Journeying down Bangkok roads with the minister

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Journeying down Bangkok roads with the minister
Kornchanok Raksaseri
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- "I used to think that Facebook was only meant for entertainment, like recommending restaurants and tourist spots, or chatting for fun. But now that I have my own Facebook page I realise that it is much more - it's a two-way communication channel for good information and comments."

This is the message Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt posted on his Facebook timeline - a comment that has, so far, won some 52,000 "likes".

Also posted on his page are photographs of him trying out different modes of public transport: buses, trains and boats.

Just looking at these photographs makes you feel as if you're travelling with him.

On Wednesday, the engineering academic-turned-minister released the result of an August 6-23 survey in which he asked Facebook users to give him feedback on the different organisations under the Transport Ministry.

Once the survey was complete, he said, he had his team collate the comments posted and pass the issues on to relative agencies. He then summarised the complaints and got his team to create charts to demonstrate them.

The highest proportion of complaints, 45 per cent, were directly related to the public transport services; 21 per cent to the lack of facilities; and 14 per cent were grievances about traffic congestion.

The organisation that faced the largest number of complaints (113 or 40 per cent) was the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, followed by the Land Transport Department with 61 (22 per cent) and the State Railways of Thailand (SRT) with 48 (17 per cent).

Of the 113 complaints filed against the BMTA, 71 had to do with problems such as bus drivers not stopping long enough for passengers to board; impolite staff; some routes not being covered; and long distances between bus stops. Another 17 complaints were related to such problems as bad air-conditioning; old buses; and the lack of signs in the English language. Thirteen were related to speeding buses and passengers being dropped off in the middle of the road.

The remaining complaints were related to traffic problems such as some buses stopping for far too long at bus stops, or broken-down buses obstructing the traffic further.

Chadchart either responded to these complaints himself or got his team to do it. Also, his timeline has been featuring a lot of data about the different public transport services he has been inspecting - posts that have won both positive and negative comments.

One of Chadchart's comments says: "As I was inspecting the entrance of the Khun Tan tunnel, I realised that there was light at the end of the tunnel. This reminds me of the situation at the SRT. I know that if we are determined, we will pass this dark period and enter better times in the future."

We can only hope he means what he says.


-- The Nation 2013-08-31

[bigbamboo]

Credit where it's due. It's good top see a minister doing some practical research.

[Mampara]

This guy is earning a lot of respect from the people with his 'Hands on approach and dedication'. Wish they could all do it instead of sitting in air conditioned offices and playing internet games or Facebook.

[klauskunkel]

He's been in the news a lot: trains, buses, motorcycle taxi, boats. He seems to be the only minister doing his job actually. Kudos..., for now.

[Hornell]

Dear Khun Chadchart,

I was most impressed by your efforts this month to experience at first hand what the average Joe has to put up with to get around the capital and the country. Well done you! It must be a first for any politician! I was even more impressed when I read, subsequent to your train journey, that the big boss railways had been summoned to the presence and given a month to sort out the mess they are in. I imagine the poor chap must have felt a bit like Hercules on being told that his next task was to clean the Augean Stables.

But to capitalise on your enthusiasm I would like to propose another mission for you to undertake: you leave Bangkok not by chauffeur driven limo with a police escort by the Phra Pin Klao, follow the elevated Route 338 and turn left on the Kanchanpisek Road West more commonly known as the By-pass. You then drive south to the junction with Rama II where you turn west towards Samut Sonkran.

This junction was not fit for purpose when it was constructed some years ago to a design by a contortionist with a knitting fixation. Later when some highly paid (no doubt) consultant determined that the toll station should be situated within 300 metres of this the busiest road junction in The Kingdom, mere inconvenience led to nail biting frustration for everyone regardless of the direction in which they were travelling. Add another million or so cars from the first car buyer scheme and the almost permanent log jam around this junction was assured.

But you will eventually negotiate this and you need only drive as far as Porto Chino at Km 25 where you can relax with a Paracetamol and a coffee before returning. But dont pick up the police escort just yet; the excitement of the outward journey needs to be tempered by experience of the Amazing Junction on the way back - even if the police havent set up a vehicle check, the queue of traffic to get on to the By-pass road usually extends for some distance. But assuming you survive the ducking and weaving by drivers in the right hand lane trying to cross at the last minute to the By-pass road, you then have the 10 km scenic drive to the toll booths at the end of Rama II, which shouldnt take you more than half an hour. You are now only left to negotiate the toll Booths, recently snarled up by the improved placing of extra Easy Pass lanes and the exhilarating climb up the Rama IX Bridge before you can duck down into the capital but you already know this bit.

I look forward to reading about your experience and if the big boss roads isnt summoned to the presence I shall be surprised. But it might be an idea to extend the time frame for him to sort out the mess say 5 years, by which time you should be safely out of office and it will be someone elses problem. Good luck!