Vehicle exhaust Pollution around condos

[DonniePeverley]

Long story short, we'd seen this perfect condo on Asok, Bangkok. Few minutes from the BTS and MRT. We were already to go, we arrive on the ground, and then it hits us - VEHICLE EXHAUST POLLUTION. Never in my life have i seen so many vehicles on Bangkok roads. 

 

Maybe coming from the UK, and seeing pollution massively cut, i've been climatised to things being 'cleaner'. My last few long stays in Bangkok have been during covid where traffic was light. But no longer, oh boy no more.

 

We got of the BTS and did the two minute walk up to the condo. Goodness sake, the volume of exhaust fume just hitting us made us ill. All of us have developed coughs these past few days. There's no escape from the pollution. Little side soi's all similarly packed with cars (and present you with the added bonus of accident risk). 

 

Yet we have viewed one of the most luxurious condos we've seen. When you are indoors you feel worlds away from the disgusting pollution a few yards away. We love it. But my goodness it's built on a main road. The pollution is just horrific. 

 

Why are condos in Bangkok built like this, surely it's better to build luxury in a nice neighbourhood, not next to heavy traffic ?!

 

Anyone have thoughts on this whole subject ?!

[novacova]

3 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

Long story short, we'd seen this perfect condo on Asok, Bangkok. Few minutes from the BTS and MRT. We were already to go, we arrive on the ground, and then it hits us - VEHICLE EXHAUST POLLUTION. Never in my life have i seen so many vehicles on Bangkok roads. 

 

Maybe coming from the UK, and seeing pollution massively cut, i've been climatised to things being 'cleaner'. My last few long stays in Bangkok have been during covid where traffic was light. But no longer, oh boy no more.

 

We got of the BTS and did the two minute walk up to the condo. Goodness sake, the volume of exhaust fume just hitting us made us ill. All of us have developed coughs these past few days. There's no escape from the pollution. Little side soi's all similarly packed with cars (and present you with the added bonus of accident risk). 

 

Yet we have viewed one of the most luxurious condos we've seen. When you are indoors you feel worlds away from the disgusting pollution a few yards away. We love it. But my goodness it's built on a main road. The pollution is just horrific. 

 

Why are condos in Bangkok built like this, surely it's better to build luxury in a nice neighbourhood, not next to heavy traffic ?!

 

Anyone have thoughts on this whole subject ?!

The only thought comes to mind is find one of the many places on the planet where you won’t exhausted?

[DonniePeverley]

6 minutes ago, novacova said:

The only thought comes to mind is find one of the many places on the planet where you won’t exhausted?

 

Come on now - there is levels of pollution, proximity to the pollution etc

 

In this instance, the walkway is very close to the road, so you may as well place your nasal passageway directly over the car exhaust. 

[blackcab]

Today in Bangkok the AQI was 34 and green. How would you cope if the AQI was red for days on end, as it often is at other times of the year? What about if the AQI was purple?

 

Poor air quality is an issue.

[KhunLA]

30 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

Long story short, we'd seen this perfect condo on Asok, Bangkok. Few minutes from the BTS and MRT. We were already to go, we arrive on the ground, and then it hits us - VEHICLE EXHAUST POLLUTION. Never in my life have i seen so many vehicles on Bangkok roads. 

 

Maybe coming from the UK, and seeing pollution massively cut, i've been climatised to things being 'cleaner'. My last few long stays in Bangkok have been during covid where traffic was light. But no longer, oh boy no more.

 

We got of the BTS and did the two minute walk up to the condo. Goodness sake, the volume of exhaust fume just hitting us made us ill. All of us have developed coughs these past few days. There's no escape from the pollution. Little side soi's all similarly packed with cars (and present you with the added bonus of accident risk). 

 

Yet we have viewed one of the most luxurious condos we've seen. When you are indoors you feel worlds away from the disgusting pollution a few yards away. We love it. But my goodness it's built on a main road. The pollution is just horrific. 

 

Why are condos in Bangkok built like this, surely it's better to build luxury in a nice neighbourhood, not next to heavy traffic ?!

 

Anyone have thoughts on this whole subject ?!

And you expected what ?

 

If the exhaust bothered you in August, hang around till mid Nov to mid May, and at 4 am when there no traffic, and the AQI reading is still 100-150 or more.

 

You think people still wear mask only because of silly covid.  They wore them long before covid.

