Death To The Automobile!

[greenwanderer108]

Went for a ride with my friend in his girlfriend's car today looking at vacant apartments/condos. Went throught the heart and all the rest of the congested arteries of central/eastern Bangkok today...

First mistake of the route taken was to go from Payathai to Rama 1 passing Siam center/Paragon...That was like 20 minutes. Never do I remember being stuck on that road that long before, but what can one expect with this new western style wonder opening recently.

Second mistake was to go on Phetchburi towards Asoke interception. That one was expected.

Anyway, to make a long story short was out in the city for about 5 hours, and a good 80 percent of it was spent in a car...

I don't have a favorable oppinion of the car-centered infrastructure. Though I admit, I'm coerced at times to usie it, i.e. taxis. Well, I do have a choice, just less convenient at times. And do advocate the bicycle, riding it all over the city (though have been lagging since the last monsoon)

I assume from my last income gap poll that most of you have your own cars and could care less about whines for bicycle lanes and progress on the mass transit situation, but who knows, lets see where TV members stand on the issue.

[davethailand]

I own a diesel truck, a petrol car and 2 petrol bikes and i'm very content

My vehicles are'nt making the place worse so i'm not bothered.

The old trucks and buses etc should be taken off the road if they are spewing too much smoke.

[Jai Dee]

It sounds to me like you need to learn a bit more about getting around in Bangkok...

For me, the combination of private car, available car parks, sky train, and taxis, give me the ability to get to most places I want to go quickly and relatively painlessly.

You do have to remember though... and make allowances for... the fact that Bangkok is a very large and very busy city.

[greenwanderer108]

It sounds to me like you need to learn a bit more about getting around in Bangkok... 

For me, the combination of private car, available car parks, sky train, and taxis, give me the ability to get to most places I want to go quickly and relatively painlessly.

You do have to remember though... and make allowances for... the fact that Bangkok is a very large and very busy city.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I get around Bangkok quite well, actually. Today, I was in the back seat of a Thai girl driver arguing with her farang boyfriend (my friend) while driving... dangerous

getting in the wrong lane, uturns here/there, etc. Thai girls shouldn't be allowed to drive..

Most of the time I take the skytrain and busses and if I can help it will be choosy on what times I embark if I have to use the roads in a bus/taxi or whatever. But unless you work/live off of the skytrain, you can't avoid all traffic jams, impossible.

I work at Nation Tower on Bangna Trat 4.5 and live in the city. If I happen to be commuting at the wrong times, I can get stuck in the horrible mess. Most times, as I said, I'm choosy about times but can't help it always. And then all these condos and motorway extensions/construction, looks like things are getting worse.

I don't know where to start my rants from the perspective of a cyclist. I'll save it for now. On the bright side, during rush hour, I can get to anywhere in central Bangkok than if taking a taxi/private three/four wheel car.

[Axel]

A bit agressive wording in the poll. Suffering from congestion?

We have 2 cars, one used by my wife and one by me.

Bangkok is not as bad, if you know at what time of day (or night) to avoid which roads. Use shortcuts, ways around etc.

Most places I visit have car parks, either in office buildings, shopping areas, hotels and better still, they are for free for the duration of my visit.

In Europe I drive twice a year, usually for business. Was stuck in traffic for more hours of my life than I want to remember, both on super fast highways and inside big cities.

Edited December 12, 2005 by Axel

[Heng]

I spend maybe 1-2 hours a day in traffic and I live in the middle of town. With some planning for your trip, you can avoid the worst of it. With some planning for your life, you can arrange it to where you have the freedom to avoid driving during rush hours, weekends, holidays, etc.

[greenwanderer108]

I own a diesel truck, a petrol car and 2 petrol bikes and i'm very content

My vehicles are'nt making the place worse so i'm not bothered.

The old trucks and buses etc should be taken off the road if they are spewing too much smoke.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lesser of the two evils is how I see it.

If each of the 50 people on one of those buses drove a desiel truck or petrol car like you, Bangkok would be better???

Well, just the fact that you and about 500 million others in the world think that you're consumerism/infatuation with the automobile isn't harming anybody/thing says a lot to me...ignorance, egoism, selfishness...but that's just IMO.

My father, by the way, would fit into the same category as you (owning many, content/wanting more) And the irony is, he's an electronic technician (despite having mechanical skills)

Well, nature takes care of herself, and all thes billions of cars will be (nearly) worthless scraps of metal in about 30 years when there's no oil to power them.

