Extremely well thought out plan... For the private sector to install wifi and everything for free, chances are that the BiB might actually switch on the automatic system again because they are too busy with facebook and online gambling.

I see major improvements in traffic-flow with this new technology..

Looking at the 'police-officer' in the picture, they still have a way to go explaining what a microphone is and how to use it.

Maybe they also should look for all the stupid drivers that do not have an insurance on their rides as well !

Just a thought.

Not going to read the article .

They are already smart, see a farrang stop him, 200 Baht sir, straight in his sky rocket, thank you very much!!!

She is rather cute half Thai half white don't you think?

The web cams would serve better if they were pointed at the police box so we can monitor the cops eating/picking their noses/sleeping/on mobile instead of flicking the switch to change the lights!

Huh? Don't have to look at a monitor to see champion nose pickers if you sittin in the traffic.

Totally agree.

Here in Pattaya you always know when a policeman is overiding the lights at a junction because the traffic is alot worse.

I want to know who told them or advised that allowing traffic from each side to go for twice or even 3 times longer is the answer to clearing the traffic.........lol

Same here in Cha Am. We only have one set of lights and it is an absolute cock up when the police are sitting there playing with the buttons

She is rather cute half Thai half white don't you think?

No & no, but everyone has their own idea of cute

Making the police smart. If they also can make them honest, I see a Nobel Prize

Naw. They just need to take lessons from police in the West so they are better at not getting caught.

WPC 4078, please switch your monitor to the traffic channel

She is rather cute half Thai half white don't you think?

On a scale of 10:

Long pointed nose = - 6

I give her a 4 out of 10.

Looks like a good effort. Probably will be useful but why bother to wait and see? I should have known that this article would catalyze a lot of know-nothing blabbermouthing by self appointed traffic control experts and of course the usual knee-jerk dumping on the cops.

Ok, let's see the outcome of this implementation. Police is also attending english classes which is good. I would particularly suggest Phuket Police to spend time in western countries to study the concept of patrolling and traffic flow management especially at traffic lights and circles cause I've seen weird stuffs applied here by cops with very original views of traffic issues.

On a scale of 10:

Long pointed nose = - 6

I give her a 4 out of 10.

You must be the "Russian Judge". Or maybe you're too young to remember the Russian Judge from the old Olympics.

Long pointy nose adds points on my scale...

To each his own.

Are they going to install cow prods in the police booths that can be activated from the command post to wake up the sleeping officers?

Ok, let's see the outcome of this implementation. Police is also attending english classes which is good. I would particularly suggest Phuket Police to spend time in western countries to study the concept of patrolling and traffic flow management especially at traffic lights and circles cause I've seen weird stuffs applied here by cops with very original views of traffic issues.

Actually the Thai police do participate in an exchange program, We had two of the BIB in Melbourne for 3 months whom I escorted around to various jobs and the like and I was lucky enough with the help of my new friends to get an all expenses paid (my wages from my employer not thiers) 6 month holiday on exchange back to Chiangmai.

The average heart beats at 60+ per minute. If the blood don't flow the body stops. Ditto the traffic. 4-5 minutes per side at an intersection and you have instant chaos - miss the light and you could be 20 minutes. Having police override electronic controls is sheer stupidity. Teach the traffic police to not interfere, sync the lights along streets to be timed so traffic all moves continuously and set them at no more that 45 second intervals in peak hours and bingo. No waiting for Constable Somchai to stop sipping coffee whilst talking to his Gik on his iPhone 5 he obtained by .... means. Web cams? Sure, why not, but don't let the B.i.B. put their sticky little fingers anywhere near buttons.

I believe Thailand is unique: Longest traffic lights in the world.

The sleepy little town of Kalasin has many 90 second and longer light changes, long after the traffic and the dogs and jay walkers have gone thru the greens we sit and wonder why o why? because we are in Thai land.

On a scale of 10:

Long pointed nose = - 6

I give her a 4 out of 10.

You must be the "Russian Judge". Or maybe you're too young to remember the Russian Judge from the old Olympics.

Long pointy nose adds points on my scale...

To each his own.

Nope I am an old fart. I just happen to like the short flatter (but not too flat) noses of these Asian beauties. But as you say to each his own.

There's a traffic jam in Rama 4 at the intersection with Ratchadamri at the moment.

I wish ALL traffic cops looked like her

I'm hoping the nice female cops they hired last year was a prelude to a calender coming out soon!!

One problem solved ...............

Now what are the going to do ab out the less the brilliant drivers

who create the grid lock. Until the drivers learn how to drive and

know the laws of the road nothing will change.

They can start with telling people that when there is one lane for

rights turns, it does not mean you can go three wide

Yes and if the B.i.B. were to show in sign of intelligence, they would start getting traffic violators and earn a bucket load more than sitting in the pillbox. But think of this - if traffic actually flowed, Thai drivers would have no need to lane jump, and take up 3 lanes to make turns as most of this is due to frustration. Remove the frustration and it will go a long way towards solving bad driving habits.

Remove the frustration and it will go a long way towards solving bad driving habits.

A few tickets with significant fines and points added to DL along with a rise in insurance rates due to those points would do a lot more... and add to the city's coffers. Win-Win.

This is a great thread, i am quickly running out of "likes" for the day...

Any sentence containing the three words Thai, police and smart is an absolute false statement.

The traffic cops stand at the stupidest places and just flap their arms. At the U-turn bridge near my place there is a cop standing there flapping away as if all the drivers will stop moving forward if he wasn't flapping his arms. Obviously this has ZERO benefit to the flow of traffic. If the traffic police were to go out to the areas where drivers are turning three across on the highway and major roadways and either ticket every driver or make them keep driving past the turn the traffic problem would improve immensely.

But don't expect much improvement ever. This is the same country that makes sewer drains that zig zag, have tiny holes, have an odd V shape, and are a major hazard to driving while providing little functionality to draining away water. They think they know how to do everything and will keep doing it the same way even if they are proven wrong time and again.

The traffic cops stand at the stupidest places and just flap their arms. At the U-turn bridge near my place there is a cop standing there flapping away as if all the drivers will stop moving forward if he wasn't flapping his arms. Obviously this has ZERO benefit to the flow of traffic. If the traffic police were to go out to the areas where drivers are turning three across on the highway and major roadways and either ticket every driver or make them keep driving past the turn the traffic problem would improve immensely.

But don't expect much improvement ever. This is the same country that makes sewer drains that zig zag, have tiny holes, have an odd V shape, and are a major hazard to driving while providing little functionality to draining away water. They think they know how to do everything and will keep doing it the same way even if they are proven wrong time and again.

Sometimes i think they're made at me when they flap their arms.

or is the smart sys. going to free them up to give more phony 500b & 1000b fines straight to thier pockets due to out of area drivers?

One of the biggest contributors to congestion is also the ridiculous road rules... The only place in the world where the answer to the driving test question "if the light is green and the traffic is stopped at the other side of the intersection, should you (a) wait until the traffic on the other side begins moving before proceeding into the intersection, or ( move into the intersection and wait for the traffic to move?" The answer is (!!! Now the intersection is gridlocked, so the BIB might as well go for another coffer and leave the light green for a few more minutes!

Only in Thailand!

As was mentioned earlier, the traffic here in Manila is waaaaay worse. They dont have the tollways linking around the city as we do in Bangkok- just the godawful EDSA - Manilas answer to the M25 at peak hour - but all <deleted> day!