Bangkok, The Capital Of Gridlock

[chevykanteve]

(partial copy)

As a Bangkok traffic policeman, Phichet Wisetchoke carries the usual tools of his trade: a baton, a sheaf of tickets, a mask to repel smog--and a tiny umbilical-cord clamp. Traffic in Thailand's capital snarls with such ferocity that hundreds of women over the past few years have been forced to give birth in cars. So the Royal Thai Traffic Police has trained 145 of its officers in basic midwifery. Phichet, who carries bundles of gauze and an aspirator to clear newborns' noses, has delivered nine babies in traffic--two in February alone. "I wanted to be a policeman because I thought it would be fun to catch bad guys," says Phichet, who has no children of his own. "But this is Bangkok, and the traffic is so bad, I have an even better job: bringing babies into the world."

A megacity tries to unravel the world's worst traffic jams. Photographs by Philip Blenkinsop / NOOR for TIME

And what a gridlocked world that is. Bangkok trumps Mexico City, Los Angeles and other megacities in its capacity to come to a standstill. Police don't consider traffic bad until a car is stationary for at least an hour. Really bad is two hours.

Some 5.7 million vehicles inch through Thailand's capital: trucks, tractors, buses, motorcycles, sedans, auto rickshaws and the occasional elephant. As an increasing number of Thais announce their arrival in the middle class with a gleaming new car, more than 2,000 vehicles are added to Bangkok's roads each day. Yet only 4.4% of Bangkok's total area is paved, compared with 20% of many U.S. cities. Bangkok's city planners have tried to alleviate traffic with a public-rail network, but the subway and elevated Skytrain are sorely inadequate. The Skytrain, for instance, covers only downtown Bangkok and doesn't take commuters to the city center; an extension originally scheduled to open in 2002 still hasn't been finished. Each day, only 700,000 trips are made on Bangkok's rail system, compared with 6.5 million on public buses and 10 million in private vehicles. "Even if we build 100 more roads, it still won't be nearly enough," says Pharnu Kerdlarpphon, deputy commissioner of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police. "We need a complete overhaul of Bangkok's transportation system, but there's no sign of that happening anytime soon."

How did this metropolitan area of 10 million grind to a halt? Just a few decades ago, the Thai capital was a tropical outpost crisscrossed by canals and surrounded by rice paddies. By the 1970s, the city began to boom, in part because of an influx of American soldiers seeking R. and R. from the Vietnam War. Even back in 1972, with only 243,000 cars on the streets, Bangkok had trouble coping with all the new Buicks and Toyotas. As a stopgap solution, local planners paved over city canals. The result is a haphazard road network on which the average car spends the equivalent of nearly 45 days a year stuck in traffic. Even worse, the declining number of canals, which once served as reservoirs for rain, means that substantial portions of the city flood during the five-month-long wet season. The rising water invariably short-circuits traffic lights, turning intersections into free-for-alls.

The omnipresent traffic has changed the way Bangkok residents live--and wards off some foreign investors. To avoid the worst congestion, kids are often bundled into cars before dawn while they're still asleep. They arrive at school sometimes hours before the bell rings and eat breakfast and brush their teeth, all while parked meters from their school. Vendors tempt idled commuters with everything from doughnuts and cell-phone-card refills to garlands of jasmine--sometimes used as offerings to the gods of traffic. More than $1 billion in productivity is lost every year to traffic jams. No surprise, then, that while reporting this story, I was late by nearly an hour to every interview because of traffic.

Late arrivals aside, most locals are remarkably sanguine about the gridlock. Road rage rarely erupts, perhaps because of a Buddhist equanimity that helps keep tempers in check. Packs of stray dogs have learned to nap between stopped cars on roadways that were ambitiously designed to accommodate 90 km/h (56 m.p.h.) travel. (The average pace during the morning rush hour is 15 km/h, or 9 m.p.h.) ............

[jonniebkk]

I read a statistic once that the main reason for the traffic gridlock in Bangers is that only about 8% of the surface area of the city is devoted to roads - whereas most urban/traffic planners recommend that it should be around 20% to maintain optimum traffic flow.

So basically Bangers has less than half the roads it needs

[BigSnake]

Yes it is, remember one fellow, who is now the MAN said he could solve the problem in 6 month if he was PM.

[PeaceBlondie]

Yes it is, remember one fellow, who is now the MAN said he could solve the problem in 6 month if he was PM.

That reminds me of the election promise of Vicente Fox in 2000 in Mexico, that he would solve the Zapatista conflict in a few minutes. In six years, he never did. Don't you just love to hate politicians?