[Boon Mee]

I own a diesel truck, a petrol car and 2 petrol bikes and i'm very content

My vehicles are'nt making the place worse so i'm not bothered.

The old trucks and buses etc should be taken off the road if they are spewing too much smoke.

Well, nature takes care of herself, and all thes billions of cars will be (nearly) worthless scraps of metal in about 30 years when there's no oil to power them.

Don't bet on it

There's a whole lot of oil out there to last past our great-great grandchildren's time and beyond.

[Butterfly]

I own a diesel truck, a petrol car and 2 petrol bikes and i'm very content

My vehicles are'nt making the place worse so i'm not bothered.

The old trucks and buses etc should be taken off the road if they are spewing too much smoke.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, nature takes care of herself, and all thes billions of cars will be (nearly) worthless scraps of metal in about 30 years when there's no oil to power them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't bet on it

There's a whole lot of oil out there to last past our great-great grandchildren's time and beyond.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Source: The Faux News Network

[greenwanderer108]

I own a diesel truck, a petrol car and 2 petrol bikes and i'm very content

My vehicles are'nt making the place worse so i'm not bothered.

The old trucks and buses etc should be taken off the road if they are spewing too much smoke.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, nature takes care of herself, and all thes billions of cars will be (nearly) worthless scraps of metal in about 30 years when there's no oil to power them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't bet on it

There's a whole lot of oil out there to last past our great-great grandchildren's time and beyond.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You must have never watched the second season of Enterprise (with J. Archer as captian). Well duh, Captain Archer and Commander Tepal confirmed that the oil was depleted in 2054

On the serious note, how much fossil fuels are actually left in the world isn't really measurable now to give a real estimate...it's like trying to rely on the time limit given when downloading a movie via dial up connection...but one thing is for sure, it's limited. You can't get a litre of orange juice from one orange...With overpopulation and increasing monopolized markets in materilized societies, it shouldn't come as surprise when mother nature sneezes harder to check her cancer...whatever that means. And not if but when the fossil fuels are depleted, or to the point of absolute monopoly, where it's not even worthy,

there will be two kinds of commuters

A. Those in denial who refuse to adapt to change

B. Electronic Engineers

...well maybe more than that, but you get the point

[greenwanderer108]

As far as cars and city living, here is a good objective analysis (cons and pros) of the car in society from the British National Party Website. While it uses Britsish cities as a basis/examples, it's applicable to any city in the world, including Bkk

From here

The Car Problem

Everything changed with the invention of the car. Few inventions in the history of mankind have had such a devastating effect upon the world's natural and urban environments as the motorised vehicle. The development of Humanised cities absolutely requires that cars and motorised road vehicles be removed from streets. For a multitude of reasons, road vehicles are incompatible with humanised environments. The car was not created in order address the problems of urban sprawl or long travel distances - it generated these problems. Much of the damage inflicted upon Britain 's towns and countryside over the past several decades is directly related to increased car use. The increased use of the car was a critical factor allowing the consolidation of retail into large, isolated stores, fostering the destruction of the local craftsmen and the small shop, and the disappearance of local economies. The long-term effect was the conversion of our communities into economic and cultural ghost towns. This lowered quality of life enormously. Most people were oblivious to this as they switched to cars and supermarket traders. The full effect was often realised only after the damage was irreparable. The recent wave of mass-immigration and cultural Marxism could not have reached the extent that they have, if small communities had remained intact, with a strong resultant sense of self-identity. The car is by all accounts an awful invention and has resulted in the following extreme problems:

 

•  It ruins the social fabric of communities

•  Isolates people from the surrounding environment

•  It destroys street life with its noise, pollution, danger and visual obtrusiveness

•  In Britain alone, it kills or maims tens of thousands every year, including many children

•  It damages the beauty of our cities, with its visual obtrusiveness

•  Endangers other road users

•  Disturbs people with its noise

•  Results in severe air pollution

•  The car is one of the biggest principle causes of global warming

•  It fosters urban sprawl, destroying thousands of square miles of countryside and creating the 'need' for even more cars

•  It impoverishes entire nations with its infrastructure and resource demands.

•  Wastes enormous quantities of energy and natural resources (It is the most resource intensive mode of travel, known to man)

•  It consumes a disproportionate amount of land . More land is devoted to cars within the UK , than to all other forms of development combined.

