Thai Editorial: Get on your bikes and RIDE

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
Get on your bikes and RIDE

Encouraging the use of bicycles can only be beneficial for the capital city and the counry generally, so why are the authorities so slow in providing a functional network of designated bicycle lanes

BANGKOK: -- The idea of building bicycle lanes along roads in Bangkok has been around for decades, but such a network in the capital has never really come to fruition. Unlike many other big cities around the world, Bangkok has no proper network of bicycle lanes that allows people to commute under their own steam without having to rely on other modes of transport.

Bicycle lanes do exist in the city, but most of them are designated on certain sections of pavement, and they are unconnected to each other. Newer roads are more likely to have this kind of route for cyclists, as they are broader than older thoroughfares. One of the best such routes in Bangkok is along the wide Pradit Manutham Road, which has the Ekamai-Ram Inthra expressway in the middle. The bicycle lanes along this road are well built and separate from the road and pavement areas.

Many groups have campaigned for more bicycle routes in Bangkok, and recent moves by the authorities to accommodate them are a promising sign. On the recent Car Free Day, Transport Minister Chatchart Sithipan promised to improve the condition of existing bicycle lanes in Bangkok and build more along the wide Ram Inthra and Kaset-Nawamin (also known as Prasert Manukit) roads, as well as under certain expressways. He claimed to be aware of the problems facing cyclists using designated lanes, such as potholes and drain grilles that make it difficult or even perilous to ride.

The transport minister said he has instructed relevant agencies under the Ministry of Transport - namely the Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand and the Department of Highways - to study the feasibility of building more bicycle routes in Bangkok.

"Given the increased public interest, the agencies should be able to push bicycle lanes as an alternative for us. More importantly, we should talk with the people who actually use bicycles regularly, so that we can get straight to the point," he said.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration also plans to build another 30 bicycle lanes within four years, in addition to the existing 31 routes, for a combined distance of 232 kilometres, according to BMA spokeswoman Tridao Apaiwong. She said the bicycle lanes would be designed for the purposes of commuting, exercise and recreation. The current lanes would be improved so they remain in useable condition and are safe for cyclists.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra voiced his support for the use of bicycles in commuting. He said bicycles are an ideal travel solution for Bangkok residents because the city is mostly flat and there are few gradients.

Cycling is the most environmentally friendly mode of transport; it eliminates the use of fuel and carbon emissions while allowing people to exercise and save money.

However, there are still many problems facing cyclists, even in the designated lanes, including parked vehicles and vendors' carts. The problem in Bangkok does not just involve the shortage of bicycle lanes, but also the willingness of the authorities to enforce the exclusivity of such lanes. There needs to be a law that officially acknowledges and regulates these lanes.

Legislators should encourage this development and make things more convenient for cyclists. With more and more people using bicycle lanes, the use of motor vehicles - particularly for shorter distances - can be decreased, and that can only be to the benefit of the capital city, the country and the people in the long run.


-- The Nation 2013-10-03

[lujanit]

The writer has made the fatal mistake of thinking that thais know the difference between bicycles and motor bikes.

[LuckyLew]

555

You could not pay me enough money to ride a pedal bike in this country

Riding a bike in Thailand is like asking for a hospital stay or an early death

[MaxLee]

Stop that high status save face equal car thing or otherwise the majority if the rich in Thailand will just run a biker over without getting punished, especially if they have influential relatives among them...

[noitom]

This editorial writer does not have a grasp on reality. Conditions, rules, security..etc.

[ianf]

555

You could not pay me enough money to ride a pedal bike in this country

Riding a bike in Thailand is like asking for a hospital stay or an early death

A bit out of order Lucky: I ride around 13000 miles a year up here in Chiang Mai and I actually find the roads safer than the UK. As long as you know what to watch out for then perfectly safe. Yesterday I did 107 miles at an average pace of 19.5 mph. Enjoyed every pedal stroke. Motor Cycles are at risk because of the way they ride, I'd agree with that. But bicycles? Very safe. No probs.

[ianf]

Stop that high status save face equal car thing or otherwise the majority if the rich in Thailand will just run a biker over without getting punished, especially if they have influential relatives among them...

'bikers' ride motorcycles. Cyclists ride bicycles.