Edited August 17, 2023 by KhunLA

[tomazbodner]

You can fix much of pollution indoors by using quality air filters and not opening windows much (although today pollution wasn't particularly bad, so you're in for a real treat a few months later when with or without cars you won't see the building across the road out your window), but outside it's of course a different story.

 

But area you're looking for is notoriously known for horrendous traffic, which was last tackled 20+ years ago by making it one way, but that was famously reversed by a TV chef and traffic was back overnight. That's what city center will look like in many cities.

 

So here's the thing - in the future, many cars will be replaced by electric vehicles so car pollution will ease, but that coming from other areas is likely to stay same or increase. If you're not interested in quality pollution mask when outside the condo, then that area isn't for you, but then you'll need to accept considerably less convenient location for moving around and shopping.

 

But if you stay, get used to wearing a mask outside and get good air cleaners. Just hope this is not Ashton condo. It might be demolished by the time you settle in.

[HauptmannUK]

Until I took early retirement in 2018 I was visiting Bangkok frequently for work. We had an office in Exchange Tower, Asoke. Certain times of the year were just horrible. I think I was there for the whole month of December one time and the air was really bad.  I'm not usually badly affected by air quality but it hit me badly that time. Its not somewhere I would choose to live. I remember having to work in Changsha, China, one time and the air was so bad you could see the pollution swirling around at street level and even taste it. I would wake up during the night with a pounding headache, flushed and sweating.

Edited August 17, 2023 by HauptmannUK

[observer90210]

Good luck for the activists who would like to ban cars in Sukhumvit area....

....at most it will lead to socially unfair societies like London and elsewhere, where only the rich who can afford the exorbitant tools will continue to pollute on daily basis.

[Bill97]

Who would expect clean air in Bangkok?

[DonniePeverley]

22 minutes ago, HauptmannUK said:

Until I took early retirement in 2018 I was visiting Bangkok frequently for work. We had an office in Exchange Tower, Asoke. Certain times of the year were just horrible. I think I was there for the whole month of December one time and the air was really bad.  I'm not usually badly affected by air quality but it hit me badly that time. Its not somewhere I would choose to live. I remember having to work in Changsha, China, one time and the air was so bad you could see the pollution swirling around at street level and even taste it. I would wake up during the night with a pounding headache, flushed and sweating.

 

 

Exactly how i feel. We're all coughing our heads off. Yet here you have a luxury condo, built in this hot spot. 

[DonniePeverley]

13 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Who would expect clean air in Bangkok?

 You confuse standard air pollution, and localised pollution. By localised pollution an example if you were standing next to someone smoking all day, or (in my case) walking along a pathway a few yards away from extreme car exhaust fumes. 

 

Am fully aware Bangkok is no Scandanavia for clean air, what i have not noticed is the extreme traffic pollution that in my opinion is now at the most extreme i've ever seen. 

[OneMoreFarang]

I live not too far away from that area. Here some impressions:

 

You are in the middle of the city! Maybe you walk 5min in smog. What's the alternative when you want to visit the middle of the city? Driving an hour from a not so polluted area into the middle of the city - for an hour in "a little smog"?

How often are you outside? I live in a high floor apartment - even if there is traffic on the ground floor, it's not on a high floor. And many of these buildings are high.

Few people walk along Asoke. Get a motorcycle taxi and it's over in 2min.

You get used to it.

 

Think about alternatives. I guess you thought about living there because it is in the middle of the city, and everything is available in walking motorcycle-taxi distance.

I have to admit whenever I am in an area with 7/11 father away then that, I am sure I don't want to live there. It's a choice.

[OneMoreFarang]

12 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

what i have not noticed is the extreme traffic pollution that in my opinion is now at the most extreme i've ever seen

Now it's a lot better than it was 20 years ago, especially with all those black smoke green little busses.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

 

Exactly how i feel. We're all coughing our heads off. Yet here you have a luxury condo, built in this hot spot. 

Where should it be built and if that location is removed far from the city, would you still want to buy it?

[DonniePeverley]

50 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Where should it be built and if that location is removed far from the city, would you still want to buy it?

 

Ideally i would have liked it a little set back, away from the traffic congestion and fumes. 

 

Do you see luxury condos on highways in the USA or UK ? 

Edited August 17, 2023 by DonniePeverley

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, DonniePeverley said:

Do you see luxury condos on highways in the USA or UK ? 

