Thai Govt's First-Car Policy Putting People's Health At Risk: Bangkok

[seminomadic]

Just introduce a vehicle testing scheme, as in the UK, you have to have your car/motorbike tested annually (after the first 3 years have expired)

the criteria includes all mechanical & safety aspects of the car including electrics etc.. but most important is the exhaust test, if that falls below regulation figures you will not pass & get a certificate.. if you do not have the certificate to prove it is roadworthy it becomes illegal to be on the road, also you cannot tax or insure your car either as this certificate must be shown at the time of purchasing these documents.

In a country where the clinic doctor simply checks my breathing with a stethoscope to give me a clean bill of health as being syphilis- gonorrhea- and HIV-free for my medical certificate just before collecting my 400THB, I think this is a poorly-thought-through solution for Thailand.

[raybal5]

Much of the pollution comes from street vendors lighting fires all over Bangkok. Banning these would be a good start. Also ban all polluting vehicles. In fact, take them of the road and crush them.

<deleted>? Are you serious? You would destroy the things that make Thailand unique just to get a few more cars on the road? Ban the polluting cars and trucks and let the peasants continue to make a living while serving the needs of the city.

[BrianCR]

Another completely stupid accusation!

You can criticize the policy for a lot of reasons- pollution is rather not one of them.

Seriously? Are all these government subsidized new cars "zero emmission" cars? I think not.

Moreover most of these "new" cars are built or assembled in Thailand, which usually means outdated technology, not only in saferty but also in environment friendlyness and low mileage. High tech cars built in Europe are not welcome in Thailand, hence a hefty import and excise tax.

Combine that with government subsidized gasoline (i.e. diesel) prices and there is a perfect recepie for disaster.

What on earth are you writing about? All cars produced (assembled) in Thailand are under the direct control of the International Automobile Manufacturer that makes the brand and are produced for both domestic and export sales.European models are also assembled here including Volvo and Benz and then exported! Total rubbish posting!

[silent]

Black fumes comes from the buses,old trucks and old lorrys not new cars and trucks

Very astute. I guess I'm missing where somebody said any different

[Cheops]

Another completely stupid accusation!

You can criticize the policy for a lot of reasons- pollution is rather not one of them.

Seriously? Are all these government subsidized new cars "zero emmission" cars? I think not.

Moreover most of these "new" cars are built or assembled in Thailand, which usually means outdated technology, not only in saferty but also in environment friendlyness and low mileage. High tech cars built in Europe are not welcome in Thailand, hence a hefty import and excise tax.

Combine that with government subsidized gasoline (i.e. diesel) prices and there is a perfect recepie for disaster.

says the guy who owns a big SUV, which I think is a bit more poluting than the smaller cars which are in the subsidized scheme:

"I have my Trailblazer now a whole week and just drove to Jomtien and back (from Bangkok)."

BTW: how's your trailblazer? I'm currently driving a Fortuner, but interested in the Trailblazer. Looks nice

[Halion]

Ridiculous article and bears little relation to the truth.. The main contributor to polluting exhaust emmisions are in regard to diesel engines and not forgetting 2 stroke motorcycles which are abundant. Archaic public transport busses seen pumping noxious fumes are a common sight along with the commercial vans and lorries. Thye endless traffic jams with these noxious fumes becoming all but overpowering. The modern gasoline driven car engines do contribute to the toxic environment in Bangkok but at a far lower level than perceived when viewed against the deisel burning leviathans that lumber the Bangkok Streets. This is all further exaserbated by the non existent enforcement of emission standards on a routine basis. The root cause is most certainly in the taudry Government and administration that have allowed this condition to go unchecked for years and simply apply the Thai acedimic fix to the problem which is to blame something else for their own incompotence.

Bangkok Administration and Management is a bad joke and in very poor taste. Self interest are the colours they ply their trade under and to expect them to improve would be akin to expecting a group of primates to type the complete works of Shakespear.

Without radical and dramatic change in ability, integrity and attitude this country will soon become the Thalidomide sibling of Asia.

Everything here is blamed by all on corruption, where there is little doubt that all concerned have Master's degree's but the real problem is that they are totally and utterly incopetent in the abilities pertaining to the positions they hold. They are not simply corrupt, they are totally bereft of any level of skill and/or ability needed to perform their duties on behalf of the people of Thailand. However you get what you vote for. There is an old adage; if you don't like what you are getting , then stop doing what you are doing.

[chuenyongman]

I always understood that a diesel vehicle does not emit carbon monoxide like a petrol driven vehicle so is better for the environment. I may stand stand corrected.

[kartman]

Black fumes comes from the buses,old trucks and old lorrys not new cars and trucks

Very astute. I guess I'm missing where somebody said any different

And your contribution to the thread is this.

[Tomtomtom69]

Bangkok has 1,000 things which need improving. Where to start? Best would be to relocate to higher ground, as it's going to be under a meter of year 'round standing water in the near future.

as for traffic, here are some things Bangkokian big shots can do:

>>>. develop dedicated 'turn lanes' at intersections. Instead of 3 lanes stopped to enable one to move, two lanes could move while two are stopped. More traffic would be moving rather than standing still and idling.

>>> get those black smoke belching buses off the streets. Last time I was in Bkk (I go there as seldom as possible), I had to wait for a bus and nearly died (no exaggeration) from constant black smoke blown in my face. It was awful!

>>> develop parks. Bkk, like all Thai cities, has a paucity of parks. Even when Thais build a park, they are compelled to pour cement over most of it. Is it just Thais, or do all Asians have an aversion to grass and trees?

.....just a smattering of improvements which could help Bkk progress from crappy to moderately bad.

This would require civil engineering to be taken off the list of jobs foreigners are prohibited from doing. The whole culture might disappear if a few hundred western civil engineers came and designed some streets while teaching the trade to the locals. Pretty soon Thai language would disappear, they would no longer wai to greet one another and would not be able to say no it's good because it's Thai style.

It's funny my S.O. lets me drive her around sometimes and would give me the usual schlep all Thai's say about it's their right or up to them. I've been steadily re-enforcing my ideology upon her that no one has the right to do things if it is negative to the greater good. She's starting to get it and gets irritated with inconsiderate drivers and the lack of traffic signals and buses driving in the fast lane and two way traffic on soi's that are only big enough for maybe 1.5 cars and....

There are westerners (or rather, foreigners in general) working as civil engineers in Thailand. It's just that they are probably not down at the drafting room, but up there managing employees, the business or acting as consultants.