Bangkok Administration Calls On People To Stop Driving

[webfact]

BMA calls on people to stop driving

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is calling on residents to use their personal cars less often and utilise the public transport system instead.

It is reported that since April 30, there are some 7 million cars registered in Bangkok - a number that is 4.4 times beyond the city's road capacity for 1.6 million vehicles.

Kraisak Choonhavan, chairman of the Governor of Bangkok Advisors, told the media yesterday that the "Bangkok Car Free Day 2012" campaign will be held at Lumpini Park on September 23 from 8am to 3pm. The event's highlight will be a 10,000-bicycle parade representing the Thai national flag on the Rama VIII bridge.

Since the infrastructure in Bangkok is not sufficient, it is important to get full cooperation from people to cut down their personal car usage and opt for public transport, walking or riding a bicycle instead.

He said that the number of cars in the capital had been rising by 5 per cent or 240,000 cars per year over the past decade and this year alone, as of August, there were already 670,000 additional cars.

-- The Nation 2012-09-14

[jerrysteve]

Now that is a very sensible thing. I wonder if Thails have ever heard about the idea of Carpooling.. The public transportatin in my view is excellent. The bus system very good, and there no place you cannot travel to. The subway and the skytrain are superb. It would however be good if the skytrain would operate on a 24 hour basis

Edited September 13, 2012 by jerrysteve

[CelticBhoy]

You couldn't get my missus out of her Jazz with a claw hammer. They love their motors. A couple of days using the bus (maybe) but then it would be back behind the wheel.

[theblether]

As long as they install a sweaty farang smell detector at all the BTS stations I'm all in favour of it........all smelly farangs that fail the test should be stripped and scrubbed with scouring pads before being allowed entry.

Soap is cheap you know.

[SlideRiceFC]

Meh. Car = status. Car owners can't lower themselves to the level of public transit users. I've got an idea. Let's have a first time car buyers incentive so more people can join the ranks. Oh wait...

I second the smelly farang detector suggestion. I have often ended up in the vicinity of or worse, near the armpit of stinky BTS users. Usually with me staring at floor hoping the other passengers on board can tell where the odor is originating from.

[dcutman]

Will there be parking at this event?

"Bangkok Car Free Day 2012"

[Thai at Heart]

Pedestrianise everything from Sukhumvit/asoke to Silom.

[somtumlion]

As soon as their is a interconnected comprehensive BTS/subway system - my car is being sold. I'm waiting....

[trogers]

The BMA can actually deter many bangkok residents from buying cars. Present BMA regulations require all condo projects to have a minimum amount of car parking space. If these regulations are changed to not exceeding a maximum amount of car park space, and that such space has to be sold and bought, and not included into the common area, people will be hit in their pockets and think many times over if they want to buy a car.

[Pormax]

Best ways to get people to use public transport is to do as the UK does. Make car parking fees very expensive in town/city centres.

Oh sorry I forgot, can do the following:

Park on corners of road, on double yellow lines, designated no parking areas, on the wrong side of the road, on pedestrian crossings, double park, in front of someones house so that they cannot use their car, etc etc without the police bothering you.

So no problem will take car, not use car park!

[canopy]

The problem is gas is too cheap. I am amazed how many people on the road are there taking up space for no good reason at all. If filling your tank were to go up 10 to 1 then the things the government outlines it would like to happen will happen real quickly all on their own.

Case in point. In the village I am in the number of motorcycle trips each household makes each evening to pick up a few things is flabbergasting. Often the errands are run by the kids who are too young and drive dangerously. If gas cost more I think they would quickly figure out they could make one trip instead of 4 or 5. Or even get on a bicycle or take a walk. The way it is now with gas so cheap even the poorest people are needlessly all over the road. There are also pickup trucks with loudspeakers trolling through every neighborhood multiple times a day. Right now it is at a fever pitch for the elections. Such a waste of space and gas.

[nullx8]

The subway and the skytrain are superb.

That is very much depending on the point of view!

