Another 30km of bike lanes in Bangkok next year: BMA

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RATTANAKOSIN ISLAND PROJECT
Another 30km of bike lanes next year: BMA
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- BANGKOK CITY HALL is working hard to finish the initial phase of the bicycle lane project at Rattanakosin Island in time for the celebration of His Majesty the King's birthday in two weeks.

"I will try to complete it by this year's end, or by December 5 if possible," Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said yesterday.

The first 8-kilometre route starts at the Civic Plaza in front of City Hall and winds through Inner Ratchadamnoen Avenue, the Jessada Bodin plaza, Tanao, Kanlayanamaitree, Sanam Chai, Thai Wang, Maha Raj, Na Prathat, Rachinee and Phra Arthit roads, and ends at Suan Santi Chaiprakarn Park.

Good progress with this project has been achieved, he said.

Enforcement of the parking ban on bike lanes must be stepped up, and all of those agencies involved in reducing violations will have a hand in this effort.

Improvement work includes painting the lane green, installing more traffic signs, cutting down sidewalk borders so that bikes can easily get on them, and turning the direction of sewer lid grills from parallel to the lanes to perpendicular.

A Bangkok Metropolitan Administration source said four more bicycle lanes would be made available by the end of next year covering a distance of 30km.

The selected lanes will be built near or along Sathorn and Lat Phrao roads, both in Bangkok's Phra Nakhon district, as well as Bang Khunthien Beach Road and a rotary around the King Taksin the Great monument on the Thon Buri side.

The BMA bicycle-lane |project will complement the Nation Bike Thailand project of Nation Broadcasting Corporation and its partners, which promotes the blossoming of bike lanes throughout the country and a national network of cycling enthusiasts.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Another-30km-of-bike-lanes-next-year-BMA-30248260.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-21

[khwaibah]

Painting the lanes green will help the motor bike to see and stay in their lanes..

[sawadee1947]

Painting the lanes green will help the motor bike to see and stay in their lanes..

yeah, and GREEN means free parking for cars or it means you can put some stalls on it...for noodle soup

[Anthony5]

So that's how they create bike lanes in Thailand, by just painting part of the drive lane?

Good luck to the bikers, they will need it.

[natway09]

The motor bike taxis are celebrating with another can of beer

[MaxYakov]

"Enforcement of the parking ban on bike lanes must be stepped up, and all of those agencies involved in reducing violations will have a hand in this effort."

They can't even enforce cars parking in the street and blocking traffic all over Bangkok and they're going to worry about obstructing bike lanes? It wouldn't be so bad if Thais actually desired to ride bicycles. They do not and will not in any substantial numbers as long as there is an tuk-tuk or auto/motorbike taxi available in seconds.

[Cpkt8]

Cyclists should be wary about the traffic around them at all times and not let down their guard despite using the bicycle lane. I bet most motorists will abuse the usage of the lane, especially taxi drivers, motorcyclists and tuk tuk drivers being the offenders.

[Starre]

So that's how they create bike lanes in Thailand, by just painting part of the drive lane?

Good luck to the bikers, they will need it.

Here in Brisbane they don't even bother doing that much - they just throw a quick yellow line on the road punctuated every few KMs with a bicycle symbol. Often the lane takes the cyclist directly into the path of turning traffic. Also vehicles are allowed to park along the lane - motorists opening doors suddenly are deadly to cyclists. At least the Thai authorities are having a go and seem to have more of a clue than their Australian counterparts. Their biggest problem as stated above will be enforcement and changing the mindset of the general populous.

[p_brownstone]

Whilst I appreciate the health benefits of cycling I cannot understand the thinking of anyone who rides a Bicycle in Bangkok- the heat and pollution must mean that even a short ride renders the rider unfit to be in company; a year or so ago I contracted with a Math Teacher for my son, the teacher lived in Lardprao, we live in Asoke - the clown decided to Cycle to the first lesson and arrived at my door stinking of perspiration and fuel fumes; he was refused entry and the series of lessons cancelled.

Also as we all know (apparently with the exception of the Bangkok Governor), the traffic in many parts of town is often at a virtual standstill - sectioning off a large part of any road to make a "Bike Lane" will only make the situation worse.

Patrick

Edited November 21, 2014 by p_brownstone

[Jim walker]

Thats the right idea get the motorbikes of the pavements and on to their own little green roads.

