 16-second clip, which has been shared more than 13,000 times, commuters are seen slowly inching along the edge as they desperately try to avoid the mucky torrent below, as the skywalk had turned into a water-flow.
While many flocked to mock the less-than waterproof walkway, user Surakrai Nikrothanonda pointed out that it could also be much more dangerous than a ruined pair of shoes or slacks.
“I’m not so scared of getting wet, but I’m more scared of an electrical leak that will electrocute me to death,” he wrote in a comment yesterday.
At 1.7 kilometers, the skywalk connecting BTS Udomsuk and BTS Bang Na was said to be the longest in Bangkok when it opened around this time last year. City officials said the skywalk was meant to be a way to “facilitate the general public” by helping pedestrians avoid sun, rain, street vendors and traffic.
What a way to celebrate its first anniversary huh?
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