2003 Set To End With Traffic Nightmare

[george]

2003 set to end with traffic nightmare

Bangkok's traffic will be more of a nightmare than usual on New Year's eve as city residents either flock to countdown festivities or join the annual migration upcountry, traffic police warned yesterday.

The countdowns at Central World Plaza, the National Stadium, King Rama VIII Bridge and Khao Sarn Road were expected to draw a 100,000 revellers and cause traffic congestion, Traffic Police Division commander Maj-General Pharnu Kerdlarpphon said.

Only the six-lane Rajdamri Road in front of the Central World Plaza and Khao San Road would be closed to traffic - from 8pm December 31 to 3am January 1 - Pharnu said.

More than 220,000 people had booked bus seats on New Year's eve for trips to cities in the North, Northeast and Central regions.

There would be more than 4,600 buses arriving or departing from the Northern bus terminal alone, Pharnu said.

Bangkok faces chaotic traffic on the eve of the New Year's holidays, when residents travel to their hometowns or tourist destinations.

But this year, with New Year's Eve the last working day of the year, traffic flows on outbound routes are expected to be much heavier.

Meanwhile, a command centre to coordinate traffic flow and road safety around the country during the season was to be launched today at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Deputy Transport Minister Nikorn Chamnong said.

Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said that her ministry would focus on road safety measures, including efforts to curb drunk driving on secondary roads in the countryside where the number of accidents is high during the holidays.

Doctors and nurses at government hospitals around the country would be on call during the holidays, she said.

--The Nation