Bangkok: Rush-Hour Traffic Slowing Down

[GreenSnapper]

I hate the traffic snarls but love the way I can walk across a busy street and cars actually stop for you... couldn't do that in Oz.

Funny, having lived in both countries I have entirely the opposite experience.

You cannot walk across a busy street, very dangerous. You cannot even walk a narrow soi, they would just run over you. And you cannot walk on a footpath (where they exist) because a motorbike may run over you.

Very rude traffic manners in BKK.

[thrilled]

It's just going to get worse.Wait 10 years from now.Ya couldn't pay me enough to live in bangkok.

[jeromutton]

Hello members

im a newbie here and know that this thread is quite old but im hoping that anyone who wants to comment on the current Thai traffic administration system can share their opinion on my facebook page below

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Public-Transportation-YES-Traffic-NO/349087125201368?fref=ts

Thanks

[rametindallas]

There's no room for infrastructure, years of unregulated un coordinated building has killed inner BKK

Inner BKK needs to be pedestrianised, build huge car parks on the fringes of the town, with park & ride schemes like other countries do

a delivery lane for commercial vehicles only with a daytime time limit for use outside of peak office hours, taxi & bus lanes clearly marked & minimal private car routes, CCTV or manned surveillance on all entry points with some kind of toll/charging system.

Hit the Thai man in the pocket and he will leave the car at home & use public transport for sure.

The car park charges can be capped at a level to encourage full use, the same with public transport costs, maybe even peak time low charges.

Revenue from these facilities will be used to self maintain the system & future expansion.

Great idea but first they need to add more cars to BTS and build more mass transit. The SkyTrain is full to overflowing now.

[rametindallas]

SO what have YOU done to HELP improve the traffic situation? NOTHING? Well there you go... You deserve the traffic you helped create.

I bought a skinny motorcycle. I don't take up a car space and don't hold anyone back. I use BTS/MRT whenever possible and use motorcycle taxis when go I farther than walking distance from the stations. I haven't driven my motorcycle during rainy season yet but I did get a nice rain suit and waterproof luggage carrier for shopping. There is always lots of parking for motorcycles at the malls or wherever.

[toybits]

Good for you. Driving my car from Thonburi to Asoke every weekday drove me nuts! I ditched the car and brought a bicycle. The commute which used to take me over an hour by car (if I am lucky) was cut down to 25 minutes on the bicycle. I did pack extra clothes and we had a shower at the office (lucky me). The commute back home was especially entertaining - watching helpless people in their immobile cars waiting for the third cycle of stoplights to get through one particular intersection. Bwa hah hah.... Well, I don't have to do this anymore, because I am out of Bkk!

SO what have YOU done to HELP improve the traffic situation? NOTHING? Well there you go... You deserve the traffic you helped create.

I bought a skinny motorcycle. I don't take up a car space and don't hold anyone back. I use BTS/MRT whenever possible and use motorcycle taxis when go I farther than walking distance from the stations. I haven't driven my motorcycle during rainy season yet but I did get a nice rain suit and waterproof luggage carrier for shopping. There is always lots of parking for motorcycles at the malls or wherever.

[Lammbock]

The whole traffic system (traffic lights, U-Turns, one way roads etc.,) in BKK must be totally overhauled a.s.a.p.

They should employ some foreign engineers to figure out a better road planing.

But what the Thais can start immediately with is giving the control of traffic lights to a computer system instead of the BIBs which in many areas make you wait in front of Red light for several minuets.

[zydeco]

As far as traffic, crowding, trash, illegal construction, air pollution (from autos/trucks), or double/triple parking, forget it. It will only get worse. Never better.

Edited March 26, 2013 by zydeco

[hellodolly]

There's no room for infrastructure, years of unregulated un coordinated building has killed inner BKK

Inner BKK needs to be pedestrianised, build huge car parks on the fringes of the town, with park & ride schemes like other countries do

a delivery lane for commercial vehicles only with a daytime time limit for use outside of peak office hours, taxi & bus lanes clearly marked & minimal private car routes, CCTV or manned surveillance on all entry points with some kind of toll/charging system.

