Bangkok drivers wasting 97 million baht daily on gas burned while stuck in traffic

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Bangkok drivers wasting 97 million baht daily on gas burned while stuck in traffic

By Coconuts Bangko

 

Photo: Wikipedia

 

BANGKOK: -- Traffic in Bangkok is a total nightmare, but it was still surprising to find out that traffic jams in Bangkok waste about THB97 million worth of fuel a day on average. That’s THB35 billion a year, according to the chairman of a National Reform Steering Assembly sub-panel.

 

The traffic problem is one that should be addressed immediately since it deeply affects the people living in Thailand, as well as the environment. It also leads to huge economic losses.

 

Seree Suwanpanont, the chairman of the sub-committee overseeing road safety, blames the inadequate road structure and rapid increase in the number of cars for the THB97 million waste.

 

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/09/01/bangkok-drivers-wasting-97-million-baht-daily-gas-burned-while-stuck-traffic

 

-- © Copyright Coconuts Bangkok 2016-09-01

[Cuchulainn]

Well, a decent subway and overground system should have been built years ago.

[tifino]

4 minutes ago, Cuchulainn said:

Well, a decent subway and overground system should have been built years ago.

 

but improved Airways have been offered instead... 

[mesterm]

 

[Searat7]

Traffic is certainly a problem but equally important is the resulting air pollution from vehicles sitting in traffic jams....especially from the old buses. 

[maoro2013]

Could someone show me the maths?

[adhd]

don't you love the ME ME ME attitude that when it is green for you, there are always <deleted> that will in stead of giving space for you to turn, block the way for all traffic ?

[Borzandy]

Not a problem for Thai drivers, they even do not turn off their engines when parking.

[tpaul1]

Never mind the waste of money, that just goes around and used elsewhere in the economy. What is FAR more important is the CO2 emissions. Time is running out fast for the planet and everywhere needs to address this issue with utmost urgency. Reading about this on 350.org last night caused a very restless sleep. Deeply troubling. Burning just the fossil fuels that are already planned to be burned will cause the planet's temperature to increase 4-6 degrees in the coming decade or so. BKK traffic is not going to solve that by itself but a huge societal change is needed  everywhere away from private car useage.

[bark]

97 million. Does that make us " A HUB "  ?

[bark]

24 minutes ago, tpaul1 said:

Never mind the waste of money, that just goes around and used elsewhere in the economy. What is FAR more important is the CO2 emissions. Time is running out fast for the planet and everywhere needs to address this issue with utmost urgency. Reading about this on 350.org last night caused a very restless sleep. Deeply troubling. Burning just the fossil fuels that are already planned to be burned will cause the planet's temperature to increase 4-6 degrees in the coming decade or so. BKK traffic is not going to solve that by itself but a huge societal change is needed  everywhere away from private car useage.

 

[bark]

Just now, bark said:

 

4-6 degrees in ten years ? What a stupid comment.

Please go and Hug a Tree.

[mike324]

really not surprising at all, it doesn't even factor in the value of lost time and environmental impacts.

The only to solve this is by having more BTS/MRT lines that are...wait for it ... AFFORDABLE! Even though the BTS/MRT are being expanded, the pricing is out of reach for low income earners.

 

Another way to solve the traffic problem is to give tax deductions to businesses that move to other districts surrounding downtown bangkok.

[Krataiboy]

The real solution to the problem of city traffic jams is to eliminate the need for most people to travel to urban centres for work, school, shopping etc. This has already been done to some extent by creating industrial parks and hypermarkets in out-of-town locations. But much more could be achieved by taking advantage of computers and digital technology.

 

Why kdo millions of adults waste endless time and energy commuting to city offices when many of them could just as easily work from home, linked by computer to a network of colleagues?  The same goes for our children, who are woken at the crack of dawn and driven miles for the dubious benefit of sharing a teacher with thirty or forty other kids. Homeschooling is proving increasingly popular and achieving far better results than conventional classrooms are capable of.

 

Just think of the savings to be made - not just to the economy but to the environment and the quality of our lives   - if we started harnessing the computer revolution for more than mere entertainment (which seems to be the present priority).

 

All this may seem far-fetched. But we really need to start thinking outside the box if life is to be worth living half a century from now when there will be an estimated 9.7 billion folk sharing this crowded, increasingly polluted and resource-depleted planet.

 

Edited September 2, 2016 by Krataiboy
errors

[aquario33]

3 hours ago, Searat7 said:

Traffic is certainly a problem but equally important is the resulting air pollution from vehicles sitting in traffic jams....especially from the old buses. 

one would think its the bigger issue ....

[Thaidream]

I have seen Bangkok traffic at its best and at its worst over the decades. Right now- it is near its worst. The police have even turned off the automated light control system and are now operating the lights manually. This has led to massive traffic jams in certain areas because there is no coordination now. In addition, the number of cars entering traffic increase daily due to people buying on credit and low monthly payments. 

Last Monday I took Ram Intra Road from Bangkok to Lak Si- which should be a 30 minute trip. Instead, it was 2 hours. Absolute madness. There are not enough police to control traffic points and there appears to be no viable solution  The only way to get around Bangkok quickly is either the BTS, MRT or to walk. It's no wonder tourists get out of Bangkok as quickly as possible. the pollution is horrid.