Sure if you live downtown it makes sense, but the majority of peoples dont!

The administration does not provide parking to interchange at all.

The only Park & Ride building is at ladphrao-ratchada junction.

Getting there at rush hour takes forever.

And it does not have a point at all, if you stuck in traffic for an hour to get to park&ride

Take a train for 30 min then there is no more difference in adding another 30 min to drive the whole way.

And it probably also does cost the same.

[Payboy]

I haven't looked out the window this morning, but has the BMA already cleared the sidewalks for walking.

[Thai at Heart]

The BMA can actually deter many bangkok residents from buying cars. Present BMA regulations require all condo projects to have a minimum amount of car parking space. If these regulations are changed to not exceeding a maximum amount of car park space, and that such space has to be sold and bought, and not included into the common area, people will be hit in their pockets and think many times over if they want to buy a car.

You think developers are giving away free parking spaces?

[Katipo]

I recently saw a photo comparing the Thai I recently saw a photo comparing the Bangkok BTS/MRT system to that in Singapore, but I guess it would be the same for any metropolis in the world. The simple fact is, while the mass-transit systems here are clean and relatively effecient, they are also relatively tiny. Very few parts of the city are near a station.

Build a mass transit system worthy of a city Bangkok's size, and people will use it.

[MaxLee]

BMA calls on people to stop driving

Ain't gonna happen... because of several reasons:

1. Desire to OWN and USE a car, especially among the rich and famous people, which are plenty in Bangkok

2. Based on the first point, OWNING A CAR IS COOL!!!!

3. NOT OWNING A CAR is UNCOOL, and your rich peers are gonna look down on you if you use BTS and other public transportation modes

4. For the rich, famous and powerful, taking public transportation is a DISGRACE FOR LOSING FACE.

5. As far as I remember, there's gonna be some "First car discount" policy for first buyers next year, is it?

6. the basic public transportation systems like bus, vans and local trains, are so unsafe that many people and especially foreigners rather choose an alternative

7. BTS is for Thai people's living standard a quite expensive investment

In conclusion: Owning and using a car is TOO COOL

[dominique355]

First they subsidize the purchase of new cars, then they subsidize gasoline and diesel, then they scrap dedicated bus lanes ...

... and now hey want us not to drive?

But seriously, as long as the government thinks, fly-over bridges and new roads are the answer to Bangkok's traffic problems, nobody will use public transport instead of their car.

It needs a clear policy to favor public transport and make them attractive, more attractive than private cars: Faster (bus lanes), comfortable (new buses) and save (new drivers, don't let taxis block the bus stops).

Until then, I will continue using my car and have the government subsidize my diesel.

[Asiantravel]

The BMA can actually deter many bangkok residents from buying cars. Present BMA regulations require all condo projects to have a minimum amount of car parking space. If these regulations are changed to not exceeding a maximum amount of car park space, and that such space has to be sold and bought, and not included into the common area, people will be hit in their pockets and think many times over if they want to buy a car.

You think developers are giving away free parking spaces?

but what about street parking? I have never understood why in Thailand there is no system of

charging people to park on the side of the road? If we can have armies of security guards in condos

why can't they have an army of parking enforcement officers? they would fund their own salaries

through issuing parking tickets.

A considerable amount of traffic congestion is caused by double parking and in some cases triple parking.

It's like you can park wherever you like!

[trogers]

The BMA can actually deter many bangkok residents from buying cars. Present BMA regulations require all condo projects to have a minimum amount of car parking space. If these regulations are changed to not exceeding a maximum amount of car park space, and that such space has to be sold and bought, and not included into the common area, people will be hit in their pockets and think many times over if they want to buy a car.

You think developers are giving away free parking spaces?

No. But they are not selling them out either. The construction cost of parking space and roadways and the cost in the loss of saleable area are just added into the project cost and subsequent selling prices, and the cost of maintaining the same comes from the common fees, forcing co-owners who do not have cars to share the cost as well.