Traffic congestion (I did not know BKK is now rated as the world's worst) is one reason I would never live there, and have always hated even getting into the city.

[bino]

(I did not know BKK is now rated as the world's worst)

I didn't know that either- not sure if I believe it. I've experienced the traffic in Jakarta, and it is waaay worse than BKK.

[gunnyd]

It's pretty horrible traffic wise. I can walk faster to the BTS station, that is about 2 Km from where I stay, then if I took a taxi (Suk soi 22). And I have spent 45 minutes going from in front of the Philippine Embassy (Suk soi 34) to Suk soi 22 in a taxi. I take the BTS or the Metro line whenever possible. There's nothing like spending 2 1/2 hours in the back of a taxi riding from Bangkapi to Suk soi 22. But sometimes it's raining and steaming hot at the same time and I pay for the aircon of the taxi, not the speed.

GunnyD

[Shah Jahan]

when I am in KL and my guy tells me that traffic is bad today I just laugh.........traffic isnt bad until you dont move for 1/2 hour

manila can be pretty crappy, especially since there are no super-highways or usable public trans (wait in line for an hour to buy you lightrail ticket)

but since there are no traffic lights, manila traffic never stops moving, just crawls along at 5km/hr

but really the BKK traffic never bothers so much because if you are clever, you never have to wait, just know the right times and places to jump in a taxi and when to take the MRT or a motorbike taxi.

But if i had to lug a family around BKK, that would be a different story.

[chevykanteve]

when I am in KL and my guy tells me that traffic is bad today I just laugh.........traffic isnt bad until you dont move for 1/2 hour

manila can be pretty crappy, especially since there are no super-highways or usable public trans (wait in line for an hour to buy you lightrail ticket)

but since there are no traffic lights, manila traffic never stops moving, just crawls along at 5km/hr

but really the BKK traffic never bothers so much because if you are clever, you never have to wait, just know the right times and places to jump in a taxi and when to take the MRT or a motorbike taxi.

But if i had to lug a family around BKK, that would be a different story.

"Right times" meaning.... 2 am? 4 am?

[petecooper]

There's no way that Bangkok has the "world's worst" traffic. Have you ever been to Mumbai? Bangkok is a delight in comparison.

[madjbs]

Same as usual..whatever they are writing about at the time is always "the worst" or "the most dangerous". Although the traffic can be bad it is easily avoided if you know the bad spots and times.

[a2396]

What's the complete link for this story? I assume it is Time Magazine. Many large cities have horrendous traffic jams, particularly during peak hours. Not my choice to live in such places, if possible.

[Shah Jahan]

"Right times" meaning.... 2 am? 4 am?

there are ways, especially if you know where the expressway entrances are.

but again - to get around BKK like a master, you must be unencumbered and be ready to use 3-4 different forms of transport (taxi, motorcycle, MRT, skytrain)

[thaihome]

(I did not know BKK is now rated as the world's worst)

The article did not say that, just mentioned a few other large cities. Clever writing to make you think that. If someone really wants to see gridlock, go to Mumbai. Bangkok is a breeze.

TH

[xbusman]

What traffic. I keep mainly to the sidewalks and seldom need to slow down for anything other than elephants, they do have the right of way after all, they are larger.

[kiakaha]

(partial copy)

As a Bangkok traffic policeman, Phichet Wisetchoke carries the usual tools of his trade: a baton, a sheaf of tickets, a mask to repel smog--and a tiny umbilical-cord clamp. Traffic in Thailand's capital snarls with such ferocity that hundreds of women over the past few years have been forced to give birth in cars. So the Royal Thai Traffic Police has trained 145 of its officers in basic midwifery. Phichet, who carries bundles of gauze and an aspirator to clear newborns' noses, has delivered nine babies in traffic--two in February alone. "I wanted to be a policeman because I thought it would be fun to catch bad guys," says Phichet, who has no children of his own. "But this is Bangkok, and the traffic is so bad, I have an even better job: bringing babies into the world."

A megacity tries to unravel the world's worst traffic jams. Photographs by Philip Blenkinsop / NOOR for TIME

And what a gridlocked world that is. Bangkok trumps Mexico City, Los Angeles and other megacities in its capacity to come to a standstill. Police don't consider traffic bad until a car is stationary for at least an hour. Really bad is two hours.