Accidents and pollution

The threat of road accidents is one of the largest single causes of premature death within the UK . On average, 10 people will die every day on Britain 's roads. Hundreds more will be injured, many severely. Many of those killed and injured will be children. Worldwide , road accidents are the leading cause of death for men aged 15-45 . An estimated 300,000 children die annually in road accidents worldwide . In In addition to its collision hazard, the car is responsible for a great deal of pollution related illness and certainly a great many cancers. Cars produce many hundreds of tonnes of toxic, carcinogenic air pollution every day within our cities. This poison is released at ground level where it inevitably enters the human body. Medical studies have revealed a direct correlation between the incidence of heart attacks and levels of air pollution on a particular day.

Urban sprawl

The car has also given rise to urban sprawl. Over the past seventy years, many city dwellers have attempted to escape the noisy, polluted environment of the car-infested city, by moving into suburbs. In order to accommodate these people new roads, towns, airports, shopping centres, hospitals and housing estates were constructed. All of these were built upon previously rural land and decimated the countryside whilst at the same time, enormously increasing infrastructure costs. The approach taken was to eliminate the problem of pollution by dispersing the development across a larger area. Due to the dispersed nature of the suburban environment, the inhabitants of so-called 'garden cities' are more dependant dependent upon the car than ever before. Living within such an environment, it becomes virtually impossible to live without a car. Suburban towns such as Surbiton and Greater Guildford are built 'around' the car.

Real cost of cars

The added cost of the entire 'extra' infrastructure required to support a more car dependant, dispersed urban population undoubtedly accounts for a significant proportion of all taxes that we pay. We are all aware that enormous maintenance costs are incurred for any 'new' roads that have been built over the past 50 years. Most of us do not consider the cost of all of the extra hospitals, police stations, fire stations, supermarkets, entertainment facilities, airports, train stations, bus routes, parking spaces, etc - that were required as soon as the population started to spread across a wider area. How much of our social security bill could have been avoided if local communities and local economies had remained intact? If local economies had remained healthy, we would undoubtedly suffer from less crime, as a result of robust local communities and lower regional unemployment. As things stand, crime and the damage that it causes, results in billions of pounds worth of lost economic output each and every year in the UK . The UK now spends more money attempting (and failing) to police its streets, than it spends on national defence. Social Security now consumes more than £120 billion annually and fails to counteract the full social consequences of the decay of small communities. All of these government initiatives represent grossly inefficient and over-centralised solutions to what are in the most part, artificial problems. Finally, we must consider the lost annual revenue of the farmland, which is now covered in roads, housing estates and dispersed urban infrastructure.

In addition to the hidden costs, the direct cost of car ownership has now risen to £100 per week for the average UK family.

Although Britain 's GDP has more than doubled since 1970, nearly half of countries total national earnings are now consumed by a central government that barely manages to stay ahead of rising national infrastructure and social costs. Even though taxation is approaching 50% of total GDP, increasingly the exchequer is finding that it simply cannot provide adequate services without enormous borrowing. This is steadily pushing the nation into debt and keeping pace with interest payments is reducing the government's total disposable taxation funds, year upon year. The solution adopted by the Labour government is yet more borrowing in order to make up for the increasing shortfall. Many of the UK's debts are sold to foreign (Chinese) holders, raising the possibility that the value of Britain 's currency may eventually tumble in much the same way as the US dollar has recently done. When one takes into account declining North Sea oil exports, the danger of a rapidly declining pound is a very real one. Those that maintain that Britains finances are growing progressively worse are certainly correct. Government spending can no longer keep pace with the massively increased infrastructure and social costs resulting from motorization, the destruction of local economies and large-scale immigration. The situation is already intolerable. How long can it continue, before the national economy runs into deep recession?

Abandoning the car

The car has probably contributed more to the destruction of our rural and urban communities than all other factors combined. If it were possible to produce car-free or less car dependant urban environments, it would make sense to do so if enhancing quality of life were to be our objective. We should also keep in mind that developing a Hydrogen economy or any kind of alternative fuel would not solve most of the problems described . Many of the problems caused by cars cannot be solved if we remain dependent upon this mode of transportation. Even if the chemical pollution problems of cars were solved, they would still consume huge quantities of energy & material resources. The noise, collision hazard, land -consumption, obtrusiveness , resource inefficiency , destructive effect upon communities and general death toll , are all likely to remain unchanged. The solution to the car problem does not lie in the development of alternative fuels , hydrogen economies or fuel cells. All of these solutions are directed towards sustaining our existing inadequate urban environments. They are being developed by multi-national car companies, which have a vested interest in maintaining an auto - centric society. Humanised cities can only be realised if we abandon the car altogether as a means of urban transport and adopt less destructive means of travel.