Asoke & Sukhumvit rd in general is not a highway, it’s the center of a vast city…

 

I lived in Soi 16 for a couple of years, I didn’t find issue with the pollution, but the gridlock in the evenings was horrific.

 

With more & more big condos central Bkk traffic seems worse.

 

It may well be better a live slightly away from the gridlock.

[ChaiyaTH]

I want to live in a capital city of the developing south east asia but please, we can't accept pollution in the city center, what to do!!?!?! Perhaps move outside of the city...?

 

What is next 2045? I went to park but it was just full with people, there was no space for me left. Everyone is trying to get extra social credits by doing their daily 1 hour walking.

Edited August 17, 2023 by ChaiyaTH

[Skipalongcassidy]

7 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Long story short, we'd seen this perfect condo on Asok, Bangkok. Few minutes from the BTS and MRT. We were already to go, we arrive on the ground, and then it hits us - VEHICLE EXHAUST POLLUTION. Never in my life have i seen so many vehicles on Bangkok roads. 

 

Maybe coming from the UK, and seeing pollution massively cut, i've been climatised to things being 'cleaner'. My last few long stays in Bangkok have been during covid where traffic was light. But no longer, oh boy no more.

 

We got of the BTS and did the two minute walk up to the condo. Goodness sake, the volume of exhaust fume just hitting us made us ill. All of us have developed coughs these past few days. There's no escape from the pollution. Little side soi's all similarly packed with cars (and present you with the added bonus of accident risk). 

 

Yet we have viewed one of the most luxurious condos we've seen. When you are indoors you feel worlds away from the disgusting pollution a few yards away. We love it. But my goodness it's built on a main road. The pollution is just horrific. 

 

Why are condos in Bangkok built like this, surely it's better to build luxury in a nice neighbourhood, not next to heavy traffic ?!

 

Anyone have thoughts on this whole subject ?!

Guess where... 

[Peterw42]

OP, there are plenty of condos in Bangkok, in quiet leafy suburbs BUT you wont be close to transport, shopping malls etc. Its usually one or the other.

[KhunLA]

5 hours ago, DonniePeverley said:

Do you see luxury condos on highways in the USA or UK ? 

yes

 

Big metro and you're expecting no local air pollution ... that's some funny sh!t right there...

Edited August 18, 2023 by KhunLA

[KhunLA]

@DonniePeverley

Will you be using the EVs of public transportation, your own EV, or contributing to the local air pollution driving your own ICEV or using ICEVs when using public trans. ?

 

Hypocrisy - the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.

Edited August 18, 2023 by KhunLA

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

@DonniePeverley

Will you be using the EVs of public transportation, your own EV, or contributing to the local air pollution driving your own ICEV or using ICEVs when using public trans. ?

 

Hypocrisy - the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform.

Because EVs don't contribute to air pollution. They get the power out of the wall socket, correct?

And the vehicles, batteries, etc. are all produced somewhere far away. It's their pollution, I don't do that.

Yeah, sure, so much about hypocrisy.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Because EVs don't contribute to air pollution. They get the power out of the wall socket, correct?

And the vehicles, batteries, etc. are all produced somewhere far away. It's their pollution, I don't do that.

Yeah, sure, so much about hypocrisy.

The complaint is about ground level, 'street' level exhaust fumes. 

 

Not sure where the coal burning, oil burning, electric generating plants are, but I don't think they are in metro Krung Thep, if any, as most electric is generated from natural gas in TH.

 

Hence the hypocrisy, if using ICEVs while in TH.   Actually, that last line use to be my signature.

 

Not the fault of the EV owners, that the gov't & PEA/MEA is controlled by fossil fuel corporations.  Not that we're all trying to save the planet, or all can even generate electric with solar or whatever other alternative.

 

We can only control so much, and a few of us are lucky enough to use solar for our EVs.

 

But I'm not going to complain about vehicle exhaust, and then hop in a ICEV without thinking I'm hypocrite..

[KhunLA]

And for those curious, list of power stations:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_Thailand

 

We actually had a coal plant below us.  Couple huge solar farms down that way now.

 

My EVs were made in CH, so yes, their problem ????

 

E-MB might have been made or assembled here, per their website.  But I have seen the exact same scooter on sale, at the 'Made in CH' sites.  Been to their 'manufacturing site' and looks a bit more like a warehouse, unless wrong place.

Edited August 18, 2023 by KhunLA