[MaxYakov]

Whilst I appreciate the health benefits of cycling I cannot understand the thinking of anyone who rides a Bicycle in Bangkok- the heat and pollution must mean that even a short ride renders the rider unfit to be in company; a year or so ago I contracted with a Math Teacher for my son, the teacher lived in Lardprao, we live in Asoke - the clown decided to Cycle to the first lesson and arrived at my door stinking of perspiration and fuel fumes; he was refused entry and the series of lessons cancelled.

Also as we all know (apparently with the exception of the Bangkok Governor), the traffic in many parts of town is often at a virtual standstill - sectioning off a large part of any road to make a "Bike Lane" will only make the situation worse.

Patrick

Good points on the perspiration and pollution odor of cyclists. I could make a pretty good case that walking at a fast pace outside would produce the same level of perspiration as cycling at a leisurely pace, since the bicycle is the most efficient transportation contrived by man. Perhaps your tutor should have ridden in an air-conditioned vehicle, door-to-door?

But, if you think about the pollution odor a while you would realize that everyone is subject to the same pollution even in your residence, unless you have somehow taken extreme measures to filter its air. Also, I don't believe a cyclist is much more subject to pollution odor in Bangkok than a pedestrian on a footpath. Air pollution (and other) is pervasive in Bangkok and the sooner the people realize this, the better.

As a cyclist I operate very much like a motorbike, although I am more maneuverable and slower (but not always, since I use fairly fast road bikes) and can better utilize a hectic and cluttered curb lane. However, I welcome "standstill" traffic as an opportunity to lane-split in the car lanes exactly as do the motorbike operators. Also, for certain turns and traffic situations, I'm operating exactly as a motor vehicle - in the traffic lanes between motor vehicles.

Edited November 21, 2014 by MaxYakov

[KuhnPaen]

Whilst I appreciate the health benefits of cycling I cannot understand the thinking of anyone who rides a Bicycle in Bangkok- the heat and pollution must mean that even a short ride renders the rider unfit to be in company; a year or so ago I contracted with a Math Teacher for my son, the teacher lived in Lardprao, we live in Asoke - the clown decided to Cycle to the first lesson and arrived at my door stinking of perspiration and fuel fumes; he was refused entry and the series of lessons cancelled.

Also as we all know (apparently with the exception of the Bangkok Governor), the traffic in many parts of town is often at a virtual standstill - sectioning off a large part of any road to make a "Bike Lane" will only make the situation worse.

Patrick

You mean a teacher biked all the way to your house and you just shut the door on him and canceled? You sound pretty uptight. "perspiration and fuel fumes"???.....the whole city smells like perspiration and fuel fumes. How do you manage to live in Bangkok?

Then again you used the word "Whilst"....explains a lot.

Edited November 21, 2014 by KuhnPaen

[p_brownstone]

Whilst I appreciate the health benefits of cycling I cannot understand the thinking of anyone who rides a Bicycle in Bangkok- the heat and pollution must mean that even a short ride renders the rider unfit to be in company; a year or so ago I contracted with a Math Teacher for my son, the teacher lived in Lardprao, we live in Asoke - the clown decided to Cycle to the first lesson and arrived at my door stinking of perspiration and fuel fumes; he was refused entry and the series of lessons cancelled.

Also as we all know (apparently with the exception of the Bangkok Governor), the traffic in many parts of town is often at a virtual standstill - sectioning off a large part of any road to make a "Bike Lane" will only make the situation worse.

Patrick

You mean a teacher biked all the way to your house and you just shut the door on him and canceled? You sound pretty uptight. "perspiration and fuel fumes"???.....the whole city smells like perspiration and fuel fumes. How do you manage to live in Bangkok?

Then again you used the word "Whilst"....explains a lot.

Well, having lived in Thailand for over 40 years I guess I "manage" to live here quite comfortably - and I have absolutely no time at all for people who have no regard for personal hygiene.

(I did mention this incident in another Thread some time ago and some Posters protested that I was inconsiderate - that I should have offered the chap a shower and use of a shirt and trousers while he was here: I hired the chap to give Math lessons to my son and expected him to arrive in a condition to do so, not to rock up and expect to make free of my bathroom facilities or take his choice from my wardrobe.)

