berybert Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Actually Bangkok is way higher than 8th. None of those stop starts include pedestrian crossings, or Red lights. Must also congratulate the article of showing a list of the 10 worst cities in the world. Then including only 9. When does anyone ever stop for pedestrian crossings or the first 10 seconds of a red light. Tends to happen quite a lot in civilized countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mca Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 The worst one for me was Central Rama 9 to Suk Soi 15. 2 hours. A car had hit a bus at the Petchburi Asoke junction and another bus had broken down outside GMM Grammy HQ. I thought I was on bloody Candid Camera. Sign the release mca mate and you'll be on your merry way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berybert Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Actually Bangkok is way higher than 8th. None of those stop starts include pedestrian crossings, or Red lights. Must also congratulate the article of showing a list of the 10 worst cities in the world. Then including only 9. 10. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 23,760 9. Guadalajara, Mexico - 24,840 8. Bangkok, Thailand - 27,480 7. Rome, Italy - 28,680 6. Moscow, Russia - 28,680 5. St. Petersburg, Russia - 29,040 4. Surabaya, Indonesia - 29,880 3. Mexico City, Mexico - 30,840 2. Istanbul, Turkey - 32,520 1. Jakarta, Indonesia - 33,240 Time Magazine Thanks for that. The article I was referring to was the one at the top of page one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkkjames Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Hub of traffic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phra Ek Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Bangkok, like many of the other cities on the list could benefit greatly by following the lead of several large western cities and strategically time lights to ensure more effective traffic flow. I have lived in Boston and San Fransisco, and in both those cities, if a driver starts at a light and averages the exact speed limit, they will hit green lights for a very long time. It is hard to do in a car, so yes, there will be red lights. But I rode motorcycles, and was amazed that I could cross San Francisco at morning rush hour, and never stop. Here in BKK ... it is almost by design, each light turns red in the advance of on coming traffic. And then comes the kicker. I timed a light once, it was red for five minutes, and was green for 30 seconds. And do you know what was happening in those 30 seconds? Dozens of drivers where taking off their emergency brakes and putting the car into gear. Less than 10 cars were getting through the light per change. I gave the driver the fare and a nice tip to compensate him being stuck, and walked the rest of the way. That was a few months ago ... I hope he has made it home by now. In cities that have long main roads similar to Sukhumvit, it is possible to go kilometers and through many green lights ... it is not rocket science to time lights and use road sensors to coordinate traffic flow. That's a little unfair on Bangkok. At peak times the crude automatic light system is suspended and a highly trained Police Officer takes over manual control - thus propelling Bangkok into the number one spot well ahead of Jakarta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLSEEINGEYE Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Jakarta is the worst I have ever seen so I agree with the #1 choice anyway. Maybe is Yingluck would have continued the first time car buying scheme Bkk could have made it closer to the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brubakertx Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Wait a few years, when the other Thais want to look rich, and buy a car. Gridlock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvr181 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Aww c'mon my fellow posters, Thailand does not want to learn from or use western solutions to problems. They want to solve it their way and maybe one day they will. Unfortunately, when will this be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathias67 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Actually Bangkok is way higher than 8th. None of those stop starts include pedestrian crossings, or Red lights. Must also congratulate the article of showing a list of the 10 worst cities in the world. Then including only 9. When does anyone ever stop for pedestrian crossings or the first 10 seconds of a red light. Some of the worlds worse drivers who don't stop for a red light, will block a side turning so you can't get out despite them not being able to go anywhere if the do allow you to go. Forget about yellow boxed junctions just stop in them and block all traffic from any direction. Sorry but Thai drivers n the main are ignorant and selfish and only think on themselves. Having said police at junctions directing traffic or manning the lights is a nightmare. I was trying to get out on Bangkok one afternoon, I could see the lights about 20 cars in front of me and the idiot policeman changing the lights was allowing the cross flow traffic up to ten minutes on red and about 1 minute for those going forward. Took over 45 minutes to go 300 yards, put a policeman on a junction and all hell breaks loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic040 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Castrol didn't even include India/Vietnam/the Philippines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phra Ek Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Castrol didn't even include India/Vietnam/the Philippines. Vietnam is OK - the traffic is 90% motorcycles and so it keeps moving. Mumbai and Manila are much worse than BKK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overherebc Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 no mention of Delhi or Bombay. But Bangkok is much better than it used to be - the expressways, sky train and MRT work well. what would make a real difference would be to stop the police controlling traffic lights at busy intersections and allowing the computerised system to do its job. They cause a lot of the congestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overherebc Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 From my experience they cause all the congestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razer Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 And ranked #2 for fatalities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emster23 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 On the plus side, traffic is so slow makes it a challenge to reach level of mayhem typical of other parts of Thailand. Son of red bull should have used defense: impossible to go fast enough to run over that cop and drag his body several hundred meters. I used to tell visiting friends (jokingly?) distance to various places: "It's a 10 minute walk or 20 minute drive". