Move To Reduce Speed Limit On 40 Busy Bangkok Roads To 50km Per Hour

[Jack West Jr]

Pretty sure we all know this is not going to change a damn thing . Europe - northern and western Europe, that is -  is the world leader as far as making city traffic safer . How is  that done ? Answer :  ban cars from the city centre and create bicycle highways that are separate from motorised traffic . What's more : encourage cycling instead of driving . 

Of course, as most Thais are too lazy to walk or pedal 100 metres this is still a utopia. Maybe in fifty years or so .😔

[traveller101]

The missing ingredient is actual  measure(s) introduced  to "encourage" drivers to adhere to the new rule. Politely asking drivers to behave won't do the trick - not just in Thailand but everywhere in the world. Well maintained Speed cameras (overt and covert) are quite effective to produce the desired results.

[Purdey]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Award for the most stupid post today.

Accidents are caused by drivers not looking where they are going, not anticipating the action of other road users, and faulty vehicles. And quite often by vehicles being driven too slowly.

Do ALL drivers do 120 in a 80 or 50 zone?

Please do go back to the publicly release police reports on road accidents. Speeding is given as the main reason each time.

In 80 km.hr limits, I have seen Maserati and Porsches do 160.

Egg on the face much?

[kwilco]

4 hours ago, Purdey said:

Accidents are caused by drivers moving faster than the speed limit

your premise is incorrect.

[Arindos]

38 minutes ago, Jack West Jr said:

Pretty sure we all know this is not going to change a damn thing . Europe - northern and western Europe, that is -  is the world leader as far as making city traffic safer . How is  that done ? Answer :  ban cars from the city centre and create bicycle highways that are separate from motorised traffic . What's more : encourage cycling instead of driving . 

Of course, as most Thais are too lazy to walk or pedal 100 metres this is still a utopia. Maybe in fifty years or so .😔

 

I think the main problem with cycling and walking in South East Asia and South Asia is the oppressive heat. It's entirely possible to cycle short distances (around the village or town) but impractical to have an entire city planned for cycling around.

 

The best solution is to build dense public transport railway networks and implement bus lanes on all roads, reducing the capacity of roads for cars and forcing them onto the now efficient public transport. Then remove all parking spaces except for malls and introduce park & bus services. Finally, ban cars from all the walkable parts of Bangkok.

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, kwilco said:

your premise is incorrect.

They usually speed because they are pi55ed!

[stoner]

they have speed limits in thailand ? hmmm never noticed. 

[retarius]

Why bother when all drivers ignore the speed limits anyway and you have no police force to enforce the rule. 

[kwilco]

6 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Please do go back to the publicly release police reports on road accidents. Speeding is given as the main reason each time.

In 80 km.hr limits, I have seen Maserati and Porsches do 160.

Egg on the face much?

You are misinterpreting the "police reports" - speeding is subjective without proper road crash reports.

In Thailand te police reports are just amateur nonsense by untrained individuals

Speeding is a "factor" and seldom the single cause.

THe higher the speed the higher the possibility of serious injury.

In urban environments the density of traffic and the mix of road users e.g pedestrians and slow moving vehicles makes collisions more likely. To mitigate this it has been show that reducing speeds to around 35 kmph massively reduces the severity of injuries. 

THe likelihood of crashing is another matter - it is what happens when a crash happens.

 

Thailand has never had proper signage for urban speed limits either on entering or exiting. In some ppalces now they are introducing limit signs but the derestriction signs are often forgotten. Before it was up to the motorist to know by street lamp frequency etc when they were in an urban environment. 

What is needed now is a massive publicity campaign followed by some enforcement - it is a matter of changing the national motoring mindset about urban driving.

[kwilco]

8 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

They usually speed because they are pi55ed!

ah my stalker returns - with more inaccurate information.

 

DUI is Thailand is higher and cited as around 30 to 35% in RTIs - however this is about the same as many other countries, including the USA.

[Purdey]

Just now, kwilco said:

You are misinterpreting the "police reports" - speeding is subjective without proper road crash reports.

In Thailand te police reports are just amateur nonsense by untrained individuals

Speeding is a "factor" and seldom the single cause.

THe higher the speed the higher the possibility of serious injury.

In urban environments the density of traffic and the mix of road users e.g pedestrians and slow moving vehicles makes collisions more likely. To mitigate this it has been show that reducing speeds to around 35 kmph massively reduces the severity of injuries. 

THe likelihood of crashing is another matter - it is what happens when a crash happens.