[yooper2001]

Let me tell you about my experiences with riding my bike. I have been riding my bike for about 2 months for exercise and I have been in 2 accidents already. The thai drivers do not believe that a bike has any rights to be on the road. one accident is when a driver did not stop before entering on highway and I had to lock up my brakes too avoid him from hitting me and my bike stopped but I didn't and I flew over the handle bars. He did not stop to see if I was injured. the second accident was when a car passed me and did not judge how fast I was traveling and turned into me and knocked me off my bike. thai drivers are notorious for passing and cutting you off to turn left, instead of slowing down to let you go and turn behind you. ( very rude). Does anyone notice there are very few stop signs in Thailand. Sukhumvitt is main highway from pattaya to rayong and no soi road has a stop sign before entering on the highway

There is only traffic lights at a main intersection. Which many drivers will drive through a red light.

[theduderule]

The rule of the Thai road- If mine is bigger than yours.... you need to STOP. I am always amazed on the Thai drivers that will cut you of and then slam on the brakes to my a left turn. They always seems to be in a hurry- until they get out of the car and start walking at snail pace. There are few countries in the world that's "Biker" aka cyclist friendly. Guess we can't blame them for trying.

[painterscabin]

I'm sure glad I live in a small town, with country roads, broadwalks along the river,it makes biking around lots of fun, good exercise too. Riding the bike over to trade a book with a friend, share a story or two, or the wife and I riding to the market. Many poeple ride bikes around the nong khai region, groups doing indurence training to kids and old grandmothers. Those electric bikes are pretty cool too, I see some poeple zip along when there legs are tired or just being lazy, I've always wanted to try one. Anyhow I'm glad I'm living in a place that seems favorable to biking for all.

[phitsanulokjohn]

555

You could not pay me enough money to ride a pedal bike in this country

Riding a bike in Thailand is like asking for a hospital stay or an early death

In rural areas fine and of cause good excercise.However in Bangkok i have to agree with LuckyLew who could quite easy change his name to UnluckyLew if he were to attempt mounting a bicycle in the Capital.

[coldfusionPaul]

the "bike path" along the ramindra expressway isn't what i would call "standard". it runs on the sidewalk in some places where its blocked by signs & at the start near ramindra road, by plant vendors for a KM or so. i see more cyclists on the main road than on that "bike path".

i think nong chok district is one of the more bike friendly places in bangkok. wide road shoulders along many roads (well until the big floods, many are now paved over), many food/coffee shops have places to park your bicycle, police on your side, etc. i chalk that up to the local bike clubs who have waged a long campaign for acceptance of cycling.

i ride a bit (>10,000 KM a year for the last 6 years) & i feel relatively safe except in bangkok--i expect bangkok drivers to act stupidly & i ride accordingly, that rule's kept me safe so far. my biggest worry is the shape of rural roads. i ride out of bangkok along the canals & there's no telling when one canal-side road will be "under construction" or pulverized by 10-wheeled trucks.

cycling is quite popular now & has a certain chic to it. i imagine things will only get better in the future.

[Frank James]

555

You could not pay me enough money to ride a pedal bike in this country

Riding a bike in Thailand is like asking for a hospital stay or an early death

I disagree. Bicycles are a far safer mode of personal transport than motorbikes. In gridlocked conditions, a bike will get you to your destination faster than a motorbike. However, riding one in a Thai city requires skill and nerves of titanium.

Considering how well drivers in this country pay no attention to lane lines and crosswalks, it is a waste of paint (at the very least) to stripe out a bunch of bicycle paths. Drivers will not honor them, and vendors will put their carts wherever they wish, same as it ever was.

As a bicyclist in Chiang Mai, I never forget that I take my life in my hands every time I hit the road. As much as possible I use backstreets, although there the danger becomes packs of soi dogs, another topic and source of danger altogether. I get out in traffic with the motorists, and try to fit in, try not to make anyone angry by making a tricky move. Always use hand signals, always scan to be aware of where you are in relation to the traffic. Always obey the traffic signals. Keep left as much as possible. Wear a helmet.

I keep in mind that nobody sees me, and if they do, they don't respect me. But I pedal past the petrol station, smiling all the way.

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

555

You could not pay me enough money to ride a pedal bike in this country

Riding a bike in Thailand is like asking for a hospital stay or an early death

spoken like someone who has never tried.

I ride 80-100k per week in Bangkok and while only 50% of that is on the road i have had very few incidents over the years.

i suspect the exercise i get will prolong my life, but you can continue deride the idea from the sofa if you please.

I also find that in Bangkok motorists are so attuned to motorcycles, that a bicycle moving at the speed of traffic is given space, possibly more than a motorcycle receives.

in fact, i would say motorcycles are perhaps the largest threat, however once you are equipped with this knowledge you can act accordingly.

Edited October 3, 2013 by GirlDrinkDrunk

[Frank James]

PS: I have owned a couple of cars since moving here, and never felt comfortable driving. Got rid of them. Gasoline here costs more than in the US, by a LOT. Drivers here are...what, let's just say ignorant of the laws of physics, and arrogant in their approach to sharing the road, and, and...

