Bangkok: Lane-change cameras to help tackle traffic offenders

[indothai]

What the hell is a lane change camera?

I think I can identify the problem,

there are certain junctions where there is one lane dedicated to traffic turning left while the other two/three lanes are for straight on. Lots of drivers want to go straight on but the line of stationary traffic is getting longer and longer, so they slide into the empty left turn lane, drive a few hundred metres past all the waiting traffic, then barge back in at the point where the two lanes diverge. By pushing in like this, minivan drivers can save twenty minutes on one journey so they are masters at it. They need to do something as this practice really slows the traffic flow and these cameras will identify the perpetrators.

Ahh, ok. got it.

Yes, lets throw technology at this problem.

Technology smart. It can fix things and make it go.

[geronimo]

What the hell is a lane change camera?

I think I can identify the problem,

there are certain junctions where there is one lane dedicated to traffic turning left while the other two/three lanes are for straight on. Lots of drivers want to go straight on but the line of stationary traffic is getting longer and longer, so they slide into the empty left turn lane, drive a few hundred metres past all the waiting traffic, then barge back in at the point where the two lanes diverge. By pushing in like this, minivan drivers can save twenty minutes on one journey so they are masters at it. They need to do something as this practice really slows the traffic flow and these cameras will identify the perpetrators.

Ahh, ok. got it.

Yes, lets throw technology at this problem.

Technology smart. It can fix things and make it go.

Well it can identify those responsible!

[Time Traveller]

When did changing lanes become illegal?

[Scott]

Last night, while coming home I was in a middle lane that should take me all the way home without much problem. It was slower than other lanes, but I don't have the problem of suddenly finding myself stuck in a turning lane. At 3 different times, people in front of me decided to use it as a turning lane and so the traffic completely stopped and we all had to wait for the light to change so they could turn and then the rest of us proceed.

Near my home is a T junction and the vans, buses and songtaews all take the liberty of blocking the turning lane as they try to squeeze in from the far lane. They are apparently permitted to do this because there are police and they never get stopped. Meanwhile the rest of us get to sit through another change of the light because of these inconsiderate drivers.

[indothai]

When did changing lanes become illegal?

My guess is when drivers change lanes when they cross over the solid white lines. It's a very serious offence to cross over those solid white lines....

I mean, if you were to be driving and decide to cross over a solid white line, the world would end !!! Camera's will help prevent this !!!

[smedly]

One of the biggest issues I see here are people using the wrong lane for going right at a traffic light junction, say you have 4 lanes all in the same direction - the far right lane is for turning right and the 3 left lanes are for straight on - you have people using the 2nd right lane to turn right also which in turn causes people who are in that lane correctly for going straight are stuck behind a few that are clogging that lane for a right turn, what happens then is all those wanting to go straight and in the correct lane are forced to try and change to the next left lane to go straight, this all caused by people turning right in the wrong lane

There may be an answer in better traffic light sequencing or the placing of solid single lanes built at the junction for turning right preventing anyone form turning right unless they are in the correct lane

Of course this is just one of many issues but right at the top of the list is the police getting off their butts and actually enforcing the law beyond not wearing a helmet

Cameras are not the answer

It is also interesting that senior Thai police have visited other countries over the years to see how they manage traffic congestion - most likely the wrong people to send, I'd like to see a task force of educated people outside of the police to address this ongoing unchanging issue and studying other countries should not be ruled out - London UK for example and bring the knowledge back to Thailand

[LawrenceN]

Abrupt lane changes aren't causing huge problems...turning from non-turning lanes, creating new lanes on the far left, running reds and then getting stuck in the middle as well as pushing in at the front at uturns. THESE are the main problems. The Thais that do these things do so because they're pissed off with the traffic. They don't think that perhaps roads are designed in a certain way. 3 lanes turning in 2 causes congestion...thats why there are 2 turning lanes. Cutting off the drivers in the correct uturn lane decreases the amount of people than can uturn at a given moment and creates a train in the legal lane-drive down Ratchada ans try the uturn to get to Fortune...nightmare

Sent from my GT-S7270 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Spot on. I would like to see them ticket people for obstructing traffic as well. Many drivers on these roads seem to think they're driving a freight train, or that next year's model will come equipped with an accelerator pedal.

[Jonmarleesco]

'Adul ... hoped that lane-change cameras would reduce abrupt overtaking and disruptive lane changes.'

He should exchange his day job for a spot on Ha Ha.

'He said all projects ... were in line with the "Traffic Police Eye" citizen campaign where photos of traffic violations are taken by people ...'

Somewhat difficult to spot a violation, snap a moving violator and catch the number plate, I should have thought.

[Tomtomtom69]

"plus the family toy (150cc Honda Click)" man, you got to post a picture of that!

The core problem is there is about 50% more cars on the roads of Bangkok than there should be. Then you add the other problems......

The other problem is there's only 1/3 the road space there should be.

Case in point: take any long, straight Bangkok thoroughfare. Let's say Ramkamhaeng road. Apart from the tiny, one lane sois that eventually become dead ends, how many intersecting roads are there, to take some of the traffic in other directions? Only a few along the entire 20-odd km stretch. For example, Romklao road, Seri Thai road, Eastern outer ring road, Lam Sa Li intersection (Sri Nakarin), Rama 9 and finally the Atnarong-Ramintra expressway frontage road. There might be a couple more that I haven't mentioned but as you can see it's not much. It's much the same story along all other major roads. In Sydney, there is a street every 50m or so meaning that there are plenty of alternative roads to avoid congestion. In Bangkok you might have to travel 5km along a major road before you're able to make a turn onto another road.

