Raise the taxi-fares already

[boosta]

New one: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/114063537/paravelo-the-worlds-first-flying-bicycle

[PaullyW]

Problems are several.

1. not enough public transport -- esp MRT and BTS lines. Weren't there supposed to be 12 BTS lines by now, but 10 fizzled out due to corruption and political problems?

2. BKK roads are sh!t (potholes, lanes that are too narrow, etc)

3. the conveyer style lights which make us wait for 5 minutes sometimes rather than smoothly moving traffic a little at a time

4. lacking of lights in so many critical places allowing people to make U-turns in the middle of what are essentially highways (absurd)

5. bicycles and other small vehicles clogging up the road and causing slow automobile traffic due to their habit of driving between car/truck/bus traffic

6. drivers who generally do not understand how to drive well (for example, not signalling to turn, or turning across multiple lanes to make U-turn on highway or the weird, inconsistent Thai habit of signalling opposite)

7. government subsidies for certain vehicles which encourage people to own more cars

8. Asian FACE which expects Thais to have a car even if perhaps their budgets would be better served by taking public transport (even in it's pathetic, limited form)

9. Overall piss-poor traffic engineering here. Only other places where I've seen such poorly thought out roads are in African countries and some parts of India.

Edited June 22, 2013 by PaullyW

[Lakegeneve]

Yes true you didn't say that it was the only reason. Clearly you are more enlightened than most folk on this issue so I retract my 50s thinking comment and extend my apologies for an incorrect interpretation/assumption on my part.

Wow, now that's rare to see, appreciated very much. Highly recommend "The Power Broker", bio of Robert Moses the brilliant megalomaniac that shaped New York's post-war urban landscape, huge influence in America and the world.

Thanks I will check it out.

You mention that BKKs raod surface area is about 8% of the city land (BMA province I assume and not includ arrounds). Essentially that seems to be similar in range to small European cities, yet BKK has more of a spawling NA city design - though not by design! I suspect that even is that road area is increased by 50% or even doubled to 16% of the land area then there will be little discernible difference.

Fix some of the issues I mentioned above, congestion points and widen some sois and feeder roads and it is difficult to see it making much difference overall difference when there is little incentive to leave the car at home and people are prepared to waste hours in traffice for status and perceived convenience. Jakarta and Manila have made the same mistakes. HCM is going that way building more overpasses and new roads which soon after become clogged with more traffic (The metro only started last year).

The one difference in BKK is that property developers have been jumping on the metro bandwagon building new condos adjacent to metro lines which in the long term makes those occupants less car dependent. Should have the Hong Kong MTR model with a centralised agency which makes money from property developments on or near stations to help pay for new lines/extensions. (Here lines are built according to politicians vested property interests - the Purple line being the prime example with the then coalition partner BJT pollies pushing it before other lines.

Oh and one of these decades the BMA needs to enter the 70s or 80s and do an integrated Transport Plan for BKK.

[Weatherman]

Yes true you didn't say that it was the only reason. Clearly you are more enlightened than most folk on this issue so I retract my 50s thinking comment and extend my apologies for an incorrect interpretation/assumption on my part.

Wow, now that's rare to see, appreciated very much. Highly recommend "The Power Broker", bio of Robert Moses the brilliant megalomaniac that shaped New York's post-war urban landscape, huge influence in America and the world.

Thanks I will check it out.

You mention that BKKs raod surface area is about 8% of the city land (BMA province I assume and not includ arrounds). Essentially that seems to be similar in range to small European cities, yet BKK has more of a spawling NA city design - though not by design! I suspect that even is that road area is increased by 50% or even doubled to 16% of the land area then there will be little discernible difference.

Fix some of the issues I mentioned above, congestion points and widen some sois and feeder roads and it is difficult to see it making much difference overall difference when there is little incentive to leave the car at home and people are prepared to waste hours in traffice for status and perceived convenience. Jakarta and Manila have made the same mistakes. HCM is going that way building more overpasses and new roads which soon after become clogged with more traffic (The metro only started last year).

The one difference in BKK is that property developers have been jumping on the metro bandwagon building new condos adjacent to metro lines which in the long term makes those occupants less car dependent. Should have the Hong Kong MTR model with a centralised agency which makes money from property developments on or near stations to help pay for new lines/extensions. (Here lines are built according to politicians vested property interests - the Purple line being the prime example with the then coalition partner BJT pollies pushing it before other lines.

Oh and one of these decades the BMA needs to enter the 70s or 80s and do an integrated Transport Plan for BKK.

We can dream - http://people.reed.edu/~reyn/Bangkokrail.jpg

[Lakegeneve]

We can dream - http://people.reed.edu/~reyn/Bangkokrail.jpg

And old dreams they now are.........

That wonderful map was done by Khun Zoowatch in 2004 and updated in 2005, first posted on 2Bangkok.com for discussion and updates. It is now well out of date and about 30% is that map is incorrect.

For example,

50% of the Orange Line route has changed,

The Pink Line route is not shown as it was being finalised at the time (not the SRT Pink line shown which is now the Light Red Line and partially opened)

The Blue Line ext (under const)is not running along Rama 3 has shown on that map,

The BTS is not going to be extended to Phran Nok and the BTS line to the new Airport is not even on the last two plans

I posted a link to a TV thread above. That thread has the latest Master Plan along with maps of specific lines, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/406991-the-new-skytrain/page-7#entry6519325