Traffic blamed for air quality in Bangkok

[webfact]

Traffic blamed for air quality

 

 

Authorities plan to change fuel and launch the oddeven scheme BY 2029

 

THAI AUTHORITIES blamed heavy traffic for the severe air pollution, which has touched levels unsafe for people in the capital, while they vowed to kick off long-term measures to tackle the problem.

 

Among the measures being considered are a change of car fuel in 2023 and odd-even rationing in 2029.

 

At a press conference on the problem of dangerous particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in Bangkok, held by the Public Health Ministry, the Pollution Control Department (PCD), and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) yesterday, it was reported that there were still no signs of a sharp rise in respiratory diseases or air pollution-related deaths in Bangkok. The authorities, however, have come out with a long-term plan to monitor and control the problem.

 

 

According to air pollution reports from both the PCD and an international air-quality monitoring website, people in Bangkok continued to suffer from unsafe PM2.5 levels due to the cold weather in the capital this week that was conducive for air pollution, and too arid to create artificial rains.

 

Bangkok’s hourly real-time Air Quality Index (AQI), which is based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency standard, reported on aqicn.org that the PM2.5 level in Bangkok had reached 165 as of yesterday evening, which was unhealthy for everyone, especially vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and sick people.

 

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment permanent secretary Wijarn Simachaya revealed that air pollution in Bangkok was mainly caused by cars and the transportation sector. Auto registration data showed that there were up to 9.778 million vehicles on Bangkok’s roads.

 

As PM2.5 level at every air-quality monitoring station in Bangkok was considered unsafe since January, according to PCD records disclosed by Wijarn, he said the authorities have a plan to switch from Euro IV standard petrol to Euro V standard in 2023, which has a lower level of sulphur and is hence more environmentally friendly. He said the average PM2.5 records in Bangkok from 2016-18 were well above levels considered safe.

 

“The reason we have to wait that long to implement the fuel switching is because we have to provide enough time for the industrial sector to adapt to the new policy, but if the air pollution problem is still at a critical level, we will discuss again whether this measure can be implemented sooner,” he said.

 

BMA deputy permanent secretary Suwanna Jungrungrueng stated that as there were nearly 10 million cars in Bangkok, four times higher than Bangkok’s road capacity, and some 500,000 new cars were registered every year, the city not only has a severe traffic problem but also the high traffic volume emitted a large amount of PM2.5 into the air.

 

“Since Bangkok’s public transport system will be completed within the next 11 years, the BMA may come out with the odd-even road rationing similar to other major cities like Paris, which can cut air pollution in the city by half,” Suwanna said.

 

Explaining the air pollution in Bangkok, Kamon Phromsakha, a representative from the Meteorological Department, said in recent weeks the air mass had ensured the pollution in the city did not rise beyond three kilometres from the ground, hence the pollution could not drift away.

 

The department warned that the cold air from the high-pressure area in the North of Thailand, which aggravated air pollution in Bangkok, would last at least until this Saturday.

 

The cold snap also disrupted the short-term air-pollution relief measure of making artificial rains to wash away PM2.5 from the air. Central Region Royal Rainmaking Operation Centre’s Rattakorn Warunsukkhasiri revealed that the rainmaking operation, which began on Monday, failed due to the unfavourable weather condition.

 

“The cold air from the North has been stronger this week, reducing moisture in the air to only 30 to 40 per cent and it is impossible to make rain in such weather conditions,” Rattakorn said.

 

“We have to wait until next week until the cold snap weakens before we can try a rainmaking mission again.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30338860

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-15

[Dibbler]

Rain-making, along with wishful thinking and praying to the Gods, is unlikely to help.  Thailand needs to look seriously at other countries that have fixed the problem, and learn from them.  Enforcing regulations on polluters and increasing emission standards for private and commercial vehicles could be a start.  An easy one should be to enforce burn-off restrictions.  This problem is way beyond the capacity of the current "government" to fix.  Like road safety,  endemic corruption, and bringing hi-so to justice for crimes committed, the air pollution issue is an intractable problem for these people, and will end up being passed on to the next "government". 

[Lupatria]

Can't be long and someone discovers its the pesky foreigners in foreign cars to be blamed.

[Thian]

Too much traffic and smoke-sources and not enough filters.

 

Thailand should become the hub of tropical hardwood, plant more hardwood tree's all over the country....sell the wood, let nature live in the tree's, it will clean the air, use more rainwater and keep the climate more stable. It's much easyer than growing rice and makes more money. It will create a better climate to live in for humans and animals.