Never again will I own a car here. A songtaew will be along shortly. Riding with the people, YO!

[RickeyParkany]

Fortunately, there is a lot more to Thailand than Bangkok & tourist traps...up here in San Kamphaeng, the bike riding is a joy...hated it when I lived in Bang Na. ;-} rap.

[Frank James]

I have noticed this year the Chinese tourists in CM are renting a lot of bicycles. That's good. Unfortunately a lot of them are not paying close enough attention to conditions of roadway and traffic. Too much riding two abreast and chatting, drifting into traffic. Wake up please.

[MaxYakov]

555

You could not pay me enough money to ride a pedal bike in this country

Riding a bike in Thailand is like asking for a hospital stay or an early death

A bit out of order Lucky: I ride around 13000 miles a year up here in Chiang Mai and I actually find the roads safer than the UK. As long as you know what to watch out for then perfectly safe. Yesterday I did 107 miles at an average pace of 19.5 mph. Enjoyed every pedal stroke. Motor Cycles are at risk because of the way they ride, I'd agree with that. But bicycles? Very safe. No probs.

I've been bicycling in Bangkok for 4 1/2 years and almost daily commute from Din Daeng to Sukumvit and back. I've been careful, alert and very defensive. I cannot discount luck, but I avoid relying on it. I have been lucky a few times when I was either daydreaming or took a miscalculated risk. This is very rare, but I'm aware that it would take probably on one bad move to take one out of the game, possibly permanently. This is doubly-true for the motor bikers as many unfortunately discover. There is very little crash-protection for us.

Except in a very few cases I've found Thai motorists and other cyclists to be considerate and, in many cases, offer encouragement - especially from non-cyclists. I'm basically ignored by the police (except for the occasional 'thumbs-up' from them) because there is an alleged mindset that people using bicycles are poor.

I suspect the ones that condemn it have probably not attempted it. I can't claim your high-mileage, and I sometimes try to minimize my risk (time on road) by using BTS/MRT with the bicycle. It's a shame the buses do not provide racks for bikes. I believe the money would be better spent on that than the proposed bicycle lanes. The bicycle lanes would be commandeered by the motorbikes as are often the sidewalks are now. On the other hand, would any of the bus passengers or the driver suffer the wait while a bicyclist racks/un-racks his or her bicycle?

For inter-city trips I have a couple of foldables that I transport in cargo. I've gone to Hua Hin twice by rail with one of my foldables with me in the coach. It actually served as a ready-made seat when all the coach seats were taken.

As far as getting a large number of Bangkok residents to use bicycles, I'd say it's not likely. There are far too many barriers to having that happen. I could give my list of them, but am trying to keep this short. One of the main factors is getting guaranteed separation of the bicycles from the motorbikes - this is not going to be easy even if it is somehow possible.

This doesn't disappoint me because, in addition to the motorbikes, a larger number of bicycles would simply further increase everyone's risk and I'm quite satisfied to have the bicycles I encounter on the streets few and far-between.

Edited October 3, 2013 by MaxYakov

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

i dont believe that bicycles are thought to be the transport of the poor. thais are often very interested in my bike, and understand that a good bike costs the equivalent of a honda wave.

[MaxYakov]

555

You could not pay me enough money to ride a pedal bike in this country

Riding a bike in Thailand is like asking for a hospital stay or an early death

spoken like someone who has never tried.

I ride 80-100k per week in Bangkok and while only 50% of that is on the road i have had very few incidents over the years.

i suspect the exercise i get will prolong my life, but you can continue deride the idea from the sofa if you please.

I also find that in Bangkok motorists are so attuned to motorcycles, that a bicycle moving at the speed of traffic is given space, possibly more than a motorcycle receives.

in fact, i would say motorcycles are perhaps the largest threat, however once you are equipped with this knowledge you can act accordingly.

Very insightful. Of course it's because you're actually doing it. The point about motorists being attuned to motorcycles is a brilliant and valuable observation. The catch is that one has to have a bike that, at least for short distances, can keep up with moderate-speed traffic flow and a rider that is willing to do that. Even when not actually in the traffic flow I'm moving fairly fast and have replaced my sprocket to have medium-high gearing to do so.

On the road I consider myself primarily as a motorbike, but one with more maneuvering options, albeit not capable of the higher-speeds of motorbikes (which is much safer to avoid in any case).

And, yes, I agree that the motorbikes are the biggest risk-factor (threat) on a bicycle. I've had two of them go down near me because they were going to fast and locked up their brakes. I have both left and right mirrors and use them constantly. I encounter few motorbikes on the main roads that aren't operating on the edge. I've learned a lot from them by watching and co-existing with them.