Some 5.7 million vehicles inch through Thailand's capital: trucks, tractors, buses, motorcycles, sedans, auto rickshaws and the occasional elephant. As an increasing number of Thais announce their arrival in the middle class with a gleaming new car, more than 2,000 vehicles are added to Bangkok's roads each day. Yet only 4.4% of Bangkok's total area is paved, compared with 20% of many U.S. cities. Bangkok's city planners have tried to alleviate traffic with a public-rail network, but the subway and elevated Skytrain are sorely inadequate. The Skytrain, for instance, covers only downtown Bangkok and doesn't take commuters to the city center; an extension originally scheduled to open in 2002 still hasn't been finished. Each day, only 700,000 trips are made on Bangkok's rail system, compared with 6.5 million on public buses and 10 million in private vehicles. "Even if we build 100 more roads, it still won't be nearly enough," says Pharnu Kerdlarpphon, deputy commissioner of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police. "We need a complete overhaul of Bangkok's transportation system, but there's no sign of that happening anytime soon."

How did this metropolitan area of 10 million grind to a halt? Just a few decades ago, the Thai capital was a tropical outpost crisscrossed by canals and surrounded by rice paddies. By the 1970s, the city began to boom, in part because of an influx of American soldiers seeking R. and R. from the Vietnam War. Even back in 1972, with only 243,000 cars on the streets, Bangkok had trouble coping with all the new Buicks and Toyotas. As a stopgap solution, local planners paved over city canals. The result is a haphazard road network on which the average car spends the equivalent of nearly 45 days a year stuck in traffic. Even worse, the declining number of canals, which once served as reservoirs for rain, means that substantial portions of the city flood during the five-month-long wet season. The rising water invariably short-circuits traffic lights, turning intersections into free-for-alls.

The omnipresent traffic has changed the way Bangkok residents live--and wards off some foreign investors. To avoid the worst congestion, kids are often bundled into cars before dawn while they're still asleep. They arrive at school sometimes hours before the bell rings and eat breakfast and brush their teeth, all while parked meters from their school. Vendors tempt idled commuters with everything from doughnuts and cell-phone-card refills to garlands of jasmine--sometimes used as offerings to the gods of traffic. More than $1 billion in productivity is lost every year to traffic jams. No surprise, then, that while reporting this story, I was late by nearly an hour to every interview because of traffic.

Late arrivals aside, most locals are remarkably sanguine about the gridlock. Road rage rarely erupts, perhaps because of a Buddhist equanimity that helps keep tempers in check. Packs of stray dogs have learned to nap between stopped cars on roadways that were ambitiously designed to accommodate 90 km/h (56 m.p.h.) travel. (The average pace during the morning rush hour is 15 km/h, or 9 m.p.h.) ............

also there is the fact that red lights in thailand dont really mean stop, they mean think about stopping or dont worry you have another 10 seconds to amble into the intersection and stop there..therefore the traffic light algorithms and timings are rendered useless. coupled with several other problems too of course.

[gunnyd]

also there is the fact that red lights in thailand dont really mean stop, they mean think about stopping or dont worry you have another 10 seconds to amble into the intersection and stop there..therefore the traffic light algorithms and timings are rendered useless. coupled with several other problems too of course.

Most of the busy intersections are controlled by the police. After spending time behind red lights of infinity on many occasions, I noticed the shelters shaped like big police helmets. Out of curiousity I walked behind one of the many police helmets I noticed the officer controlling the lights. I assume they do it during peak traffic (which is pretty much round the clock) and let the computers take control since so many lights have timers attached.

Compared to the Philippines the Thais are pretty good about following the lights. Filipinos take traffic lights and signs as a suggestion. Yes they do ignore them sometimes, but when the traffic is bad even in the US we turn left far on the red.

GunnyD

Edited March 15, 2008 by gunnyd

[A_Traveller]

The article is one of three focusing on 'mega-cities', the others are Mumbai {development focus} and Beijing {air pollution focus}

Regards

Link to Time Article

[Gravelrash]

Thats right guys, stay in denial, there is probably a city somewhere with worse traffic. As such Bangkok really is ok.

[Heng]

"Right times" meaning.... 2 am? 4 am?

I find midnight to 6am pretty good, especially if you make use of the expressway. Also during the day AFTER most folks get to work (after 10am), drop off/pick up their kids from school (between 10am and 2pm is okay in many parts of the city), etc. Planning ahead is key, avoiding pay days (15-16th, 25th, and the last day of the month... just wait a few days and 80% of the country is out of money and staying in or at least staying close to home more), having a driver or close access to the trains is a plus.

[realmadrid25]

the government should implement a program similar to Singapore to get the poor and middle class people off the road, which would also help with pollution. and maybe they could even plant some trees.

Edited March 15, 2008 by realmadrid25

[Gary A]

If you think Bangkok is bad now you obviously were not there in the early 90's. It was MUCH worse then.

[think_too_mut]

"Right times" meaning.... 2 am? 4 am?

