webfact Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Bus-stops not so 'friendly' for people with disabilitiesChutima Inkam,Visarut SankhamThe Nation But subway, rail services, skytrain generally seen as far betterBANGKOK: -- MOST CITY BUS stops are not disability-friendly, adding to challenges that the physically handicapped have to overcome to lead a normal life."Just 10 per cent of the capital's 770 bus stops are qualified under the Thailand Transport Portal Ministerial Regulation," Choomket Sawangjaroen, an academic at Thammasat University, told a seminar last week, citing survey findings.The event was the first of a roundtable series organised by the Redemptorist Foundation for People with Disabilities and the National Elderly Council, which seeks to enhance the lives of the physically impaired.Under this initiative, seminars will be held monthly until February to push for the instalment of proper facilities for the physical-ly disadvantaged and senior citizens.The first seminar focused on structural designs. It raised concerns about the overall image of Bangkok and perimeter rail transportation and accessibility. Guidelines were proposed to support safety, convenience and ease-of-use for the elderly and disabled on public transport.They hope air, land and rail transport facilities will become more "considerate" to people with special needs."The efforts are ongoing," he said.According to the survey of all rail-based transport systems, people were most satisfied with the subway run by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority.Their reasoning was that station staff take good care of them and are nice in trying to ensure they had a pleasant ride.The subway also followed Transport Ministry regula-|tions and standards for toilets, parking lots, ramps, elevators, signage and information service points.Somchai Jeayakul, who has some physical issues, said he often uses the subway, Skytrain and Airport Rail Link and found them generally good."Staff are always helpful," he said. "But the Phaya Thai station doesn't have elevators."Even at stations equipped with elevators, regular passengers used them, making it harder for those who need help, he said.Chatree Yoddonpai, a representative of BTS, the Skytrain operator, said some stations still lacked lifts because his company had to negotiate with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and landowners for space to add the elevators."We have assigned our security guards to provide assistance and convenience at stations where elevators have not yet been installed," he said.Sarawut Eksuwan of the MRT said the agency had a plan to ensure that each subway station has two elevators. The Purple Line already has a platform lift for wheelchair users.Manit Intharapim, a member of the foundation, said he had long studied the services and facilities for the physically challenged and the elderly."It's going to be necessary to choose the facilities that are very safe too."Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Bus-stops-not-so-friendly-for-people-with-disabili-30269189.html-- The Nation 2015-09-21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ks45672 Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 some bkk buses dont even fully stop ......you have to run alongside and hop on before he speeds up again bus drivers is another industry that should be overhauled ASAP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thian Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Many times the buses stop on the middle of the road with motorbikes passing them on both sides. They even can't stop at the sidewalk because taxi's/minibuses took their places. Also the buses race like idiots, cutting of other roadusers without any problem. They also blow huge black clouds of smoke into the air, if you drive a motorbike behind them your blouse is black in seconds. But disabled people can't even walk to the busstop since the sidewalks are full of holes and agressive soidogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingalfred Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 The drivers of the non-aircon buses eg. Red orange colored ones are crazy. Think they are on a race track ,not transporting the public. As if anything will be done about it is a stupid question! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notmyself Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 But disabled people can't even walk to the busstop since the sidewalks are full of holes and agressive soidogs. Indeed. Makes the bus stop news pointless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friendly Stranger Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 These are barely friendly to able body riders. Running along side them or jumping off like a stuntman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM07 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Bus- Stops? What Bus-stops? All busses stop willy-nilly, when someone "flags them like a taxi! On the 200 meters between Saphan Taksin and Silom, the damn thing "stops" 5 or 6 times...and I use the term "stop" lightly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmj Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Just remove 'Bus-stops in' from the thread title Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wotsdermatter Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 There is a secondary problem attached to the buses not stopping correctly and the inadequate/inappropriate bus stops, that should also be addressed. As a person with limited use of my lower legs, ankles, and feet, many of the buses are too high for me to get on board. The same getting on and off the sidewalk to get to the bus if it does not stop in the right place. Even at the SkyTrain, getting up to the escalator can be a chore because the steps are too high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claffey Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Bus- Stops? What Bus-stops? All busses stop willy-nilly, when someone "flags them like a taxi! On the 200 meters between Saphan Taksin and Silom, the damn thing "stops" 5 or 6 times...and I use the term "stop" lightly! Ridiculous comment. Bus stops either have a bus shelter or a blue sign to indicate where they are. Buses stop frequently on busier commercial roads such as Silom.. Once you get used to the bus system here it's actually alright.. The Westerners on this site expect similar services such as London or Munich! This is Thailand.Things are different here.Get over it and adapt.