 

Promote very large shops (like Walmart and so) in BKK instead of all those small ones who need to have their own small trucks..big ones are better and they get stocked by big trucks. It will be easier to shop in BKK so less congestion so less pollution.

 

Promote efficient motobikes instead of big cars with stinking dieselmotors. electric vehicles would even be better.

 

[wirat69]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

BMA may come out with the odd-even road rationing similar to other major cities like Paris, which can cut air pollution in the city by half,

I am none the wiser.... does it mean that use of roads will be rationed, or use of cars rationed?

 

Checked it out.... odd number plates on the road on odd dates.... but..... its use was in 1997 and......

 

Paris Ends 'Odd Or Even' Limit On Cars After One Day

March 17, 201411:17 AM ET

 

 

Edited February 15, 2018 by wirat69
expansion

[SABloke]

I took 20min to drive 1.2 km yesterday. The reason for the journey time was that the traffic light cop left my lane red for...wait for it...12min! My car put an extra 10min of pollution into the air, because the RTP refuse to accept that, while automated traffic lights won't make traffic disappear, they are far more effective at keeping the traffic flowing. A knock on effect would be that the cops could then be on the street fining people who "jump" intersections at red lights, causing the cross flow to be impeded for some time while the intersection clears (Often by this time the light for the cross traffic has turned red again)

Edited February 15, 2018 by SABloke

[StefanBBK]

Solving traffic should be highest priority;

1) Expand and modernize public transport options, so that they become a viable alternative

2) Enforce existing driving rules

3) Tax inner city traffic (Congestion tax)

4) Re-design roads and review one way solutions 

 

At the same time provide huge tax incentives for environment friendly vehicles. 

Ban high emission vehicles from entering inner city.   

 

Simple, really... 

[wavemanwww]

The solution is the Fart Car Refer to Link>>>>

 

IMG_0441.mp4

Edited February 15, 2018 by wavemanwww

[kingstonkid]

The solution is simple.  Charge a large amount for parking downtown.  Make it more economical to take a van or bus

[saigonsunset]

Quote

How about finally getting rid of these outdated unefficient old buses that use 95% of their engine capacity to produce exhaust fumes rather then getting from a to b? If I am not wrong there are some 489 nice, new buses parked to rod somewhere in this city that for sure all together would emit less exhaust than any one of the old crappy buses. Let them be Chinese or not, Bangkok Needs them NOW!

 

 

[Micbozy]

If the Bangkok street routes and traffic lights were well designed, if the public transportation system is well established, if people could stop burning stuffs

[Morch]

The chart included says outdoor burning - 54%, transportation - 13%. So yeah, by all means, blame traffic. Could be wrong but I'd guess easier to dream up related budget-heavy projects related to the former.

[Dave67]

No shit Sherlock

[newnative]

    Way too many private cars on the road because BKK has a very poor subway system with far too few rail cars and far too few areas served.  The horrible bus system is geared to the poorest of the poor when it should be attracting riders from all economic classes.  Take a page from Hong Kong and Singapore.  Tolls on the highways result in long polluting traffic jams--sometimes to pay a 10 baht toll.  Really a super overhaul is needed with bus transit from the suburbs a high priority in new, comfortable, air-conditioned electric buses.  Taxes for driving into central BKK to help fund the buses.  Step up the expansion of the metro system.  Everything moving way too slow and, meanwhile, 500,000 new cars added every year.

[BobbyL]

To make this work they need to bring in foreign experts who have successfully planned and implemented such schemes. As usual though, will they accept such a thing, or will it be the usual 'You not know Thai, you not understand culture, you not know Bangkok'.

 

I had a mate who worked at Meinhardt here for a few years. He said it was very, very hard to work with local people here as they believed a foreigner couldn't tell them how to organise or build things in 'their' country. 

[alex8912]

By 2029??  No that is the election year and this will be put off until 2030!

[Autonuaq]

1 hour ago, StefanBBK said:

Solving traffic should be highest priority;

1) Expand and modernize public transport options, so that they become a viable alternative

2) Enforce existing driving rules

3) Tax inner city traffic (Congestion tax)

4) Re-design roads and review one way solutions 

 

At the same time provide huge tax incentives for environment friendly vehicles. 

Ban high emission vehicles from entering inner city.   

 

Simple, really... 

Just ban car from areas and make the people go back on the bike like it happened in the so called country of the bikes. Change the public transportation and provide free lines as they did. Also the have one of the highest average speed on the motorway and other roads where traffic is also very dense and manage to enforce traffic laws reducing the accidients too.

Adopt the sign and signal system and road views from them too they are all the product of long development.