Advantages and benefits of the car

Before considering how we might produce less urbanised, car-free environments, let us first consider why people use cars within our towns and cities as they exist today. From the perspective of personal mobility, no other transportation system offers so many unique advantages to its users. Consider how convenient and dynamic the car is. It can in theory:

•  Take its passenger(s) from anywhere to anywhere.

•  Allow a choice of routes

•  Gives its user complete control

•  Can be personalised and 'owned' by its user

•  Has relatively low running costs

•  Has high availability

•  Can be used at the driver's discretion

No other system offers this kind of performance. Within a conventional city environment, it is very difficult to imagine a public transport system that could compete with the car in terms of overall performance. Buses tend to serve a community rather intermittently, giving the passenger little choice over when they wish to leave. They also tend to be available only at certain times during the day. They are limited to specific routes and stops, which may be quite distant from the start or finish destinations of individual passengers. Using the bus effectively requires detailed knowledge of services and routes and this may present a problem to people who are not intricately familiar with the area. Buses tend to noisy, slow, smelly and dirty. There is a tendency for people to feel intimidated by forced proximity to strangers. Crime remains a significant problem and many passengers shy away from public transport for this reason. Finally, the bus is only useful for passengers travelling without large quantities of payload.

The car is incomparably more flexible. Cars and other personal motorised road vehicles, allow enormous flexibility in the transport of people and material goods. A car will transport you from your front door to any destination of your choosing, by whatever route you choose, at any speed of your choosing. It is available instantaneously and at any time of the day.

Car currently a necessity not a luxury

The Labour government has treated private car use as if it were an unnecessary luxury, which should be taxed out of existence. The reality is that since the 1950's, it has gradually become increasingly difficult to survive in any British town or city without a car. Small shops have all but disappeared, only to be replaced by large, distant supermarkets and retail outlets. Urban sprawl also means that living spaces have spread across wider areas and this has tended to increase the need for an anywhere-to-anywhere form of transport. The infrastructure of urban areas has therefore tended to become more consolidated and distant from the average urban dweller. Small retailers of all kinds have given way to supermarkets and large centralised shopping centres, all of which can only be reached by car. Whereas the car may have been looked upon as a luxury in the 1950's, it would be very difficult to lead a normal life without the use of a car today. Car use has become increasingly more expensive over the past few decades. And yet, the proportion of people that own cars has steadily increased. Economists describe such a commodity as being 'inelastic'. Demand for an inelastic commodity tends to remain unchanged even as its price rises steadily. This would seem to indicate that far from being a simple luxury, the improvement to personal freedom and mobility offered by the car is enormous. The dynamics of contemporary urban environments do not simply favour the use of car use - they demand it. In spite of an increasing burden of taxation on motorists, the government has shown no initiative in the development of practical carfree environments . In fact, the present wave of heavy suburban development depends even more exclusively upon private transportation, than any previous urban development . The trend of destruction is accelerating.

It is very difficult to envisage any form of transportation that could replace the car, in a conventional urban environment. In spite of its enormous disadvantages and its catastrophic impact upon natural and urban environments, very few people are in a position that would allow them to live without the use of motorised travel. It is only through the construction of radically different urban environments (and the restoration of local economies) that people could happily live without the use of a car. Once this is accomplished, many of the other severe problems that we currently face - such as extortionate healthcare costs, crime, policing and social security - will most likely become far less burdensome.

[Butterfly]

First mistake of the route taken was to go from Payathai to Rama 1 passing Siam center/Paragon...That was like 20 minutes. Never do I remember being stuck on that road that long before, but what can one expect with this new western style wonder opening recently.

Second mistake was to go on Phetchburi towards Asoke interception. That one was expected.

For the last 2 years traffic in Bangkok got very bad. It wasn't always like that.

Anyway, you have to be a complete fool to go in lower Shukumvit on week-ends or bank hollidays. Don't try to go there unless you don't mind spending 3 hours in traffic.

The best solution is to park the car at On Nut and take the SkyTrain.

[Jai Dee]

The best solution is to park the car at On Nut and take the SkyTrain.

Exactly my point...

Get to know your surroundings... and the system.

[Boo]

Isn't the British National Party the same as BNP? (massively right wing rascist, neo nazis?) Oops just tried to access the link & my work has blocked the site, so I assume it must be the one & same. If it is, nice source!

