Bangkok temporarily closed to large trucks during day from Dec 1

By The Nation

 

 

In a move to control PM2.5 levels in the capital during the dry, cool season, the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) has decided to stop six-wheelers from entering the city from December 1 onwards.

 

Some 23 agencies, including the Traffic Police Division, Pollution Control Department, Department of Industrial Works and the BMA, got together recently to discuss ways of solving the problem of PM2.5 (dust particles that are less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter).

 

At the meeting, it was resolved that:

 

• Vehicles with six or more wheels will be blocked from entering Bangkok from 6am to 9pm from December 1 until the end of February to reduce traffic and pollution.

 

• A dust measurement station in compliance with international standards will be set up in all 50 districts of the capital so people know the level of dust particles in their area.

 

• BMA will also be installing a dust metre in up to 20 parks in the city by November 13.

 

Bangkok residents are advised to check air quality using the AirBKK application before leaving home. The app can also provide forecasts on air-quality during morning rush hour (6am to 9am) and evening peak hour (3pm to 10pm).

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30396779

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-10-26

 

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I remember them floating this idea around some time ago and never thought it would happen. Progress, however small, is still progress. Kudos!

i wonder if there is some other reason for this? 

 

it would be nice if they can keep the Thai government weather site up. It has been down for days. no radar, no nothing.

It's not the trucks that are the problem, it's the BMA's own filthy polluting red buses and the local mini-buses. And there's a snowball's chance in Hell that they'll stop using them.

Six wheeled vehicles can be as small as a delivery van with double back tires. This seems too restrictive to keep businesses and products flowing smoothly. 

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

i wonder if there is some other reason for this? 

 

it would be nice if they can keep the Thai government weather site up. It has been down for days. no radar, no nothing.

Yes, it's frustrating, incompetence as usual.. In the meantime you can use Windy radar which gets its data from TMD

https://www.windy.com/-Weather-radar-radar?radar,13.681,100.583,8

 

16 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

i wonder if there is some other reason for this? 

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Stopping big trucks, like the ones they use to haul tanks around the country maybe ? Is someone at the top getting nervous about his future maybe ?

So they are going to out up lots of measuring equipment to inform them of something they already know and the best they got is banning 6 wheel trucks! Useless as ever Bangkok admin 

5 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Stopping big trucks, like the ones they use to haul tanks around the country maybe ? Is someone at the top getting nervous about his future maybe ?

 

Not stopping them from 9pm to 6am though.

 

I think it is great restricting truck movements in the capitol to only during the night.

16 hours ago, webfact said:

Vehicles with six or more wheels will be blocked from entering Bangkok from 6am to 9pm

 

Excellent….we need a good crackdown.

 

But according to strict, long-standing, time-honored, ‘Crackdown Protocols’ we should remember that only violators who refuse to pay the special ‘Crackdown Tax’ will be prosecuted.

 

Nothing to worry abut here….the new normal will have much in common with the old normal.

 

 

11 minutes ago, Techno Viking said:

 

Not stopping them from 9pm to 6am though.

 

I think it is great restricting truck movements in the capitol to only during the night.

True, should cut down on traffic congestion somewhat. I note that in the article it says "Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) has decided to stop six-wheelers from entering the city" and then further down "Vehicles with six or more wheels will be blocked".

It doesn't specify "trucks" and I see a lot of tour buses also have "six wheels" so I wonder if they'll be blocked as well. (You can probably already here the screaming in some places as tour bus operators and others all start clamouring for clarification and/or exemptions.)

Also, are they going to count actual wheels, or axles ? For example, regular school buses and smaller delivery trucks often have dual rear wheels, so "6 wheels" on 2 axles.

 

That would really cause havoc if they blocked all those types of vehicles as well.

16 hours ago, Buffy Frobisher said:

It's not the trucks that are the problem, it's the BMA's own filthy polluting red buses and the local mini-buses. And there's a snowball's chance in Hell that they'll stop using them.

That snowball is already rolling around the streets of Bangkok in the form of fully electric buses. 

 

 

40 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

True, should cut down on traffic congestion somewhat. I note that in the article it says "Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) has decided to stop six-wheelers from entering the city" and then further down "Vehicles with six or more wheels will be blocked".

It doesn't specify "trucks" and I see a lot of tour buses also have "six wheels" so I wonder if they'll be blocked as well. (You can probably already here the screaming in some places as tour bus operators and others all start clamouring for clarification and/or exemptions.)

Also, are they going to count actual wheels, or axles ? For example, regular school buses and smaller delivery trucks often have dual rear wheels, so "6 wheels" on 2 axles.

 

That would really cause havoc if they blocked all those types of vehicles as well.

 

I assumed they meant 6 axles, not 6 wheels.

If I decide to trash my house at night rather than during the day, does that make the trash somehow less?

Small reduction in pollution, I imagine, if trucks enter at night, as less sitting in traffic

18 hours ago, webfact said:

In a move to control PM2.5 levels in the capital during the dry, cool season, the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) has decided to stop six-wheelers from entering the city from December 1 onwards.

Oddly in Hua Hin PM2.5 levels are presently much higher than BKK. So it's those pesky 6 wheel trucks in BKK causing Thailand's horrendous air pollution and not the burning? Wow, who could have guessed. ????????????

https://aqicn.org/city/bangkok

 

Starting to get bad without any rain.

 

 

19 hours ago, Wuvu2 said:

Six wheeled vehicles can be as small as a delivery van with double back tires. This seems too restrictive to keep businesses and products flowing smoothly. 

A flip-flop is in the pipeline, when all routes into Bangkok are blocked by lorries parked up waiting for delivery time.

21 hours ago, Buffy Frobisher said:

It's not the trucks that are the problem, it's the BMA's own filthy polluting red buses and the local mini-buses. And there's a snowball's chance in Hell that they'll stop using them.

You are right about that but every little step helps , and when the bigger trucks will be driving at night when there is less traffic the polution will be less . I understand your point but don't be a glass half empty kind of guy , let's just hope it will happen and that it helps some . 

It's not the wheels that are the problem its non serviced diesel engines with clogged air and fuel filters belching out black smoke, don't matter if its a 44tonne truck or a badly serviced SUV  the fumes are just as deadly ????????

They are probably trying to make the air as clean as parts of Germany!

I don't understand, I supposed the NVG/LPG feeded trucks are very clean, or I'm wrong?

So this should be ok to drive through Bangkok as it has NO wheels or tyres in contact with the road 

This "No trucks" was the norm 20 years ago. But expect traffic jams as they all park-up on arterial roads waiting for 9pm.

7 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

That snowball is already rolling around the streets of Bangkok in the form of fully electric buses. 

 

 

But what if that electric bus has double wheels on the back?

The idea is not new here.

Long ago trucks banned from 6am until 10am & then 5pm til 8pm.

Great for the drive from & to home .

 

they could always do something that will help and stop burning the sugar cane upcountry

time to move to hydrogen power

On 10/27/2020 at 7:07 AM, Kerryd said:

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Stopping big trucks, like the ones they use to haul tanks around the country maybe ? 

Can't those vehicles do the same thing between 9pm and 6am when the ban doesn't apply?

On 10/27/2020 at 3:30 PM, KannikaP said:

But what if that electric bus has double wheels on the back?

Buses aren't trucks no matter how many wheels they have but are likely to be exempted and the regulations apply to vehicles entering the city.

1 hour ago, Legendary Monkey said:

Buses aren't trucks no matter how many wheels they have but are likely to be exempted and the regulations apply to vehicles entering the city.

How do they solve this problem in Accra?