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smotherb Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Yep, what I've been told when considering buying a car.....why would you want to drive here?? Use BTS/MRT & taxis!!! Even better questions might be; Why bother trying to buy property here? Or, Why bother getting married here? It seems you derive the same benefits of both from renting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThis Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 yeah Jakarta is the worst BY FAR I can confirm. traffic jam is the normal at all times, public transportation non-existent, billions motorcycles, terrible road condition, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrilled Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 When the buy A car get money from the government scheme came into play in Thailand it has really got out of control.Not just Bangkok but many of the larger cities in Thailand.I stopped driving in Bangkok.I use the BTS whenever possible.And at times During rush hour Theres A good chance you'll be waiting as well.Bangkok needs to do something major.It's getting worse and worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthai Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I just read the headline of the twice daily NewsLetter. SURPRISE, NOT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthai Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) double, sorry Edited February 5, 2015 by ronthai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tocquinio Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 It's true, the traffic in Bkk sucks.. much prefer to use BTS/MRT and bike taxis, considering buying myself a motorbike, but wouldn't bother with a car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stray Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Hong Kong? Sharjah? Dubai? How could these places not make the top 10 for traffic snarls? Sharjah and Dubai have a lot to answer for! Built in the middle of the desert but couldn't make a little room for more bitumen and public transport? Not like they had to cut down trees and upset the greenies. How hard would it have been to lay a little more black-top over some sand? Not like they were short of cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbalEd Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Yes and also the worlds most selfish drivers. And yet you very seldom hear them honking their horn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargeezr Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I have rode around Bangkok on Motorcycle, in taxis, and thankfully with my Thai relatives and I have to say that for a city of 10 million, it is not the worst. In Russia, why do you see all of those dash cameras, and the clips from them that make u tube and other media and social outlets! Because their aggressive, bold or brainless drivers provide many an entertaining moment for the rest of us to watch. I have see some bold and even stupid drivers in BKK and around in Thailand, but I swear that in Calgary Canada, drivers are just as bad. In Calgary there are accidents every single day! Some days especially in Winter or even rainy days during the rest of the year there are several accidents every morning, and even in the afternoon during the evening rush hour. In Bangkok when my relatives go up to the elevated express ways, I feel pretty safe and we do get around that city way more efficient than I do in Calgary. I know that I am only still a tourist who visits Thailand for 1 or 2 months at a time, but I have lived all over the west part of Canada and I have seen enough village idiots out on the road, that I won't say that Thailand drivers are any worse. Just saying! Stargeezer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiangmaiRob Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 The reason BKK ranks so high is because nobody can actually drive a car safely. It's always a race. I've been driving in Australia for more than 40 years, never had an accident, but I'm not game to even consider driving in Thailand. Yes there are a few road rules, but nobody obeys them, the police don't enforce them. Oops, sorry they only enforce them in tourist areas and fine the farangs. The locals don't even get pulled over. But all in all that's Thailand isn't it. Like everything else they do it the exact opposite to the rest of the world. Get out of the cities and Thailand is a great place to drive. I've driven 10's of 1000's of km's over the years. Yes I've had my run ins with the police but it was for actual traffic infringements, mostly speeding. Drive defensively, keep your wits about you and it's not really much different from driving back home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiangmaiRob Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Castrol didn't even include India/Vietnam/the Philippines. You're right, Mumbai and Calcutta are an absolute nightmare, way more congested than Bangkok so I'm surprised they are not on the list. Saigon and Hanoi are jam packed with motorbikes but the traffic actually moves quite smoothly because, although it's seems like chaos, it's organised chaos ... unless of course if it's Christmas or Tet, then it's a whole different matter! The center of Saigon is a nightmare right now because they have blocked off one of the main streets in the center of town to build the new metro and it's going to be like that for a few years, but it's still a lot better than BKK, Mumbai or Calcutta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemos Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 looks like no one read the small print the survey is based on tom tom gps cant imagine many 3rd world .sth American African even Chinese cities would register.Survey by Castrol ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmeen Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) I'm actually surprised Bangkok made the top ten.... no mention of places I would consider far worse that others have also mentioned. As Dave said, you gotta supply the data to get a mention. My drive home is 14.2 km. About 30 minutes each day as long as I leave by 17:15. Edited February 6, 2015 by Schmeen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDS Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I live here in Thailand and have spent time in three of the other cities on the list (excluding Bangkok) but the worst traffic I have ever seen was in Tehran. Five lanes of traffic crammed onto a three lane highway and when you see a car joining the 'flow' of traffic from the left better watch out because they are not going to look what's coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmeen Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Did you live and work in Tehran? A city I would love to visit....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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