Bangkok ranked among world’s top 10 cities with worst traffic

[berybert]

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.

[mca]

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.

[berybert]

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.

[bkkjames]

Hub of traffic?

[Phra Ek]

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.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

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.

[brubakertx]

Wait a few years, when the other Thais want to look rich, and buy a car. Gridlock!

[lvr181]

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?

[mathias67]

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.

[Magic040]

Castrol didn't even include India/Vietnam/the Philippines.

[Phra Ek]

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

[overherebc]

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.

[overherebc]

From my experience they cause all the congestion.

[razer]

And ranked #2 for fatalities.

[Emster23]

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".

[smotherb]

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.

[LetsTryThis]

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

[thrilled]

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.

[ronthai]

I just read the headline of the twice daily NewsLetter.

SURPRISE, NOT

[ronthai]

double, sorry

Edited February 5, 2015 by ronthai

[Tocquinio]

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

[Stray]

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.

[HerbalEd]

Yes and also the worlds most selfish drivers.

And yet you very seldom hear them honking their horn.

[Stargeezr]

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

[ChiangmaiRob]

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.

[ChiangmaiRob]

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.

[davemos]

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 !

[Schmeen]

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

[MDS]

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.

[Schmeen]

Did you live and work in Tehran?

A city I would love to visit.......