American system can not cope with high density and narrow road

 

Also make the tree structure death ending all in dead end on the braches a more mazed network so people have more option to take a route to the destination

[MaxLee]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Traffic blamed for air quality

Took you centuries to find out, ......  

[djayz]

Great plan! Let's wait until 2023 and 2029 until we try to fix the problem. Until then, mai bpen rai. 

Ah the sheer genius of it all. 

[Thian]

47 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

To make this work they need to bring in foreign experts who have successfully planned and implemented such schemes. As usual though, will they accept such a thing, or will it be the usual 'You not know Thai, you not understand culture, you not know Bangkok'.

 

I had a mate who worked at Meinhardt here for a few years. He said it was very, very hard to work with local people here as they believed a foreigner couldn't tell them how to organise or build things in 'their' country. 

Even with the help of foreign experts they couldn't connect the skytrains to the metro's on the most convenient way....they even didn't make fans to blow on the waiting travellers....and the metro's are overcrowded, it's terrible to be in there.

Maybe they need Japanese experts for help...

[mike324]

lower the cost of bts, at the moment the lowest income can't afford to take the bts to work. The baht traveled per km is expensive for the standard of living in Thailand.

[CGW]

2 hours ago, Thian said:

Too much traffic and smoke-sources and not enough filters.

You mean too many illegal exhausts & un-serviced vehicles belching crap?

 

Thailand should become the hub of tropical hardwood, plant more hardwood tree's all over the country....sell the wood, let nature live in the tree's, it will clean the air, use more rainwater and keep the climate more stable. It's much easyer than growing rice and makes more money. It will create a better climate to live in for humans and animals.

Hardwood takes ~100 years to grow, what to do in the mean times? before the massive deforestation the 70 & 80s this may once have been possible.

 

Promote very large shops (like Walmart and so) in BKK instead of all those small ones who need to have their own small trucks..big ones are better and they get stocked by big trucks. It will be easier to shop in BKK so less congestion so less pollution.

So lessen the choice we have, end up with three or four companies that sell everything and put all the "mom & pop" shops out of business, sure once these huge companies have control of the market they wouldn't take advantage?

 

Promote efficient motobikes instead of big cars with stinking dieselmotors. electric vehicles would even be better.

Electric vehicles the way to go, have you not noticed near every motorcycle on the road is modified to make as much noise as possible which also effects emissions.

 

Not sure you have solved the problem, maybe created more?

[Thian]

8 minutes ago, CGW said:

Too much traffic and smoke-sources and not enough filters.

You mean too many illegal exhausts & un-serviced vehicles belching crap?

 

Thailand should become the hub of tropical hardwood, plant more hardwood tree's all over the country....sell the wood, let nature live in the tree's, it will clean the air, use more rainwater and keep the climate more stable. It's much easyer than growing rice and makes more money. It will create a better climate to live in for humans and animals.

Hardwood takes ~100 years to grow, what to do in the mean times? before the massive deforestation the 70 & 80s this may once have been possible.

 

Promote very large shops (like Walmart and so) in BKK instead of all those small ones who need to have their own small trucks..big ones are better and they get stocked by big trucks. It will be easier to shop in BKK so less congestion so less pollution.

So lessen the choice we have, end up with three or four companies that sell everything and put all the "mom & pop" shops out of business, sure once these huge companies have control of the market they wouldn't take advantage?

 

Promote efficient motobikes instead of big cars with stinking dieselmotors. electric vehicles would even be better.

Electric vehicles the way to go, have you not noticed near every motorcycle on the road is modified to make as much noise as possible which also effects emissions.

 

There are many more hardwood species on the world which thailand has never heard of because they can't read english. Not all of them grow very slow and some even produce nice fruit as well.

 

Yes the mom and pop stores should disappear and so do many markets. If companies like Aldi or Lidl were here the pricefighting would start immediatly bringing prices down and quality up.

 

Yes motocycles are modified since it's safer to drive a noisy bike...mine is very silent which brings me in danger many times, even the security guards who have to open the barrier don't hear me when i'm 1 meter away from them and waiting.

Motocycles should be silent but even more EVERYTHING that drives on the rivers....the jetski's and longtailboats you can hear 5 km away of the water....at the river it's nice to live but not with those open exhaust noisemakers.

On the chaopraya there's no rules at all it seems, after dark there are many boats who have no light AT ALL...and open exhausts of course.

 

Bangkok needs a buildingstop, they built enough already. All the bare land should become places for tree's to support wildlife and produce clean air. Also the tourists should land on other airports outside BKK, it's just far too busy already.

[LALes]

Something doesn't jibe here.  The traffic is blamed for the smog but its only 13%.  

The traffic has always been bad in BKK but the air is getting much worse this year.

