Bangkok Administration Calls On People To Stop Driving

[Markaew]

I've parked at the Lad Phrao MRT and it's cheaper to drive than to pay for parking there.

[jbrain]

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.

Something doesn't add up here.For the past decade there have been added 240.000 cars per annum,yet this year there are 670.000 in half a year,which will mean for the full year 6 times the amount as during the past decade.

That would also mean that 1.340.000 cars or about 20% of all the cars in Bangkok would be registered this year.

The Nation at it's best again I suppose.

[Morakot]

BMA calls on people to stop driving

Wouldn't that create an even bigger traffic jam?

[toybits]

The Benz is parked at the home garage. Take my scooter to work. Easier to park and move around town. Saves me lots of money for camera equipment - heh heh...

[silsburyhill]

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

Conversely, the public transport here on Phuket is, quite literally, save for the odd hourly 'chicken' bus (and what a face they present to the world on this 'World Class International Destination' ), non existent. Local tuk tuks cannot be described as 'public transport' they ply tourist areas only. Even if you were able to secure a second mortgage to hire one, outside the main drag, you're stuffed. Then we have the itinerant motosais who've now taken a leaf out of the tuk tuk's books and charge accordingly. And just yesterday I read the local authorities want to reduce the number of road deaths here to just 50 per year, , again. Give people a reasonable and convenient alternative in getting around this bloody great island to personal transportation hurtling along at unchecked break neck speed, and they just might.

I am aware this thread is about Bangkok, but miss the incomparable ease in getting about Bangkok. Never mind 24hr skytrain, you have it made.

[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

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.

I agree taxis are not always convenient. but not owning a car gives you so much more flexibility

depending on the situation and the time of day and where you want to go.

you can even rent SUV's no problem in Bangkok some companies will actually deliver to your door and

come to collect it from your home afterwards? this also allows you to try a variety of different vehicles.

some companies even provide a driver for part or all of the rental period depending on your needs.

[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.

I agree taxis are not always convenient. but not owning a car gives you so much more flexibility

depending on the situation and the time of day and where you want to go.

you can even rent SUV's no problem in Bangkok some companies will actually deliver to your door and

come to collect it from your home afterwards? this also allows you to try a variety of different vehicles.

some companies even provide a driver for part or all of the rental period depending on your needs.

IMHO its not convenient to rent then you will always have to plan everything. Spur of the moment wont work then. But lets put it this way for some a car is good for others it is not.

I personally am not a car person as in wanting a special model ect. I just wanted a car with 5 doors because i load and unload a lot of stuff for fishing and for shopping. Other then that i did not care much about the brand as long as it was a certain size.

I like that i have a car and that it gives me the freedom i like, but i that is not for everyone.

[asiawatcher]

1. Update smelly buses with no windows and educate the drivers to remain in the bus lane and not play dodgems

2. Remove police overriding traffic lights

3. Sync all traffic lights in with time lapse down the same streets and cross roads at no more than 30 second intervals

4. Add at least two extra carriages to MRT and BTS - it's only rolling stock

5. Pour the money from overhead bridges and flyovers to multiple sub strata rail links to all parts of Bangkok

6. Get police to enforce traffic rules and make the fines worth obeying them and introduce a points system - three strikes and you're out - for at least 6 months.

[dunkin2012]

it's a nice campaign but i don't live it BKK. BTW, I scare to drive in the city. i always use a cab when i visit it.

[davejones]

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.

Some new housing projects in London don't allowing parking at all. So if you live there you can't get a permit to park in the street. So these units can only be sold to people that don't have cars. Great idea.

The problem with Bangkok though is that large parts of it are inaccessible by decent public transport. Taxis at night at not generally safe for women, and buses just get stuck in traffic. The BTS and MRT need to cover much large parts of the city. Lots more trees would also help, as that would help keep people cool when they walk.

Also, why not do away with one lane of traffic and extend the pavements instead. People would be much more inclined to walk with nice, wide pavements.

But the fact is that Thais seem to love their cars, and it will be a long-term job getting them to use public transport.

Finally, BTS is just about at full capacity, so all the car owners wouldn't be able to use it even if they wanted to.

Personally, I prefer public transport and always have. It's a great way to get around most cities, and you save an absolute fortune on the cost of a car. I just don't understand how most people can actually afford a car. I've lived almost my whole life without one, and as a result I'm massively better off as a consequence. Not enough people take the time to sit down and actually work out the true costs of car ownership.

Owning cars is mostly about status.

[davejones]

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.

Something doesn't add up here.For the past decade there have been added 240.000 cars per annum,yet this year there are 670.000 in half a year,which will mean for the full year 6 times the amount as during the past decade.

That would also mean that 1.340.000 cars or about 20% of all the cars in Bangkok would be registered this year.