[Thai at Heart]

Unlike many other big cities around the world, Bangkok has no proper network of bicycle lanes

Bangkok barely has pavements.

[MaxYakov]

i dont believe that bicycles are thought to be the transport of the poor. thais are often very interested in my bike, and understand that a good bike costs the equivalent of a honda wave.

Does the exception prove the rule? Sure, one can go to Probike and watch well-heeled Thais buy the over-priced stuff. But don't forget that Bangkok has 16 million people (give or take) and most of them have relatively low income. Bangkok has relatively few bicyclists. I've observed and photographed Bangkok bicyclists that represent many, usually easily-identifiable, demographics.

If you were responding to one of my posts, I was referring to the Bangkok police and specifically in reference to farangs (or attempting to). Which will a cop be more likely stop and hit up for tea money: the farang bicyclist or the farang motorbiker? In 4 1/2 years I've been looked at very hard by a Bangkok cop only one time. He was drunk and I was maneuvering at walking speed on a narrow soi. I suspect he was going to attempt to extort me, but thought the better of it when I looked critically at his hand on my arm.

My guess is that the majority of low-income Thais (with the exception of bicycle thieves) are ignorant of high-end bicycles and wouldn't be able to easily identify one. But is just a guess based on what I see on the road.

It does raise an interesting point though. Why are there relatively few Thai bicyclists given the income levels? I have a multi-point hypothesis, but I'm sure you're getting tired as are my fingertips.

[gemini81]

just wait to get flattened by buses and those who still use their cars. no, how about better government management. Many cities larger than this with considerably less traffic congestion.

[GarryP]

555

You could not pay me enough money to ride a pedal bike in this country

Riding a bike in Thailand is like asking for a hospital stay or an early death

In rural areas fine and of cause good excercise.However in Bangkok i have to agree with LuckyLew who could quite easy change his name to UnluckyLew if he were to attempt mounting a bicycle in the Capital.

I think he'd get arrested if he tried to do that!!! Public indecency springs to mind.

[GarryP]

I enjoy riding in Bangkok and have dones so few a few years now. I will probably cycle on down to Queen Sirikit Convention Center this weekend to the mobile phone expo. Get to where you want to go and get some exercise at the same time. However, like in most cities you need to be constantly aware of what is going on around you. Too much enjoying the view can end up with tears.

[ratcatcher]

The rule of the Thai road- If mine is bigger than yours.... you need to STOP. I am always amazed on the Thai drivers that will cut you of and then slam on the brakes to my a left turn. They always seems to be in a hurry- until they get out of the car and start walking at snail pace. There are few countries in the world that's "Biker" aka cyclist friendly. Guess we can't blame them for trying.

"Biker" aka cyclist "

These are bikers.......................This is a cyclist. Notice the helmet & gloves. Smart lady.

[thairookie]

I enjoy riding in Bangkok and have dones so few a few years now. I will probably cycle on down to Queen Sirikit Convention Center this weekend to the mobile phone expo. Get to where you want to go and get some exercise at the same time. However, like in most cities you need to be constantly aware of what is going on around you. Too much enjoying the view can end up with tears.

How don't you proposed to lock your bicycle when you are in the exhibition hall?

Sent from my LT18i using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[GarryP]

I enjoy riding in Bangkok and have dones so few a few years now. I will probably cycle on down to Queen Sirikit Convention Center this weekend to the mobile phone expo. Get to where you want to go and get some exercise at the same time. However, like in most cities you need to be constantly aware of what is going on around you. Too much enjoying the view can end up with tears.

How don't you proposed to lock your bicycle when you are in the exhibition hall?

Sent from my LT18i using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

They now have dedicated bicycle parking, with a security guard close at hand.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tceb-joins-hand-with-qsncc-to-open-bike-parking-facility-to-support-sustainable-mice-industry-224840742.html

Edited October 3, 2013 by GarryP

[MaxYakov]

The rule of the Thai road- If mine is bigger than yours.... you need to STOP. I am always amazed on the Thai drivers that will cut you of and then slam on the brakes to my a left turn. They always seems to be in a hurry- until they get out of the car and start walking at snail pace. There are few countries in the world that's "Biker" aka cyclist friendly. Guess we can't blame them for trying.

"Biker" aka cyclist "

bikers.jpgcyclist.jpg

These are bikers.......................This is a cyclist. Notice the helmet & gloves. Smart lady.

Yes ... and the two very large ... errr ... tires on the bike ... What helmet and gloves?