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey4u Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Bangkok is unfriendly to disabled people The foot paths cluttered with small businesses and being used as a car park To the buildings that have steps that are just too high to manage My favorite is the Australian Embassy I went there on crutches one time, some cretin employed as a security officer asked me if I wanted to use the stairs or the elevator I only wanted the 4 th floor I guess their brain is like Bangkok user unfriendly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taony Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Bus stops aren't even friendly for people in the best shape. Besides what's already been mentioned, there are many others. For instance, the bus stops are all placed halfway between intersections. When you need to change buses to one using the other road, its a long long walk from one stop to the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkok Barry Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I have a friend who has travelled the world in a wheelchair. He even managed to use it on the Great Wall of China, but he found Bangkok impossible to navigate. Said it was the worst place in the world for the handicapped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM07 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Bus- Stops? What Bus-stops? All busses stop willy-nilly, when someone "flags them like a taxi! On the 200 meters between Saphan Taksin and Silom, the damn thing "stops" 5 or 6 times...and I use the term "stop" lightly! Ridiculous comment. Bus stops either have a bus shelter or a blue sign to indicate where they are. Buses stop frequently on busier commercial roads such as Silom.. Once you get used to the bus system here it's actually alright.. The Westerners on this site expect similar services such as London or Munich! This is Thailand.Things are different here.Get over it and adapt.. ...and this "Bus-stops in Bangkok not so 'friendly' for people with disabilities" is the title of the OP. It seems, that buses, stopping where ever they like (and I commute by bus, so I should KNOW!) is also not very friendly for the disabled! The moronic "this is Thailand"- point, really drives me nuts! Yes- this is not London or Munich! This is Thailand, where "rules" are made, laws are given out...and then they get ignored on a daily base! Talking about ridiculous comments! The bus system is alright? Do you mean that bus-"system" that let's buses stop in the middle of the road and let's passengers hop out into flowing traffic? That system? Some people.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thian Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 The first day i started driving motobike in BKK i almost drove into some people coming out of the bus. How should i know that they open the doors at the middle of the road? Same goes for those white minivans, they even stop on the middle of the road when the place next to the sidewalk is totally free. And they also keep standing there for 10 minutes causing huge trafficjams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atyclb Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Bangkok is unfriendly to disabled people The foot paths cluttered with small businesses and being used as a car park To the buildings that have steps that are just too high to manage My favorite is the Australian Embassy I went there on crutches one time, some cretin employed as a security officer asked me if I wanted to use the stairs or the elevator I only wanted the 4 th floor I guess their brain is like Bangkok user unfriendly "some cretin" without specifying which one it is too broad a statement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brer Fox Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Especially the ones with young idiot drivers who belt out their favourite doof-doof music at full volume through a multiplicity of speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertthebruce Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Bus- Stops? What Bus-stops? All busses stop willy-nilly, when someone "flags them like a taxi! On the 200 meters between Saphan Taksin and Silom, the damn thing "stops" 5 or 6 times...and I use the term "stop" lightly! Ridiculous comment. Bus stops either have a bus shelter or a blue sign to indicate where they are. Buses stop frequently on busier commercial roads such as Silom.. Once you get used to the bus system here it's actually alright.. The Westerners on this site expect similar services such as London or Munich! This is Thailand.Things are different here.Get over it and adapt.. Its 2015 ... Thailand is trying to adopt and improve lots of things, Buses and Transport is one of them... so rather than ''Get over it and adapt'' .. hopefully things will improve... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brer Fox Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Not only are the bus stops unfriendly to disabled people the buses and the drivers also are decidedly unfriendly. Even able bodied people suffer the same way. I always take visitors on a Bangkok bus ride as part of their tourist experience just to show how unbelievably bad it is. The roaring of the clapped out engines, the Le Mans racing and lane changing techniques of the drivers, the clouds of black smoke and the crunching of gears. Then on top of all that one can entertained watching the standing passengers get thrown around the inside of the cabin like rag dolls. The one thing the regular buses have in their favour is the low cost of the fare regardless of distance. No matter how old and decrepit a standing farang might happen to be they should NEVER wait in hope for a young Thai person to give up their seat for them. Aside from my unfavourable comments I do continue to use them when I am in the mood. When I have time on my hands I can travel from Ramhkamhaeng to Nana for 8THB on one of the regular buses or 15THB on the quieter yellow a/c buses. Here is a handy link for those who are game to try it. http://www.transitbangkok.com/bangkok_buses.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toybits Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Bangkok has a lot to learn from the experience of Curitiba in Brazil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rede_Integrada_de_Transporte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HughJass Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 only in Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morakot Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) Bangkok has a lot to learn from the experience of Curitiba in Brazil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rede_Integrada_de_Transporte That's very interesting! Edited September 21, 2015 by Morakot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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