 

Thailand has never had proper signage for urban speed limits either on entering or exiting. In some ppalces now they are introducing limit signs but the derestriction signs are often forgotten. Before it was up to the motorist to know by street lamp frequency etc when they were in an urban environment. 

What is needed now is a massive publicity campaign followed by some enforcement - it is a matter of changing the national motoring mindset about urban driving.

Of course there are reasons but speeding comes top of the list, whether it be speeding due to drunkenness, speeding and hitting a tree, speeding and losing control of the vehicle. But the Police put speeding at the top of the list. This is a capture of a Thai police presentation. The long blue line at the top of the graph says  "Driving faster than the speed limit".

 

[Purdey]

9 minutes ago, kwilco said:

You are misinterpreting the "police reports" - speeding is subjective without proper road crash reports.

In Thailand te police reports are just amateur nonsense by untrained individuals

Speeding is a "factor" and seldom the single cause.

THe higher the speed the higher the possibility of serious injury.

In urban environments the density of traffic and the mix of road users e.g pedestrians and slow moving vehicles makes collisions more likely. To mitigate this it has been show that reducing speeds to around 35 kmph massively reduces the severity of injuries. 

THe likelihood of crashing is another matter - it is what happens when a crash happens.

 

Thailand has never had proper signage for urban speed limits either on entering or exiting. In some ppalces now they are introducing limit signs but the derestriction signs are often forgotten. Before it was up to the motorist to know by street lamp frequency etc when they were in an urban environment. 

What is needed now is a massive publicity campaign followed by some enforcement - it is a matter of changing the national motoring mindset about urban driving.

No misinterpretation. It is all reported. All the things you say are mentioned by the police but under the line that states driving faster than the speed limit.

[Purdey]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Award for the most stupid post today.

Accidents are caused by drivers not looking where they are going, not anticipating the action of other road users, and faulty vehicles. And quite often by vehicles being driven too slowly.

Do ALL drivers do 120 in a 80 or 50 zone?

 

https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/2.23.Thailand-1.pdf

 

[bristolgeoff]

Busy streets during the day you lucky to do 50 maybe 10 to 20 is the speed.Bangkok traffic is crazy almost 24/7.Making it 50 from 80 will make little difference

[digger70]

Stupid Idea, Safety for pedestrians is to clear the Footpaths/Sidewalks from all the obstacles from Venders  and people putting their junk  on it and arrest All the Motorbike riders that use the Footpaths/sidewalks as it's Theirs to use as a Road.

[kwilco]

44 minutes ago, Purdey said:

No misinterpretation. It is all reported. All the things you say are mentioned by the police but under the line that states driving faster than the speed limit.

"It is all reported." - that's where your premise falls down - THailand has no reliable RTI reporting system - least of all the police.

THe graph you have used as a one quote wonder is from 2008.

The problem is that collisions in Thailand re not subject to a scientific report and then people don't knw how to interpret the statisitics - the t result is the uathorities don't actually know why the accidents happen and the public just draw hugely simplistic and wildly inaccurate conclusions.

 

Just saying "speeding" was th cause is an easy way for those investigating an accident to make the whole thing disappear.

What they don't do is accurately tell us how speeding is involved....or even what they think speeding is.

 

[Paris333]

I am Greek from Athens and I sent many mails and phone calls to Greek Police Department Headquarter and in Hellenic Parliament in order to vote Law that will imply speed limit inside of Towns at 30km and they finally imply recently speed limit at 30km in Towns.

Furthermore in order to be in accordance to climate change I please them to vote speed limit at 100km from 130km in highways ............

I will do it as "tourist"😎 in your New elected Thai Prime Minister Mr.Srettha Thavisin by copy/paste to imply speed limit at 30km as Netherland/Amsterdam imply from 08-12-2023 .😎

Sincerely Paris333 from Athens😎

Amsterdam from Friday 8-12-2023 the speed limit 30 km/h

On Friday 8 December, the speed limit on most roads in Amsterdam will be reduced to a maximum of 30 kilometres per hour (km/h).
80% of the roads in Amsterdam will have a speed limit of 30 km/h. The maximum speed will be clearly indicated on every road with the usual traffic signs.
Adaptation to the new speed limit
A different speed limit will take some getting used to, of course, especially for people who are behind the wheel every day. But in our city, we want to be mindful of others.
By driving a little slower, you ensure that navigating the city is safer and more relaxing for everyone.
As a driver, you'll have a better overview and be able to react more quickly to unexpected situations.
At 30 km/h, the braking distance is 13 metres, less than half that at 50 km/h (27 metres).
At a maximum speed of 30 km/h, we expect 20 to 30% fewer serious accidents. The probability of a pedestrian surviving an accident in which the car was travelling at 30 km/h is 95%.
We also believe that traffic noise will be halved. The city will be quieter and a more pleasant place to be.
Fatbikes and scooters also
The speed limit applies to everyone on the road and on the cycle track. So too for scooters and electric bikes. Anyone who exceeds the speed limit risks a fine.