[cdnvic]

Isn't the British National Party the same as BNP? (massively right wing rascist, neo nazis?) Oops just tried to access the link & my work has blocked the site, so I assume it must be the one & same. If it is, nice source!

Yep, there's a curious quirk about nazis and neonazis is that they tend to have strong environmentalist views. Unfortunately they also usually believe in forced seperation of interracial couples.

The poster could have picked a better source.

cv

[Boon Mee]

I own a diesel truck, a petrol car and 2 petrol bikes and i'm very content

My vehicles are'nt making the place worse so i'm not bothered.

The old trucks and buses etc should be taken off the road if they are spewing too much smoke.

Well, nature takes care of herself, and all thes billions of cars will be (nearly) worthless scraps of metal in about 30 years when there's no oil to power them.

Don't bet on it

There's a whole lot of oil out there to last past our great-great grandchildren's time and beyond.

Source: The Faux News Network

Ahem...the logs tell me plus the number of new-build rigs under construction...

[mbkudu]

Don't bet on it

There's a whole lot of oil out there to last past our great-great grandchildren's time and beyond.

This is correct, and the reason why the US is so desparate to control Iraq. In Iraq the oil is just under the surface and there is &lt;deleted&gt; loads of it. So, it is extremely cheap and easy to pump it to the surface unlike other countries where it takes much time and drilling resources to pump it out.

[ProfessorFart]

The BNP are just as valid a source as any other political source.

Such sources can not be ignored just because they are either extreme left or extreme right.

[Boo]

True Prof fart, but I would rather not read anything written by them, regardless of subject matter or how accurate it is. But that's a personal thing & also people should be aware of what the source is as entering that site may get people in trouble at work as it would have for me if it hadn't been blocked.

[davethailand]

I own a diesel truck, a petrol car and 2 petrol bikes and i'm very content

My vehicles are'nt making the place worse so i'm not bothered.

The old trucks and buses etc should be taken off the road if they are spewing too much smoke.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lesser of the two evils is how I see it.

If each of the 50 people on one of those buses drove a desiel truck or petrol car like you, Bangkok would be better???

Well, just the fact that you and about 500 million others in the world think that you're consumerism/infatuation with the automobile isn't harming anybody/thing says a lot to me...ignorance, egoism, selfishness...but that's just IMO.

My father, by the way, would fit into the same category as you (owning many, content/wanting more) And the irony is, he's an electronic technician (despite having mechanical skills)

Well, nature takes care of herself, and all thes billions of cars will be (nearly) worthless scraps of metal in about 30 years when there's no oil to power them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As said (in all honesty)

I'm not really bothered

you'll have to save the world without me i'm afraid.

[Glauka]

I am a gimp! ( i don´t know what it means but I hope nothing too terrible )

is not true I do concern about contamination, the over use of cars...but I don´t fell like discussing about that right now

Edited December 12, 2005 by Glauka

[jonik]

The gaz/dieseldriven automobiles will be gone long before the oil does, thats for sure. The transportation situation will within our lifetime take a tremendes change. But the traffic i suspect will still be the same cause of the increasing population.

[lampard10]

We have three cars now, due to the Sportlider's demise, but due to the fact that we are the only insured car hire outlet in Surin, could do with more. We also have 8 motorbikes, which, when not hired, the staff use. A note to add though. We only buy new vehicles, and try to change the bikes once a year, so all our vehicles are in tip-top condition, and have the latest additions. Looking at it from a positive view from our side, we probably do our bit to keep vehicle pollution at a minimum.

[chanchao]

> Thai girls shouldn't be allowed to drive..

And neither should Thai men. Or foreign men, for that matter.

Hey, I just solved the traffic congestion problem! (Only Farang girls, hilltribe girls and kathoeys are allowed to drive!) Another advantage to this scheme will be that talks with taxi drivers will be a lot more varied in the topics discussed, and we may get beyond the topic of how much my home currency is worth.

Ok.. this is where someone starts complaining about the poll question or poll options: It makes a big difference if you're in (downtown) Bangkok or not. If I lived in Bangkok I would still want to have a car but only use it on trips out of the city. If you live anywhere outside of Bangkok then it'd really be a challenge to make do without a car (or motorbike at the very least)

Cheers,

Chanchao

[TokyoT]

I will be purchasing a car early next year. And I have no problem at all with other owning/ operating as many vehicles as they wish. This does not however mean that I am not in favor of an expanded mass-transit system in Bangkok/Thailand, and even making improvements that would allow for the use of bicycles in Bangkok. I use the sky train, subway, or walk most of the time. The car will be mostly for trips outside of Bangkok and travel around Thailand.

