Bangkok strives to be 'smart city' to ease traffic

[skildpadden]

This is what I love about this country - comedy is provided for free: if our dear leader does not do his daily stand up show, then there is always someone else competing for the quote of the day. Firstly "Bangkok" and "smart city" used together - isn't that also called an oxymoron?

But surely quote of the day is: "The Thai police don't believe in information technology that much".

[hobobo]

"Smart cities" in Thailand? According to my calendar, April Fool's day is still 42 days away!

[Ceruhe]

Ah, another great article to start the day.

Motion sensors tied to the traffic timers would indeed be a massive help, best help though would be to get the puppets out of their box and have them go drink a coffee if they don't feel like working, or if they magically do, sit at the intersection and grab those excessive red light jumpers that are dime a dozen....

So many things to talk about in regards thailand/traffic/police but so utterly useless to spent your 533245037th time pointing it all out again /sigh

[taony]

Instead of striving for the unattainable, how about taking a more pragmatic approach and aiming for "Bangkok - not so dumb anymore "?

[yooyoo]

"The Thai police don't believe in information technology that much," said Arkom,

Indeed.

It is not that they dont believe in technology... controlling the flow of traffic through digital means will remove from the traffic and reduce the opportunities to harass motorists and solicit bribes... according to a taxi driver I poke to "the police need money to maintain their girlfriends..."

[Barnet]

"The Thai police don't believe in information technology that much," said Arkom.

DNA, CCTV, all that farang junk. Thailannnn no need.

[jerojero]

Just enforce traffic laws.

[lvr181]

2009 called, they want their article back.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/technology/Technology-to-help-poorly-designed-city-30103010.html

Ouch! Authorities would hate to be reminded of this. You know how much they love to let matters dissolve into the darkness of history so that they cannot be judged of their failures to actually do anything. A prime example of why Thailand cannot do in 600 years, what Singapore has done in 50

[elgordo38]

That will be a good idea having a ' smart city ' if the people who are running the city would have been also

smart to begins with, but they're clearly not, judging from all the daily mayhem on the capitol's roads,

to talk and wish smart is one thing, to implement and execute is another.....

Funny as I get older I often talk and think smart but am having trouble executing. Should I see a doctor perchance?

[chainarong]

Under the present standards this is like pissing into the wind , it can be done but not recommended , the Japanese will see very clearly that change as Thailand likes and change are two entirely different solutions and all this would cost billions, something that Thailand hasn't got a lot of, fast tracking of course is the Thai way on the highway , an extra stop sign here and their should do the trick......................................

[pedro01]

By 'strive' they mean 'done bugger all'

[pedro01]

I've lived here for over 10 years; and driving for about eight years. I cannot tell you how many times I have been stuck on the expressway coming in to Bangkok at rush hour; and the police stop all traffic for 1-2 hours.

Well I have been driving here for 17 years and have never seen police 'stop all traffic' for 1 or 2 hours.

Sure - when a bigwig is coming through they stop cars but not for 2 hours.

There would be a riot if they did that

[kingalfred]

"Smart" and action to solve problems,dont go together in the country!

[selftaopath]

If the numptie BIB left the traffic lights alone (and this goes for Pattaya as well), there would rarely be a traffic jam.

I once got a three day tan sitting at the red light because the numptie was away from his switchbox gathering tea money. He forgot he was supposed to turn them over.

And THATS why there are traffic jams in Thailand.

YES; wasn't there also speculation that a certain bunch of thugs vandalized electronically controlled traffic lights. Possibly a "job" security concern?

[selftaopath]

When there are more vehicles than road it don't make A difference how smart people are.Years ago when more people started driving they needed to build more roads.I don't see this problem improving anytime soon

I firmly believe there would be an immediate difference if laws were enforced e.g. no double/triple parking, vehicles going any which way at will etc. Oh and then there's the pedestrians forced to walk in the road b/c practically every inch of sidewalk is taken over by vendors of motorcycle taxis.

[richard_smith237]

Wasn't this already attempted a number of years ago ??... i.e. Computerised traffic measures were installed, however, as I understand it, these measures were sabotaged by Policemen out of concern for their jobs....

Computerising Bangkok's traffic lights to optimise flow can only be a good thing.... along with the BiB actually patrolling and officially charging traffic offenders for their violations with some level of consistency.

In addition, the whole 'me first' driving culture needs to improve... When people think of themselves first rather than the greater-good self imposed gridlock is never far away.

[Jonmarleesco]

'"We can use technology to reduce Thailand's heavy traffic jams," Transportation Minister Arkom Termpittayapaisith told a seminar titled "Asia Smart City Summit" in Bangkok on Wednesday ... Indeed, many of Bangkok's traffic lights are still controlled manually by police stationed at intersections ...' That happens only when they're awake.

And this from the guy purportedly in charge of traffic flow. ​Perhaps they should start at the bottom ... with smart people.

[Jonmarleesco]

I have yet to figure this stuff out. On Phradipat at Saphan Daeng, the red light is 112 seconds, there is virtually no traffic

coming from Rama V at all. The light turns green for 17 seconds, 4 cars make it through.

It's been like that for 10 years, it doesn't make sense!

Bit of a problem collecting money in 17 seconds; 2 minutes works better.

[Jonmarleesco]

Thaksin was going to solve the traffic problem when he was TM in Chavalit's cabinet, all in the space of six months. That was nineteen years ago, give or take a few months ...

[BangkokKen]

Smart city means smart meters ie meters pulsating long range radiation throughout the building, relayed by cellphone towers, in other words cancer rate multiplied by 3

[Thian]

It's the same at the tollway with all those booths and long qeueu's. They even have one where you have to stop to pay 10 baht.

Or the skytrain which even don't sell return tickets nor has good ticketvendingmachines.

Bangkok is so far behind the rest of the metropoles dued to corruption and lazy policemen.

[kingalfred]

The city has no real will to deal with traffic. The subway and skytrain is trivial , but the real transport problems are coming. As the population grows and with it more cars many Thais know it will be total gridlock in the next 10 years.

[Lingba]

Smart city??? looks like the biggest oxymoron I've ever seen

[Jim walker]

Bangkok will never be a smart city until smart people start to run things not some jumped up general whose father had some influence over some Hi So people a few years ago, I’m afraid it will stay a large third world city until someone very smart /intelligent steps in to the top seat and drags it into the 21^st century kicking and screaming

[AZBill]

I love Bangkok's traffic when I'm there as I never drive and it makes walking across the streets so much easier when nothing's moving.

[MaiChai]

Probably too selfish to be smart?