Hit the Thai man in the pocket and he will leave the car at home & use public transport for sure.

The car park charges can be capped at a level to encourage full use, the same with public transport costs, maybe even peak time low charges.

Revenue from these facilities will be used to self maintain the system & future expansion.

Well I sure like your idea. I am not familiar with the public transport system in Bangkok is it viable. For instance Where I spent a fair amount of years in Vancouver B C Canada the bus system serviced very well a huge area, In Seattle the same was true plus they had outlying parking lots at major bus terminals. Also in the down town core part of Seattle buses had their normal routes but transportation in that area was free.

This still left them with a lot of traffic but it did ease the problem quite a bit.

does Bangkok have a system like this other than cabs and tuk tuk's

[hellodolly]

I hate the traffic snarls but love the way I can walk across a busy street and cars actually stop for you... couldn't do that in Oz.

Funny, having lived in both countries I have entirely the opposite experience.

What pisses me off here in Chiang Mai is when I have it timed to cross the road and some one stops for me. I never walk across a busy road with the idea that they will just stop for me.

If I was in Oz i would still take care of my self instead of trusting the nanny state and it's followers to take care of me.

[hellodolly]

Part of the issue is the way Thais are polite drivers... note I said polite not good. Bangkok runs on the 'convoy' system where large numbers of cars go at once. Great in most cases but here, there are so many sois and Thais being Thais, let each other in, thereby negating the convoy system. For me its a love / hate relationship. I hate the traffic snarls but love the way I can walk across a busy street and cars actually stop for you... couldn't do that in Oz.

Your experience is different from mine Thais where i live near BKK dont let you in and are certainly not polite blocking whole lanes so they can take a turnof at the last possible moment cutting in front of everyone. Have you ever driven a car here or a bike ? Just curious because of the difference in our experience.

I have never driven here in Thailand but I walk a lot and it is amazing but I see both sides of the coin.

My western upbringing comes out when I am in the back of a songhthow or tuck tuck and they get caught up in the traffic because every one is being polite to one rude individual. I start to get a touch of road rage and I am not even driving. On the other hand I have crossed on foot very busy roads here I would never attempt back home.

[ratcatcher]

The whole traffic system (traffic lights, U-Turns, one way roads etc.,) in BKK must be totally overhauled a.s.a.p.

They should employ some foreign engineers to figure out a better road planing.

But what the Thais can start immediately with is giving the control of traffic lights to a computer system instead of the BIBs which in many areas make you wait in front of Red light for several minuets.

You have my greatest symphony if you have to drive in Bangkok.

As you said, "you wait in front of Red light for several minuets"

I can assure you, I have sat at red lights, in Bangkok, long enough to have heard Beethoven's 5th from start to finish.

[negreanu]

How about simply enforcing double yellow line no parking on the side of major roads. Which would stop 3 or 4 lane roads becoming 2 or 3 lanes during rush hour because some idiot wants to park his pickup there while he go gets his food....

And while were on it how about enforcing rear seat belts in Taxi's to reduce the death and injury rate.

Simple solutions to major problems....not exactly rocket science.

Edited March 27, 2013 by negreanu

[2unique]

Last year?

Waist deep water is hardly conducive to traffic moments.

They need to pedestruanise downtown under the BTS, to make it basically impossible to commutr to sukhumvit by car. It has to be residents only in those places.

I'd be happy with that when driving in from the suburbs however am I supposed to just leave my car on the street when I get to this pedestrian zone?

Face it hardly any of these new stations have adequate parking to support those that don't live a motorbike hop away.

That's before we get into those holiday drivers, delivery drivers, house movers and other things that require a vehicle to transport.

[2unique]

Some good ideas thrown up here.

I'd love to see "enterprise zones" on the edges of the city connected by mass transit. There is no need for people to cause congestion just to be sat in the city centre all day. Companies should be given incentives for early adoption/moving to.

Staggered start and finish times - Bangkok doesn't die at 5 or 6pm

Planning permission shouldn't be given unless effect on infrastructure taken into consideration. Why wasn't soi 22 (for example) widened?

More pipe dreams...