Traffic busy in the Northeast

New Year travellers are now on the highways heading home and traffic density is especially high on northeastern routes.

The number of motorists on the northeastern Mitraparp highway's section from Saraburi to Nakhon Ratchasima and the number of travellers at the bus terminal at Nakhon Ratchasima has been rising since Wednesday.

Heavy traffic congestion was reported since at Pak Thong Chai junction which links the Northeast with the East and Bangkok.

Land transport officials and highway police are on standby around the clock with information and rescue services always available.

Two helicopters are on standby at the Lam Ta Khong research centre in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Khon Kaen bus terminal was congested yesterday, mostly with students from Khon Kaen University returning to their homes in Bangkok and other provinces.

--Bangkok Post 2004-12-31

Motorists urged to be careful over New Year

BANGKOK: -- Thailand’s highway police have urged motorists to be careful on six highway routes from the capital to provincial areas where accidents commonly happen.

Motorists and travellers should plan their trips well ahead of time, the commander of the highway police, Pol. Maj. Gen. Thara Punnasri advised

They should also consult the police website, [www.highway.police.go.th], before starting their journeys, he suggested.

The police are particularly concerned about six routes on which there have been a high number of serious accidents because these routes are the most commonly used by motorists travelling out of the capital city during the long weekends, said the highway police commander.

They include Kanchanaphisek Road, Asian Road, Phaholyothin Road, Outer Easter Ring Road, and Motorway Road.

The highway command and a private company plan to set up a call centre 1193 to receive complaints and reports of emergencies on the highways.

The government has also issued warnings to workers who plan to travel home to re-union with their families during the New Year festival outside Bangkok to be very careful while travelling on the roads.

Workers should avoid drinking during their trips, especially if they are driving, urged the Permanent Secretary for Labour, Charupong Ruangsuwan.

The government has recently launched a series of road safety campaigns aimed at reducing road deaths and accidents by 10 percent.

During last year's New Year festival, 600 people died and 20,000 were injured in road accidents.

--TNA 2004-12-30

You bet it looks busy to get back to Bangkok today...

I drove to Prasat to buy some cement and it looked like the Highway 24 Traffic jam started there, about 350km from Bangkok.

One other thing - The police seem to be having a crack-down on Rego. So if you have last-years "Red" rego sticker, you may want to change it to the Green one.