[robblok]

The government is making a fool of itself (again) first promoting cars with their first car tax back scheme and now telling people there are too many cars.

I own a car and i love it, most people who own cars love them.For me it makes perfect sense as i live a little outside the city center. I think many Thaivisa posters cant afford a car and look down on it, call it envy.

Using a car is so much better as taxi's for shopping trips and such or going out of bangkok. Day to day transportation in the city i would really do by BTS to avoid traffic. As i don't commute to work and can decide when i want to use the car its ok. Often when its busy i just drive the car/motorcycle to mochit and take the bts from there. Its all about planning. Its stupid to use it when you know its going to be congested.

[saengsureeya]

Sooooooo, first the federal government pushes car sales by sponsoring first-car-buyers with a whopping THB 100,000 and then the BMTA kindly requests (possibly) the same new-car-owners to leave the car alone and take some kind of public transport.

Maybe they should have invested those billions in upgrading infrastructure first.

Jeeezzz, what a country.

[bkkjames]

I assume the Gov and subordinates will park their Beemers and Mercs and show us how it's done.

Edited September 14, 2012 by bkkjames

[Asiantravel]

The government is making a fool of itself (again) first promoting cars with their first car tax back scheme and now telling people there are too many cars.

I own a car and i love it, most people who own cars love them.For me it makes perfect sense as i live a little outside the city center. I think many Thaivisa posters cant afford a car and look down on it, call it envy.

Using a car is so much better as taxi's for shopping trips and such or going out of bangkok. Day to day transportation in the city i would really do by BTS to avoid traffic. As i don't commute to work and can decide when i want to use the car its ok. Often when its busy i just drive the car/motorcycle to mochit and take the bts from there. Its all about planning. Its stupid to use it when you know its going to be congested.

I have had some very nice cars when I was working but I still couldn't fall in love with a piece of metal?

I could fall in love with a puppy dog -but then again we are all different!

It's not always to do with envy - it could be to do with practicality?

When I had my own company my car was obviously one of my perks but I still chose to

carry out an experiment one year by selling it and with the money I was previously paying for

car insurance, parking fees etc etc I applied the money in a variety of ways. i.e. using taxis

around the city centre which I admit was made easier through a special charge card for taxis,

rental cars at weekend when I wanted to go out of the city and chauffeur driven limousines

if I wanted to go somewhere special.

my real motivation was that in my country we have very strict drink-driving laws so if you wanted to go

out anywhere at night and feel free about drinking you couldn't possibly think about driving your own car.

In the daytime it became a tedious hassle to look for a parking space were as jumping in and out of a taxi

gave fantastic flexibility.

conclusion there was no way I would have my own car after that experience simply because

my movements were not in the slightest bit curtailed and on the contrary I had much more flexibility

and less hassle. Of course there was the added benefit that you save considerable money

on insurance payments, depreciation, car repairs etc.

I have often thought Bangkok should be the ideal place for car sharing companies such as

zip car if they could only get over this stupid attitude about showing off and so called prestige

Edited September 14, 2012 by Asiantravel

[Time Traveller]

Now that is a very sensible thing. I wonder if Thails have ever heard about the idea of Carpooling.. The public transportatin in my view is excellent. The bus system very good, and there no place you cannot travel to. The subway and the skytrain are superb. I

Superb if they go where you want to go to. But for everyone else, or people with babies and bags or old people that can not walk up and down stairs, the Bangkok public transport will never replace the car.

Edited September 14, 2012 by Time Traveller

[jonclark]

Bit offended by the sweaty farang comment - There are plenty of sweaty people of other ethnicity (Asian, African, Indian) as well as Caucasian using public transport.

I think the problem is that apart from buses, public transport BTS / MRT as a % of income is actually quite expensive for a family if the journey is any distance - 55 baht from On nut to Mor chit (220 for four people each way). The bus is cheaper, but probably involves a change of bus and at least 1 hour slowly chugging through traffic. Hardly great alternatives for the average Bangkokian family.

