Street vendors along Phadung Krung Kasem Canal in central Bangkok on Thursday met with city governor Chadchart Sittipunt to discuss landscaping projects and address traffic congestion.

The meeting at City Hall 1 was joined by related agencies, including the Department of City Law Enforcement, police stations and district offices of Pathum Wan, Pom Prap Sattru Phai and Dusit districts, through which the canal runs, BMA spokesman Aekvarunyoo Amrapala said.

Aekvarunyoo said the governor updated them on progress of the city’s landscape improvement project along both sides of the 5.5km-long canal and asked for cooperation from the vendors. He also discussed complaints raised by local residents regarding traffic congestion caused by construction in the areas with vendors and traffic police.

The meeting also explored ways to modernise shopping districts along the canal while preserving the charm of Bangkok’s Old Town and ensuring that shopping districts can cohabit harmoniously with residential zones.

“The move to overhaul the landscape and reorganise vending stalls along the canal had started since the administration of the former governor,” said Aekvarunyoo. “However, several vendors are opposed to moving out as the rent here is cheap and there is not much free space other than along the canal.”

He added that one of the solutions being proposed is dividing available space into smaller plots to accommodate more vendors. The meeting, however, agreed to also explore other options and propose them in subsequent meetings.

There are 719 vendors operating along the 5.5km-long Phadung Krung Kasem Canal, 534 of whom are in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, 110 in Pathum Wan and 75 in Dusit district.