Phuket Gazette poll: Will the Patong Tunnel ever see daylight?

PHUKET: A majority of Gazette online readers think the Patong Tunnel will become a reality some day – but they disagree on when that day will come.

In the latest readers’ poll, readers were asked: Do you think the proposed tunnel beneath Patong Hill will ever be built? And if so, when?

Overall, almost two-thirds of respondents (64.4%) thought the tunnel would eventually be built compared to just over one-third (35.6%) who thought it would not.

Of those who thought it would be built, 23.3% thought it would not open until after the year 2020. A similar proportion (23.9%) thought it would be built and opened between 2016 and 2020, while less than one-fifth (17.2%) said they expected the tunnel to open by the end of 2015.

According to demographic breakdown, Thais were far more pessimistic than their foreign counterparts. Most (56%) said they thought the project would never become a reality.

A clear majority of local foreign residents (62%) thought the tunnel would be built, but not any time soon – only 11% thought it would open by the end of 2015.

Respondents who identified themselves as tourists were by far the most optimistic. More than three-quarters (77%) thought the Patong Tunnel would be built some day. They were also more optimistic about the time-line, with more saying the tunnel would be open by the end of 2015 than after the year 2020.

To view the complete results click here.

For the results of a 2001 poll on the need for a tunnel click here.