I remember a Thai friend who visited Australia, including Sydney remarking: "wow, there are so many streets, sois etc. here, how do you remember anything, because I don't!" I replied, well that's normal, there should be at least this amount of road infrastructure in any city.

[Anon999]

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Sure, install all the traffic management's technology you can find, and after who ever supplied those

equipment and service got their cut from this lucrative deal, they simply will, soon at one point,

stop working, because a lowly police booth person switched them off, just like the fake cctv cameras and those digital time counters..... what we need is better trained police personal, not better equipment...

Plus serious clever education campaigns so the populace understand why the lanes are there and how they ultimately help to control the traffic flow and also avoid accidents.

Not too long back my adult Thai son was in a conversation with his aunt, who is a danger to herself and everybody on the road. She believes that there should be close to zero traffic rules, because it's not nice to tell people how to drive.

Example, she believes that the law should be 'you only have to check if there is traffic approaching once a day, when you pulling out from the kerb to enter the traffic flow'.

In fact she never checks if any vehicles are approaching, she just pulls out into the traffic flow and she's caused a number of accidents. And attempt to get her to understand what she's doing is a total waste of time. Nobody from the extended family ever travel with her because they afraid to be in her car. This factor has also been mentioned to her many times, her response 'up to you'.

Son asked her why there are pedestrian crossing and lanes painted on the roads. Her response 'because it makes it look professional'.

Son continued, but there is a purpose,,,,,,, what's the purpose. Her response, there is no purpose, they just waste money and paint lines on the road because it looks professional, like in the movies.

My guess is that are plenty of folks on the road with similar, or perhaps not quite as extreme understanding of the road rules.

Thai advertising companies are quite creative, they could easily come up with 10 / 20 seconds spots that would have some impact on educating drivers.

Another illogical and painfully dangerous norm here in Isaan is making a right hand turn from the right hand (wrong) lane. People here don't seem to know which lane is for what. It's like they are driving "off road." I just don't get it.

What are you talking about! It makes no sense at all!

[Hatyaier]

ezzra states we need a better trained and honest police farce force indeed correct.

However a properly defined learner driver course and educated drivers in all vehicles with a strong emphasis concerning both the operators and drivers of P.S.V. along with H.G.V.vehicles might well go a long way to actually improving the standard of the way that the average Thai aims his or her vehicle.

Interesting to note that in the majority of cases of foreign managed logistic operators both vehicle drivers and maintenance is much higher than the home grown bred of the same beast. A lot to be said for driver and mate and engineers education and ongoing training schemes operated by foreign managed entities and also a few Thai owned entities too..

Reckon to date I have been lucky. 10 Years of motorcycle (Kawasaki 400C.C.) riding and 13 years of car and pick up driving plus the family toy (150cc Honda Click) and no serious mishaps.

Lot to be said for those old ''blues and two's'' courses.

The criteria for passing Thai driving test is about to be raised. Effective June 4th, so some positive news.

Unfortunately I fear that the same double standards will still exist. My wife was a government employee for 25 years. When she went for her drivers license she showed her govt. ID and they handed her the license good for life. No tests necessary. Fortunately she is a good driver, although she doesn't understand all the rules.

Edited May 30, 2014 by Hatyaier

[oztaurus]

Another illogical and painfully dangerous norm here in Isaan is making a right hand turn from the right hand (wrong) lane. People here don't seem to know which lane is for what. It's like they are driving "off road." I just don't get it.

I am afraid that I don' t understand what you mean by this - as one who comes from a country which drives on the left (like Thailand does) the only legal lane for us to turn right from is the right hand lane (except for 4 very specific intersections in Melbourne where they do crazy 'hook turns' to avoid blocking trams .... And people will do 3 left turns to avoid doing a hook turn).

The only scenario where your statement makes sense to me is if you mean that they are driving against the flow of traffic on the wrong side of the road. THAT is just plain wrong whether they are turning right or not.

[Loles]

a very nice and efficient plan

[trainman34014]

Another 'Crackdown' that will become a 'Letdown'.

[Naroge]

I'm all for stricter implementation of existing traffic laws, but "lane change cameras"? Never heard anything as crazy. AFAIK, as long as you don't cross a solid line you can change lanes as you like. How will they ever be able to process this in court if the supposed "offender" takes it there?

[Local Drunk]

"plus the family toy (150cc Honda Click)" man, you got to post a picture of that!

The core problem is there is about 50% more cars on the roads of Bangkok than there should be. Then you add the other problems......

Actually the roads in Bkk are designed to handle about 3 million cars a day, and there are about seven million plus cars a day using them. Combine that factor with an impotent traffic police, antiquated traffic control, zero driver training, a complete disregard for any environmental impact planning and Bkk is what you get.

Regarding any of my points but mainly my last point... have you ever driven on the any express ways here and wondered why there are so few on and off ramps? It's like a team of traffic planning geniuses got together and said to themselves, "How badly can we screw this up?"

Edited May 30, 2014 by Local Drunk

[taony]

The problem in Bangkok is the asinine system (1+km between roads, dead end and narrow sois, narrow lanes so that cars entering need to use more than one lane to get in and can't enter above 1kph, etc etc) and lack of roads. There are not enough roads. No where to go for all the cars. The size Bangkok is, 7 or 8 million cars is not too much (compared to other big cities). There are not enough roads. The roads that there are funnel into the same place half the time because of one ways, closed intersections etc. The problem is someone decided to pave over the canals however many years ago and every Thai since has thought "job well done, nothing else to do!"

Anyway, they should just install empty boxes but pay the vendors full price. Faster (its going to end up not working anyway) and everyone gets their money.