I find midnight to 6am pretty good, especially if you make use of the expressway. Also during the day AFTER most folks get to work (after 10am), drop off/pick up their kids from school (between 10am and 2pm is okay in many parts of the city), etc. Planning ahead is key, avoiding pay days (15-16th, 25th, and the last day of the month... just wait a few days and 80% of the country is out of money and staying in or at least staying close to home more), having a driver or close access to the trains is a plus.

I can't believe someone could post such a stupud post.

[PeaceBlondie]

"Right times" meaning.... 2 am? 4 am?

I find midnight to 6am pretty good, especially if you make use of the expressway. Also during the day AFTER most folks get to work (after 10am), drop off/pick up their kids from school (between 10am and 2pm is okay in many parts of the city), etc. Planning ahead is key, avoiding pay days (15-16th, 25th, and the last day of the month... just wait a few days and 80% of the country is out of money and staying in or at least staying close to home more), having a driver or close access to the trains is a plus.

I can't believe someone could post such a stupud post.

Careful - in the wonderful world of Heng, that was not a stupid post/

[Heng]

"Right times" meaning.... 2 am? 4 am?

I find midnight to 6am pretty good, especially if you make use of the expressway. Also during the day AFTER most folks get to work (after 10am), drop off/pick up their kids from school (between 10am and 2pm is okay in many parts of the city), etc. Planning ahead is key, avoiding pay days (15-16th, 25th, and the last day of the month... just wait a few days and 80% of the country is out of money and staying in or at least staying close to home more), having a driver or close access to the trains is a plus.

I can't believe someone could post such a stupud post.

There's an ignore button, but I doubt you can bring yourself to use it. You want more.

[PadThaiGuy]

They are working on traffic problems successfully in Singapore, London and Bogota.

Why not here?

Managing Bogota traffic. Soultions for the future.

http://homepage.mac.com/trorb/TOPP/iMovieTheater144.html

[chevykanteve]

What's the complete link for this story? I assume it is Time Magazine. Many large cities have horrendous traffic jams, particularly during peak hours. Not my choice to live in such places, if possible.

It's from Time.com, but I received it via a Google Alert for "Bangkok".

[chevykanteve]

"Right times" meaning.... 2 am? 4 am?

I find midnight to 6am pretty good, especially if you make use of the expressway. Also during the day AFTER most folks get to work (after 10am), drop off/pick up their kids from school (between 10am and 2pm is okay in many parts of the city), etc. Planning ahead is key, avoiding pay days (15-16th, 25th, and the last day of the month... just wait a few days and 80% of the country is out of money and staying in or at least staying close to home more), having a driver or close access to the trains is a plus.

I can't believe someone could post such a stupud post.

Stupud?

[Heng]

There's clearly a huge traffic problem, but some folks prefer to whinge about it and hope for a magical end-all solution while some just manage the situation and continue to prosper (in a happier state of mind as well, no doubt). It's like complaining about high airfares and poor seating but continuing to fly standby and booking at the last minute.

Edited March 16, 2008 by Heng

[thaihome]

"Right times" meaning.... 2 am? 4 am?

I find midnight to 6am pretty good, especially if you make use of the expressway. Also during the day AFTER most folks get to work (after 10am), drop off/pick up their kids from school (between 10am and 2pm is okay in many parts of the city), etc. Planning ahead is key, avoiding pay days (15-16th, 25th, and the last day of the month... just wait a few days and 80% of the country is out of money and staying in or at least staying close to home more), having a driver or close access to the trains is a plus.

That pretty well sums it up. Not sure why the negative response.

By leaving in the morning by 6:30-45, I get to work in 20 minutes, pretty much across town (Silom to Chatuchak). At 6:00 or so in the evenings, takes about 30-45 minutes to hours to get home. There are, of course, the rainy end of the month Fridays where someone needs to go out and traffic gets stopped to let them go. Days like that it can be upwards of 2 hours. It is a crapshoot on any given day. The driver makes it bearable (barely)

Anyone here ever commute from Tracy to Palo Alto? That is easily the worst commute in the world.

TH

[gunnyd]

the government should implement a program similar to Singapore to get the poor and middle class people off the road, which would also help with pollution. and maybe they could even plant some trees.

Yeah that would eliminate 99.9% of the traffic in Thailand, but it sounds like tyranny to me. Who determines where the upper class begins? There would be no taxis since I seriously doubt that any taxi drivers are upper class. That leaves the rich the use of the roads, utter nonsense. You end up with every vehicle on the road luxury cars and limos.

And I guess you would relegate the rest of LOS to ride public transit. IMHO it's the public transit, save the MRT and BTS, that belch out the most noxious fumes from their diesel engines.