Cars driving increase in hazy days in Pattaya

PATTAYA:--As Pattaya grows, so do its number of hazy days.

It’s not weather, it’s smog, caused in large part by poorly maintained vehicles smoking up congested intersections.

At Sukhumvit Road intersections with North, Central and South Roads, cars roll though intersections through clouds of smoke, both white and black.

The Public Health and Environment Department has a truck roaming Pattaya, monitoring the weather and general atmospheric conditions. So city hall is well aware of the problems traffic congestion and auto pollution is doing. But, so far, there are no records of police or city hall regulatory enforcement officers actually citing anyone for smoking vehicles.

Full story:http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/cars-driving-increase-in-hazy-days-in-pattaya-28214

-- Pattaya Mail 2013-07-12

If the police in Thailand would start writing large tickets for car emissions and stop hassling bikers for helmets over chump change, they could all make lots and lots of money.

Especially those modified pick ups, they floor the accelerator and there is nothing but a huge plume of black diesel smoke, a loud noise and not much else - but they think they are cool though!

I buy "fancy" diesel for my pick-up here. It only costs 10% (3B) more per litre but it has practically no visible exhaust emissions. If the cheaper type of diesel was banned here it might go a long way towards improving things, and it would be easy to implement.

The cheaper high-sulphur diesel is already banned in Europe, US etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-low-sulfur_diesel

If the police in Thailand would start writing large tickets for car emissions and stop hassling bikers for helmets over chump change, they could all make lots and lots of money.

They sure could and people would be forced to repair their cars. Maintenance is a dirty word in Thailand.

But in general bike owners have less connections and are less likely to make a problem so its easier to stop them. They are in general the lowest of the low.

Before you shoot me I drive bikes and prefer it over cars (but wear a helmet) i am more annoyed by the unfair bikes must keep to the left. Its nowhere in the rules only if your slow should you keep to the left cars and bikes.