The Nation at it's best again I suppose.

Your maths is a bit out. 670,000 in the first 8 months means just over 1m in a year. You are also assuming that teh last 4 months will be the same rate as the first 8, which it may not be. I've no idea on car buying habits in Thailand, but I know that in teh UK car buying tends to be concentrated on certain months.

Also, I can't see anything wrong with the figures. We now have first-time car buyer incentives, so more people would but. Also, 16% of cars registered this year is about right. Most cars I see are under 7 years old.

[davejones]

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.

I think that is the long-term plan, but these things take time. There just isn't the money to build a whole system in one go. Not even rich countries can manage that. But it will come in the next 20 years or so.

[dunkin2012]

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.

Some new housing projects in London don't allowing parking at all. So if you live there you can't get a permit to park in the street. So these units can only be sold to people that don't have cars. Great idea.

The problem with Bangkok though is that large parts of it are inaccessible by decent public transport. Taxis at night at not generally safe for women, and buses just get stuck in traffic. The BTS and MRT need to cover much large parts of the city. Lots more trees would also help, as that would help keep people cool when they walk.

Also, why not do away with one lane of traffic and extend the pavements instead. People would be much more inclined to walk with nice, wide pavements.

But the fact is that Thais seem to love their cars, and it will be a long-term job getting them to use public transport.

Finally, BTS is just about at full capacity, so all the car owners wouldn't be able to use it even if they wanted to.

Personally, I prefer public transport and always have. It's a great way to get around most cities, and you save an absolute fortune on the cost of a car. I just don't understand how most people can actually afford a car. I've lived almost my whole life without one, and as a result I'm massively better off as a consequence. Not enough people take the time to sit down and actually work out the true costs of car ownership.

Owning cars is mostly about status.

it's possible to live without cars in BKK since many parts of it have public transportation. it's hard to get on with your daily lifestyle without one here where i live. imagine that for me to go to Pattaya and come back would take me 1/2 day instead of 2-3 hrs by car. the procedure of going Pattaya for me is 1. catch a biker-taxi. 2.wait at least 10-20 mins. it depends on what time of the day you wanna go. 3. sitting on a full load of SongTeaw,minibus and it keeps stopping from where i starts through all the way to the destination. very tired. iwill sell my car , the transport system is efficient enough. I live in a remote area of Thailand.(jokin')

[ricku]

Imagine a Bangkok where people can walk and ride their bikes on wide sidewalks.. So dear BMA, please get rid of all the junk and shit that is blocking the sidewalks.

Also, increase cost of fuel, increase price of parking tickets, and aim to make driving as expensive as it is in Singapore.

That should do the trick.

[davejones]

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

Very true. But the answer is to make public transport cool. It can be done. Plenty of cool people use public transport in London. Attitudes need to change, and that is something that takes time. But you have to start somewhere. No-one is saying everyone is going to abandon their cars tomorrow. But as more people use BTS/MRT, others will see that it is worthwhile. My gf never uses BTS before she met me, but now she uses it lots because travelling with me she came to realise how easy it is. She has friends who ask why she didn't drive to meet them. She says because it took 10 mins on BTS and she didn't want to spend 2 hrs in traffic/looking for a place to park, etc. This is how things change. It's not going to change overnight. But BMA/government need to make big changes to get people out of their cars - clean, wide pavements, more trees to provide shade, BTS to more areas of the city, safer taxis, etc. These are very big jobs and won't happen anytime soon.

[Fozfromoz]

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

Show being the operative word.

[davejones]

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 don't look down on car owners, and if I lived outside the city I'd probably buy a car as well. But I think there are far too many in the city centre that have cars but don't need them. They are too lazy to walk. I have seen them drive down the road just to buy a few things, when walking would have been quicker. If you live out in the country, a car is essential. It's also essential for some in the city. But too many people use their cars when it's not necessary. Nothing to do with looking down on people. I just think people are mad spending 30 mins to drive to 7-11 when they can walk there and back in 5 mins. And I've seen plenty doing that.

[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.

Some new housing projects in London don't allowing parking at all. So if you live there you can't get a permit to park in the street. So these units can only be sold to people that don't have cars. Great idea.

The problem with Bangkok though is that large parts of it are inaccessible by decent public transport. Taxis at night at not generally safe for women, and buses just get stuck in traffic. The BTS and MRT need to cover much large parts of the city. Lots more trees would also help, as that would help keep people cool when they walk.

Also, why not do away with one lane of traffic and extend the pavements instead. People would be much more inclined to walk with nice, wide pavements.

But the fact is that Thais seem to love their cars, and it will be a long-term job getting them to use public transport.

Finally, BTS is just about at full capacity, so all the car owners wouldn't be able to use it even if they wanted to.

