Songkran Traffic Jams, Buses Packed

[george]

Weekend rush to provinces brings highway to standstill

Bus terminals handle 300,000 passengers

BANGKOK: Traffic on Mittaparp Highway was paralysed over the weekend as northeasterners rushed home to celebrate Songkran.

The traffic was gridlocked from Tambon Klangdong of Pakchong district to Lam Takong in Si Kiew district.

At Mor Chit 2 and the Southern terminal, almost 300,000 passengers embarked for destinations in the East and South on Saturday night. Deputy Transport Minister Nikorn Chamnong said more than 200,000 seats had been reserved for travel last night.

Most travellers, however, were going by private cars, particularly pickup trucks, each carrying no less than 10 passengers.

Sophita Thanavibul, a traveller, said she had left Bangkok at 1am but had caught heavy traffic in Saraburi province.

``It's been 10 hours already, and I haven't yet reached my destination in Khon Kaen,'' she complained.

A number of travellers were stranded at Mor Chit 2 terminal until 2am Saturday night as inbound buses were mired in traffic for four to five hours.

Two bus terminals in Nakhon Ratchasima were also packed with tens of thousands of people who were to take connection buses to other northeastern provinces.

Manas Rungpin, chief of Nakhon Ratchasima bus terminal, said air-conditioned bus operators had agreed to change drivers every four hours to ensure safety for those travelling at night. The road safety management centre in Nakhon Ratchasima reported 98 accidents on April 9, with three deaths and 128 injuries.

All the drivers were told to strictly follow traffic rules and not to speed.

Pol Col Maitri Srivacharanont, deputy commander of Highway Police urged travellers to the upper northeast to use the Saraburi-Phu Kae-Lam Narai route while those heading for the lower northeast should go through Buri Ram to avoid traffic jams from Kaeng Koi to Lam Takong.

On southern routes, private buses and vans were caught operating illegal services. Police had set up four checkpoints in Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, and Surat Thani to catch the perpetrators.

Tourist business in the South appeared undisturbed by the unrest in the border provinces. A number of foreign tourists queued up at Tammalang pier in Satun province to board the ferries to popular attractions such as Adang, Li Peh, and Tarutao islands.

Samui island still maintained its popularity during Songkran festival, with an average of 5,000 tourists a day. More than 90 per cent of 12,000 accommodation units on the island were booked. The line of tourists who queued for boat service at Don Sak pier in Surat Thani was longer than two kilometres.

uMinibuses in tourist venues will be regulated to stop drivers overcharging tourists.

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the Land Transport Department would regulate minibus services, including setting fares for each destination.

Associations of minibus operators in several tourist venues had opposed the move, which comes after reporters in Koh Samui complained they were asked to pay high fares in a minibus.