Just because one owns a car or has multiple cars does not mean they are not in favor of reducing the community’s reliance on automobiles. But Thailand is a long way off from making it making this a reality.

I would be interested to know how much pollution one of the antiquated metro buses creates in Thailand as compared to a new automobile. You might find that due to old and poorly maintained equipment those buses are actually creating more pollution than if those people were all driving new cars (of course they can not afford a car - do not think most of those people are riding the bus out of concern for the environment).

[samran]

Re: BNP and enviornmentalism. What they are doing is the oldest political trick in their book, trying to sugar coat the fact that they are a pack of neo-nazi's.

Re: Cars in BKK. The price incentives for using cars here are too much in favour of using cars. Petrol is cheap relative to the rest of the world. Congested roads are free to use. Parking is too cheap. Solution, need to make people pay more to reflect the cost/damage they are doing to the environment. Higher taxes on petrol. More tolls to enter BKK. Make people pay more than 20 baht an hour to park a car for christs sake.

Re: Public transport. Need more of it. Need to make the transport minister actually catch public transport to work in the morning, so he can see how dire it is. Need to encourage car pooling. Need private sector money to pay for more public transport.

[tom yum goong]

If i lived in BKK, i would try and make do with public transport and only use my car if i really had to. The skytrain/underground is a great way to get around and taxis are ridiculously cheap.

However, if you live outside of BKK without your own transport, car or motorbike, then you are going to get nowhere fast.

[Plus+]

Solution, need to make people pay more to reflect the cost/damage they are doing to the environment. Higher taxes on petrol. More tolls to enter BKK. Make people pay more than 20 baht an hour to park a car for christs sake. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think those are solutions - they are just ways to extract more money from motorists. People drive because they have to, not because they have so much fun sitting in the traffic. Parking isn't free - someone pays for it - companies that rent the space in the buildings, or department stores. If you make people pay you'll lose customers. No parking at a restaurant in Sukhumwit? - we won't even consider eating there.

Auto industry contributes 20% to Thailand taxes, we, the motorists, pay enough already. I reckon with cars in our household we paid about half a million in taxes.

[simon43]

Hmm, if you read the policies/manifestos on this BNP website, (as I have just done), many of them seem to be almost identical to those of Khun Toxin. (Ie - the indigenous people come first!).

Is Toxin a neo-nazi?

Simon

[greenwanderer108]

So yesterday, took the bike to immigration for 90 day check in. 10 km one way, 20 km roundtrip. The many road crossings cut back my average speed to 10km/hour. Thought a lot about this topic.

What aggravates me most about cars is the isolation and riotousness is creates for society. Most motorists aren’t willing to share the road. With the lack of bicycle lanes in Bangkok, and poor conditions (lack of) walkways (have you seen the condition of the so-called bicycle lane going along the walk way of Rachadamri all the way to Satorn?? ) cyclists are coerced to use the roads with the other cars most of the time.

When I am forced on the road, I mostly cycle off the road/in the gutters, out of the way with what little shoulder space there is, unless traffic is jammed where I can swift past/through everyone in the middle lanes. The motorists who drive responsibly and know what they’re doing (minority) share the road fine and I don’t hold them up any more than they do me. However, many motorists act like idiots honking their loud horns from afar as if I don’t see them, in a rush towards the parked traffic jam. And it’s not that I’m blocking their way 85 percent of the time I hear a horn, they’re just acting riotous, on their cell phones with the radio blasting Yes, the desire for road rage does occur in cyclists.

Anyway, most of my cycling in Bkk is without problem. And while many people say/think that cycling is just as dangerous as motorcycling if not more, I want to point out that most motorcycle accidents are at high speeds. Bicycle accidents/collisions with cars are rarer than most other accidents with other types of vehicles as I’ve seen.

So anyway, I thought I’d post pics of my bike. Yes, that is a motor—24 volt DC 250 watt. I modified the bike myself. It’s not yet finished, as I’m waiting on the motor controller (of which Tywais designed up at CMU and is sending).

So while I can still pedal, I’ll have the option to let it coast when my legs are tired. And best, it's rechargeable/reusable energy…That’s the way to go!!

isn't she a beauty?

electronic engineering skills is the ticket to the future

Just think what good it would be if Thai government took the examples of Japan as far as R&D..less pumping stations, more recharging stations!!