Finally, I don't understand your comment on my use of the word "whilst" - I assume you are aware that this is an English word?

Patrick

[KuhnPaen]

Whilst I appreciate the health benefits of cycling I cannot understand the thinking of anyone who rides a Bicycle in Bangkok- the heat and pollution must mean that even a short ride renders the rider unfit to be in company; a year or so ago I contracted with a Math Teacher for my son, the teacher lived in Lardprao, we live in Asoke - the clown decided to Cycle to the first lesson and arrived at my door stinking of perspiration and fuel fumes; he was refused entry and the series of lessons cancelled.

Also as we all know (apparently with the exception of the Bangkok Governor), the traffic in many parts of town is often at a virtual standstill - sectioning off a large part of any road to make a "Bike Lane" will only make the situation worse.

Patrick

You mean a teacher biked all the way to your house and you just shut the door on him and canceled? You sound pretty uptight. "perspiration and fuel fumes"???.....the whole city smells like perspiration and fuel fumes. How do you manage to live in Bangkok?

Then again you used the word "Whilst"....explains a lot.

Well, having lived in Thailand for over 40 years I guess I "manage" to live here quite comfortably - and I have absolutely no time at all for people who have no regard for personal hygiene.

(I did mention this incident in another Thread some time ago and some Posters protested that I was inconsiderate - that I should have offered the chap a shower and use of a shirt and trousers while he was here: I hired the chap to give Math lessons to my son and expected him to arrive in a condition to do so, not to rock up and expect to make free of my bathroom facilities or take his choice from my wardrobe.)

Finally, I don't understand your comment on my use of the word "whilst" - I assume you are aware that this is an English word?

Patrick

I am, it is just very Lord pumpernickel pennypacker sounding....oh so proper.

Hope you found a nice smelling math teacher.

[Lozza]

They sure do like doing things in numbers-lots of legs there.

[Lozza]

Whilst I appreciate the health benefits of cycling I cannot understand the thinking of anyone who rides a Bicycle in Bangkok- the heat and pollution must mean that even a short ride renders the rider unfit to be in company; a year or so ago I contracted with a Math Teacher for my son, the teacher lived in Lardprao, we live in Asoke - the clown decided to Cycle to the first lesson and arrived at my door stinking of perspiration and fuel fumes; he was refused entry and the series of lessons cancelled.

Also as we all know (apparently with the exception of the Bangkok Governor), the traffic in many parts of town is often at a virtual standstill - sectioning off a large part of any road to make a "Bike Lane" will only make the situation worse.

Patrick

You mean a teacher biked all the way to your house and you just shut the door on him and canceled? You sound pretty uptight. "perspiration and fuel fumes"???.....the whole city smells like perspiration and fuel fumes. How do you manage to live in Bangkok?

Then again you used the word "Whilst"....explains a lot.

Well, having lived in Thailand for over 40 years I guess I "manage" to live here quite comfortably - and I have absolutely no time at all for people who have no regard for personal hygiene.

(I did mention this incident in another Thread some time ago and some Posters protested that I was inconsiderate - that I should have offered the chap a shower and use of a shirt and trousers while he was here: I hired the chap to give Math lessons to my son and expected him to arrive in a condition to do so, not to rock up and expect to make free of my bathroom facilities or take his choice from my wardrobe.)

Finally, I don't understand your comment on my use of the word "whilst" - I assume you are aware that this is an English word?

Patrick

I am, it is just very Lord pumpernickel pennypacker sounding....oh so proper.

Hope you found a nice smelling math teacher.

Has to be an Aussie.

[doctorproc156]

Whilst I appreciate the health benefits of cycling I cannot understand the thinking of anyone who rides a Bicycle in Bangkok- the heat and pollution must mean that even a short ride renders the rider unfit to be in company; a year or so ago I contracted with a Math Teacher for my son, the teacher lived in Lardprao, we live in Asoke - the clown decided to Cycle to the first lesson and arrived at my door stinking of perspiration and fuel fumes; he was refused entry and the series of lessons cancelled.

Also as we all know (apparently with the exception of the Bangkok Governor), the traffic in many parts of town is often at a virtual standstill - sectioning off a large part of any road to make a "Bike Lane" will only make the situation worse.

Patrick

[Digitalbanana]

Already back to situation normal with a Google Image search.