Source:

https://www.amsterdam.nl/en/news/speed-limit-30-km/

If above link address do not open please open :

Source:

FRIDAY, 8 DECEMBER 2023 - 06:45
Amsterdam cuts citywide speed limit down to 30 km/h today

https://nltimes.nl/2023/12/08/amsterdam-cuts-citywide-speed-limit-30-kmh-today

 

30 is the new 50! | Amsterdam's new CITY-WIDE speed limit for DRIVERS

 

 

Edited February 13 by Paris333

[john11k]

12 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Just add it to the endless list of other laws that aren't enforced. And, actually, there is probably nowhere in the world where cars keep to the speed limit. Maybe one - I used to rent cars quite often when I went to the US and one time tried to floor it on a long, straight empty road. And I couldn't get it above the 55mph limit as it had been 'doctored'.

 

[john11k]

I drive for a living. ! Have done for fourthy odd years. 
I really don’t understand this thing of blaming speed on all accidents ! 
it’s the ideots who don’t use indicator’s change lanes without warning, pulling  out of junctions without looking 

on the phones. Or all the new technology in cars now. Or just not thinking ahead. 
or just didn’t learn to drive probably 

etc etc 

 

[Sydebolle]

There is a distinct difference between "Reduction" and "Increase", as verbs it would refer to "reduce" and "increase". 

Question to the editor of this article is, do you know the difference? 

[JayClay]

1 hour ago, Sydebolle said:

There is a distinct difference between "Reduction" and "Increase", as verbs it would refer to "reduce" and "increase". 

Question to the editor of this article is, do you know the difference? 

 

Very confusing post.

 

The limit is 80. The proposal for the new limit is 50. To me that appears to be a reduction of 30kph...

Edited February 14 by JayClay

[VocalNeal]

17 hours ago, Jack West Jr said:

Of course, as most Thais are too lazy to walk

 

in 30-degree heat? Of course, they are.

[Derek B]

On 2/13/2024 at 4:50 AM, webfact said:

pedestrian safety reasons

Really.......................

I have stopped using the official pedestrian crossings you simply cannot rely on Thai drivers to stop when they have a Red light. You would think going through a Red light would be a big deal not so in most Thai cities it seems.

[Zack61]

50? Dream of getting up to 50. Where do they dream up this stuff?

[Jackbenimble]

22 hours ago, biggles45 said:

Because the reason for the lower speed limit is "pedestrian safety". As the poster said, anything that forces pedestrians onto the road should be stopped. 

i see you have acclimatised well...........how long is it now?

[Kalasin Jo]

80kph on busy inner city roads with pedestrian sidewalks is crazy. 50 is a little better. On most European roads the speed limits in cities and towns is often no more than 40. Recent moves have introduced 30, even 20 there. Still the Bangkok reality is of congestion and very slow moving traffic most of the day and night..apart from motorcycles and scooters weaving in and out at death wish speeds and on the sidewalks.

[Kalasin Jo]

On 2/13/2024 at 12:17 PM, Tropicalevo said:

What is the point in doing this if no one enforces the speed limits.

From what I see every day, folk go as fast as they can or as fast as they want to go.

In the provinces it's often different. Drivers crawl along whatever the traffic conditions.

[Kalasin Jo]

3 hours ago, Derek B said:

You would think going through a Red light would be a big deal not so in most Thai cities it seems.

Indeed. But I was once stopped and fined for slowly running a red light in central Kalasin. The road was completely clear straight on and left and right. Been very cautious ever since.

[zhounan]

Just another idiotic global trend proposed by Ze Expert aims to fight climate change.

 

Reality check: you'll produce more congestion and more pollution.

 

[Sydebolle]

21 hours ago, JayClay said:

 

Very confusing post.

 

The limit is 80. The proposal for the new limit is 50. To me that appears to be a reduction of 30kph...

I do not want to be cheeky but 80km/h in Bangkok's downtown notorious traffic jam being "reduced" to 50km/h? Latter would be OK already but most of the time you snail through at anything +/- 20km/h - if you're lucky. Pay day, Friday evening, and it rains - forget all that!