Personally, I prefer public transport and always have. It's a great way to get around most cities, and you save an absolute fortune on the cost of a car. I just don't understand how most people can actually afford a car. I've lived almost my whole life without one, and as a result I'm massively better off as a consequence. Not enough people take the time to sit down and actually work out the true costs of car ownership.

Owning cars is mostly about status.

You remember Joseph Cassano the guy who brought down AIG or some say who crashed the world

ended up with a net worth of $600 million. But he can be seen emerging from his multi-million pound

home in a posh suburb of London as he rides his bike to work. I would love to see a Thai

with even 600 million baht do that

Edited September 14, 2012 by Asiantravel

[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 don't look down on car owners, and if I lived outside the city I'd probably buy a car as well. But I think there are far too many in the city centre that have cars but don't need them. They are too lazy to walk. I have seen them drive down the road just to buy a few things, when walking would have been quicker. If you live out in the country, a car is essential. It's also essential for some in the city. But too many people use their cars when it's not necessary. Nothing to do with looking down on people. I just think people are mad spending 30 mins to drive to 7-11 when they can walk there and back in 5 mins. And I've seen plenty doing that.

I got 2 bikes too and i just choose what i need for short rides with not much stuff i just take one of the bikes. THe car is for fishing and shopping and real long rides. I think i use my bikes more then my car but its just convinient to have a car certainly if you live outside of the city centers.

Also it depends on your lifestyle, i cook all my food myself and shop once in a while using a large freezer. So then a car is a good thing. The wife also likes the car a lot she uses it a lot too but only for longer rides.

Taxi's are just not convenient with shopping stuff and you get refused a lot if your a bit outside of the city.

[siampreggers]

How many of the BMA staff and managers use public transport to commute to work.

In fact, I'd be pretty surprised if the managers don't have a company merc each that they use.

[rics21]

1. How many cars do the BMA governor has? One/ two for every family member.

2. How many cars,do the BMA deputies have? Same as above.

3. Ever been to the BMA office and try to look for a car park?

Hypocrites.

Just increase the taxation on cars. Make cars so expensive the public will have to think twice before thinking to buy one.

Cars should be only affordable to those with income 30k or more. This will reduce the number of accidents as those youngsters with low income not even imagine to get a car before 30.

Sent from my XT910 using Thaivisa Connect App

Edited September 14, 2012 by rics21

[bkkjames]

1. How many cars do the BMA governor has? One/ two for every family member.

2. How many cars,do the BMA deputies have? Same as above.

3. Ever been to the BMA office and try to look for a car park?

Hypocrites.

Just increase the taxation on cars. Make cars so expensive the public will have to think twice before thinking to buy one.

Cars should be only affordable to those with income 30k or more. This will reduce the number of accidents as those youngsters with low income not even imagine to get a car before 30.

Sent from my XT910 using Thaivisa Connect App

I liked the first half of your post.

The 2nd half. nope. Raising taxation so only rich people who are shitty drivers can crash easier makes no sense. Why should only the rich be allowed to drive?

Imagine how many people would get mowed down by BMW, Mercs, Ferraris at 150kms an hour if our roads were Jam Free?

[skippybangkok]

Lead by example !

[thegreatbw]

I get around pretty handily in this city, as I keep all the options open. When I go to my language school, I take a motorcycle taxi, then BTS, then a 10 minute walk. I went to Bang Pho yesterday to buy some lumber... motorcycle all the way there then a tuk-tuk back. When I go to Mega Bangna or someplace like that, I drive. I love having the option of a car, but often it's the least convenient mode of transport.

One thing I love about Bangkok is that many neighborhoods are fairly self-contained, so you don't have to traipse all over creation to run simple errands, unlike in my home country.

Anyway, I have a feeling that the situation will start to correct itself as we approach permanent gridlock.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

I have a car, but only drive it if I am going out of town, never in Bangkok. Easy solution, however. Look to Singapore. Raise vehicle taxes, and, in particular, new car registration fees.

[bkkjames]

I have a car, but only drive it if I am going out of town, never in Bangkok. Easy solution, however. Look to Singapore. Raise vehicle taxes, and, in particular, new car registration fees.

Dont forget a subway system that works across the entire city.

[kiwiinasia]

But seriously, as long as the government thinks,

Great joke that one!

[belg]

i would suggest: put up more and more skyscrapers till you will get somewhere faster walking than taking out your car

[upena]

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

Farang does not necessarily mean Caucasian.

[Wiggy]

When I'm not faced with a wall of people when the BTS doors open and having to wait for 4 or five trains in sweltering heat then I'll leave my car at home. We don't transport animals like that. If the BMA provide decent alternatives I'll use them.