I've never seen air this bad for this long.  So many days over 150 on the index.

[Thian]

1 minute ago, LALes said:

Something doesn't jibe here.  The traffic is blamed for the smog but its only 13%.  

The traffic has always been bad in BKK but the air is getting much worse this year.

I've never seen air this bad for this long.  So many days over 150 on the index.

Building of the new skytrains causes a lot of extra congestion and burned diesel.

 

Also the Mitsubishi sports Fortuners have dieselengines these days and they sound like prehistoric tractors. Not like new diesels at all.

 

There's much more airtraffic last years above BKK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CGW]

21 minutes ago, Thian said:

There are many more hardwood species on the world which thailand has never heard of because they can't read english. Not all of them grow very slow and some even produce nice fruit as well.

 

Yes the mom and pop stores should disappear and so do many markets. If companies like Aldi or Lidl were here the pricefighting would start immediatly bringing prices down and quality up.

 

Yes motocycles are modified since it's safer to drive a noisy bike...mine is very silent which brings me in danger many times, even the security guards who have to open the barrier don't hear me when i'm 1 meter away from them and waiting.

Motocycles should be silent but even more EVERYTHING that drives on the rivers....the jetski's and longtailboats you can hear 5 km away of the water....at the river it's nice to live but not with those open exhaust noisemakers.

On the chaopraya there's no rules at all it seems, after dark there are many boats who have no light AT ALL...and open exhausts of course.

 

Bangkok needs a buildingstop, they built enough already. All the bare land should become places for tree's to support wildlife and produce clean air. Also the tourists should land on other airports outside BKK, it's just far too busy already.

I wasn't aware that there were in fact hardwood species that are fast growing, can you name a few?

 

Not so sure the thousands of Mom & Pop shops would agree with your desire to see them all gone! I would say its the bad side of globalization, better the money goes to the local population than a shareholder in a rich country, most of these stores are incredibly wealthy already, yet they want more!

 

Are noisy motorcycles safer, or is the standard of driving so low that you need to make a lot of noise to be seen, from what I see the average person has a high tolerance to noise, regardless off why it is not healthy! I live in a sparsely populated area, virtually every motorcycle makes illegal levels of noise, there is very little traffic on the roads, safer or plain selfish, I know what my opinion is.

 

I agree Bangkok and many other cities need to stop building, its not going to happen! have you not noticed they like to "herd" people together in confined spaces worldwide, easier to control that way!

 

In the nineties Bangkok had a similar problem, this seems to have been forgotten, probably because they have done nothing since then, no need as the weather patterns have been favorable, they used to check vehicle exhausts for emissions and they made a concerted effort to reduce the number of two-stroke motorcycles, they seem to have forgotten this fact!

[johnny49r]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Authorities plan to change fuel and launch the oddeven scheme BY 2029

Wow, talk about kicking the can down the road! These guys kicked it over the grand canyon. 

 

[PatOngo]

3 hours ago, StefanBBK said:

Solving traffic should be highest priority;

1) Expand and modernize public transport options, so that they become a viable alternative

2) Enforce existing driving rules

3) Tax inner city traffic (Congestion tax)

4) Re-design roads and review one way solutions 

 

At the same time provide huge tax incentives for environment friendly vehicles. 

Ban high emission vehicles from entering inner city.   

 

Simple, really... 

Simple, really    is anything simple here?

[1337markus]

Really you couldnt invent this BS. More cars in Bangkok than Chiang Mai; true?  AQI in Bangkok around 120 in Chiang Mai last few days averaging 160. Traffic blamed, nah!  Back to the lottery wheel to get another excuse.

[PumpkinEater]

My two cents as a Airline pilot flying the Asia and China...

While certainly Thailand needs to clean up its act, we are missing the elephant in the room. CHINA!

 

We all know the air quality was within limits during the months of Westerly wind (lower level wind), and upper level Easterly weather fronts. 

 

The pollution level tops out roughly 8-10000ft in China and Thailand. Above is nice clean air, and I open the air vents as I climb out of the pollution layer enjoying the air that is a basic human right.

 

The Winter months bring cold air (lower air)from the North ALONG WITH THE CHINESE POLLUTION. The higher levels of particulants in the cities is the result of the mix of Chinese smog and Thai local pollution.

 

There is a continuous pollution layer from China to Thailand which disapates around Chumpon southward as the lower airflow in southern Thaialnd is mainly Southeast off the gulf. During rainy (hot) season the pollution is limited to China and of course local Bangkok.

 

We need leaders that are enlightened and progressive on our small planet. Without this we all need to pressure and educate our leaders which are driven by corruption and greed.

 

Cheers!