March 3, 201511 yr ^ Agree a mono rail is silly, though in fairness this has never been proposed. What has been proposed is a wheeled (on tyres) tram system that uses a single guide rail. That ended up in translation as 'monorail', though that's not what it is in any definition. That design also hasn't been a 100% success, though you could easily substitute a more standard rail based tram system that's in use in lots of European cities. The single guide rail is useful because you can get the tram vehicles really close to the edge of the road and to each other when passing. Southern Bangkok has the BRT system with regular buses in a dedicated lane, which take up a lot more space. That hasn't been a success. I could see an elevated rail system up Huay Kaew and around the Superhighway, past the bus station and towards the train station. Maybe also up and/or down the Canal Road. But not downtown around the moat. Would be a massive investment though. So I don't see it happen for that reason.
March 3, 201511 yr If they were ever introduced to Chiang Mai,I think they would keep falling off ! regards Worgeordie
March 3, 201511 yr <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> NO ! They are taking down monorails all over the world - they dont work and are a waste of public money. Build better roads, and get more Taxis (no buses - roads too narrow). I agree the roads in Chiang Mai are to narrow for any kind of useful rapid transit. Rapid transit would just get in the way and slow down the vehicles that are on the road.
March 3, 201511 yr They have been proposing mass transit ideas for ages. Chiang Mai Mass Transit News 2004-2006 Several of the proposed ideas - 2Bangkok.com A monorail project was proposed in July 2013. It seems the Zoo monorail contract was terminated in November 2014 for failure to abide by the contracts regarding fares. Not sure if a solution was agreed upon since.
March 3, 201511 yr NO ! They are taking down monorails all over the world - they dont work and are a waste of public money. Build better roads, and get more Taxis (no buses - roads too narrow). Monorails work fine but they are unsightly and block views of people who own prime real estate and thus have something to say. And related to that point, monorails are used in western countries where there are property taxes and nobody wants to see prime property devalued by the building of an elevated rail system of any type. And further connected to the impact upon the propertied class, monorails are too cheap to build compared to alternatives and thus are not favored by those influential people who would prefer the more expensive alternatives such as underground rail. The last thing that CM, or the planet, needs are more roads and more taxis. CM needs to discourage car usage by building mass transit into the center from the satellite cities and build mass transit within the city and further discourage car usage.
March 4, 201511 yr <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> NO ! They are taking down monorails all over the world - they dont work and are a waste of public money. Build better roads, and get more Taxis (no buses - roads too narrow). I agree the roads in Chiang Mai are to narrow for any kind of useful rapid transit. Rapid transit would just get in the way and slow down the vehicles that are on the road. This has to be one of the funniest reasons why not to have a public transportation system which objective is to minimize private vehicles/congestion on the road... CB
March 4, 201511 yr Why not build an Underground system?Then above ground disruption is minimal and the aesthetes won't have anything to whinge about.
March 4, 201511 yr Why not build an Underground system? Then above ground disruption is minimal and the aesthetes won't have anything to whinge about. It's bad enough getting in a lift! Mind the Gap
March 4, 201511 yr Forget it chaps; it won't happen in our lifetime, and that includes you even if you are only 30 ! It just comes up as something to talk about every five or six years.
March 4, 201511 yr Just tie all the song teaws together in a line and get the smokiest one to tow the lot around. Then all the other drivers could nap or snack while waiting to overcharge tourists. Oh the charm!
March 4, 201511 yr Popular Post Forget it chaps; it won't happen in our lifetime, and that includes you even if you are only 30 ! It just comes up as something to talk about every five or six years. Your right trainman and there would not be enough passengers to warrant an underground system which would cost billions,although it would visually be more pleasing. Getting people out of cars is still a problem world wide unless you do what London did and put a surcharge on vehicles entering an inner city zone.CM is slowly choking itself to the point of gridlock Planning ,which is not is the Thai dictionary, in CM, is 25 years behind the times and still not playing catch up, its far too late. Chiang Mai is an increasingly ugly city and will stay that way.Erecting these hideous electronic billboards, fast food outlets, 7/11's,poor public transport takes priority over protecting and maintaining anything of historical significance. There are loads of significant old buildings and projects in CM that could be undertaken but the will is simply not there. On my trips to Hoi An, Hue ,Dalat in Vietnam and Luang Prabang in Laos its interesting that greed has not prevented the retention of the value they see in retaining old world charm without selling out to developers and multi nationals. So we either stop worrying about it or move on because nothing is going to happen, in positive terms.
March 4, 201511 yr <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> NO ! They are taking down monorails all over the world - they dont work and are a waste of public money. Build better roads, and get more Taxis (no buses - roads too narrow). I agree the roads in Chiang Mai are to narrow for any kind of useful rapid transit. Rapid transit would just get in the way and slow down the vehicles that are on the road. This has to be one of the funniest reasons why not to have a public transportation system which objective is to minimize private vehicles/congestion on the road... CB I agree it is funny but the fact is the roads are to narrow for any kind of meaningful rapid transit. Out on the outer ring roads and the super highway they have the room but it would not help the down town area. Talk about a subway. Does any one know if the ground would allow one. I suppose it could be all concrete encased but would the sub grade be able to hold it?
March 4, 201511 yr All those cars are on the wrong side of the road, was the first thought that I had.
March 5, 201511 yr Author Go to google maps street view (dated 2011), take a tour around Nimmanhemin, Maya, Central Festival, old city etc. You will realize that a change is happening, city will not stay as it is now and monorail on the photo will not be a big surprise.
March 6, 201511 yr Announced in Thai TV monorail.jpg Just goes to prove that there is a lot of stuff on Thai Visa that isn't going to happen.
March 7, 201511 yr Who is going to plough the money into these grandiose schemes and for what reason. Tourists can get where they're going to easy enough and cheaply. Locals have transport either bike or car and when all our cycle lanes are marked and monitored by BIB people will be cycling. A mono rail that goes past all the white elephant condominiums that cant be sold or rented.
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