Obviously if your single the BTS is perfect

I sure if the BTS was a flat 10 / 20 baht fare its popularity would soar. But then would the riff raff be welcomed by the middle classes, Hmmmm

Back in the car i guess

[robblok]

The government is making a fool of itself (again) first promoting cars with their first car tax back scheme and now telling people there are too many cars.

I own a car and i love it, most people who own cars love them.For me it makes perfect sense as i live a little outside the city center. I think many Thaivisa posters cant afford a car and look down on it, call it envy.

Using a car is so much better as taxi's for shopping trips and such or going out of bangkok. Day to day transportation in the city i would really do by BTS to avoid traffic. As i don't commute to work and can decide when i want to use the car its ok. Often when its busy i just drive the car/motorcycle to mochit and take the bts from there. Its all about planning. Its stupid to use it when you know its going to be congested.

I have had some very nice cars when I was working but I still couldn't fall in love with a piece of metal?

I could fall in love with a puppy dog -but then again we are all different!

It's not always to do with envy - it could be to do with practicality?

When I had my own company my car was obviously one of my perks but I still chose to

carry out an experiment one year by selling it and with the money I was previously paying for

car insurance, parking fees etc etc I applied the money in a variety of ways. i.e. using taxis

around the city centre which I admit was made easier through a special charge card for taxis,

rental cars at weekend when I wanted to go out of the city and chauffeur driven limousines

if I wanted to go somewhere special.

my real motivation was that in my country we have very strict drink-driving laws so if you wanted to go

out anywhere at night and feel free about drinking you couldn't possibly think about driving your own car.

In the daytime it became a tedious hassle to look for a parking space were as jumping in and out of a taxi

gave fantastic flexibility.

conclusion there was no way I would have my own car after that experience simply because

my movements were not in the slightest bit curtailed and on the contrary I had much more flexibility

and less hassle. Of course there was the added benefit that you save considerable money

on insurance payments, depreciation, car repairs etc.

I have often thought Bangkok should be the ideal place for car sharing companies such as

zip car if they could only get over this stupid attitude about showing off and so called prestige

You made your choice and based on your needs. I don't fall in love with a car, i just like the freedom it gives me.

If i want to go fishing with a big load of gear its much easier to go because i dont have to flag down a taxi and get it to go to my home. Then when i want to go back i dont have to wait and look for a taxi again.

Shopping same thing, i have a big freezer live a bit out of the center so i stock up. Taxi's nice if you do a bit of shopping not when you got loads.

But it all depends on when you use the car i would not dream of going with the car in the middle of rush hour. Besides taxi's get stuck in traffic too and so do buses. Only thing then is the bts and that is not good at all for bringing your groceries on.

[IAMSOBAD]

Just get rid of all the empty taxis and no more traffic problems.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App

[robblok]

Just get rid of all the empty taxis and no more traffic problems.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App

Indeed too many taxi's around driving empty. And if they are not driving they are blocking roads 1-2 abreast combined with some minivans next to them and buses stopping there.

[MaxLee]

Bit offended by the sweaty farang comment - There are plenty of sweaty people of other ethnicity (Asian, African, Indian) as well as Caucasian using public transport.

I think the problem is that apart from buses, public transport BTS / MRT as a % of income is actually quite expensive for a family if the journey is any distance - 55 baht from On nut to Mor chit (220 for four people each way). The bus is cheaper, but probably involves a change of bus and at least 1 hour slowly chugging through traffic. Hardly great alternatives for the average Bangkokian family.

Obviously if your single the BTS is perfect

I sure if the BTS was a flat 10 / 20 baht fare its popularity would soar. But then would the riff raff be welcomed by the middle classes, Hmmmm

Back in the car i guess

The 30-50 Discount trip on your rabbit pass doesn't apply for the new Sukhumvit lines. meaning you have to pay the 15 Baht extra from and to the new Sukhumvitlines, even if you have those discount trips

[jbrain]

From those 7 million registered cars, how many are taxi's and buses?