[gdgbb]

5 hours ago, Searat7 said:

Traffic is certainly a problem but equally important is the resulting air pollution from vehicles sitting in traffic jams....especially from the old buses. 

 

The vast majority of buses have been running on relatively pollution-free CNG for some time now.

[gdgbb]

2 hours ago, mike324 said:

really not surprising at all, it doesn't even factor in the value of lost time and environmental impacts.

The only to solve this is by having more BTS/MRT lines that are...wait for it ... AFFORDABLE! Even though the BTS/MRT are being expanded, the pricing is out of reach for low income earners.

 

Another way to solve the traffic problem is to give tax deductions to businesses that move to other districts surrounding downtown bangkok.

 

"BTS/MRT...pricing is out of reach for low income earners."

But you reckon that those same low income earners can afford to run around in cars instead?

[exalll]

4 hours ago, bark said:

4-6 degrees in ten years ? What a stupid comment.

Please go and Hug a Tree.

 

Edited September 2, 2016 by exalll

[gdgbb]

1 hour ago, Thaidream said:

I have seen Bangkok traffic at its best and at its worst over the decades. Right now- it is near its worst. The police have even turned off the automated light control system and are now operating the lights manually. This has led to massive traffic jams in certain areas because there is no coordination now. In addition, the number of cars entering traffic increase daily due to people buying on credit and low monthly payments. 

Last Monday I took Ram Intra Road from Bangkok to Lak Si- which should be a 30 minute trip. Instead, it was 2 hours. Absolute madness. There are not enough police to control traffic points and there appears to be no viable solution  The only way to get around Bangkok quickly is either the BTS, MRT or to walk. It's no wonder tourists get out of Bangkok as quickly as possible. the pollution is horrid.

 

" the pollution is horrid."

In actual fact it isn't, Bangkok has been proved to be one of the world's least polluted cities.

[bark]

5 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

 

" the pollution is horrid."

In actual fact it isn't, Bangkok has been proved to be one of the world's least polluted cities.

 

11 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

 

"BTS/MRT...pricing is out of reach for low income earners."

But you reckon that those same low income earners can afford to run around in cars instead?

When they expanded the BTS by 5 stops past On Nut, the trains were packed.

Thais will use the trains if they can go all the way home; and not need to take another bus; after they have gone as far as they can on the BTS.

[tifino]

 

when this Topic first appeared, it made me want to compare it to China's 55lane squashed into 19 line, traffic jams.

 

 - but at least with China this is to be expected as (their) communist Govt checks everyone that arrives at their border doorstep 

 

Nobody there gets away with anything,

 - which is probably why their peoples really like to unleash themselves onto LOS roads, unabated

[Mickmouse1]

So who is to blame? Is it not a good idea to move all government departments completely to a new area outside bkk? Do not grant companies permission to build more office blocks/towers in the city....encourage biz to relocate by offering them decent incentives. ?

[natway09]

Maybe another first new car owners rebate scheme then the traffic won't move at all

[gandalf12]

7 hours ago, bark said:

97 million. Does that make us " A HUB "  ?

Yes. Thailand is now the hub of wasted resources

[gandalf12]

1 hour ago, Mickmouse1 said:

So who is to blame? Is it not a good idea to move all government departments completely to a new area outside bkk? Do not grant companies permission to build more office blocks/towers in the city....encourage biz to relocate by offering them decent incentives. ?

Far too logical. You must have just arrived in Thailand (joking)

Edited September 2, 2016 by gandalf12

[Mickmouse1]

Yes n left after 72 hours ...but i do that few times a year ☺

[cumgranosalum]

21 hours ago, gdgbb said:

 

" the pollution is horrid."

In actual fact it isn't, Bangkok has been proved to be one of the world's least polluted cities.

That's not quite true - it is alleged by ONE report to be one of the world's least polluted cities; the report by "Airport parking & hotels" compared "The research for the Air Quality Index and temperature in each of the cities in the study was collected for APH between 12pm and 1pm GMT on 6 October 2015" - hardly an in depth" piece of research? What it proves is highly debatable

Edited September 3, 2016 by cumgranosalum

[cumgranosalum]

On September 2, 2016 at 8:41 AM, Searat7 said:

Traffic is certainly a problem but equally important is the resulting air pollution from vehicles sitting in traffic jams....especially from the old buses. 

Different vehicles pollute in different wayd - pollution is not always visible - years back it was lead, which still remains in soil and water, diesel the problem is particulates - OK you can see the smoke but it is other stuff that can harm.

[gdgbb]

On 02/09/2016 at 3:30 PM, Mickmouse1 said:

So who is to blame? Is it not a good idea to move all government departments completely to a new area outside bkk? Do not grant companies permission to build more office blocks/towers in the city....encourage biz to relocate by offering them decent incentives. ?

 

The only ones to blame for the number of vehicles on the road are the owners of those vehicles.

 

You seem to think that civil servants are the cause of traffic congestion and that to move them elsewhere would cure the problem.  If there are so many civil servants that they are indeed the cause of the congestion then don't you think that all that will happen is that congestion will be transferred to somewhere else?

 

Don't allow more offices to be built?...yes, go on, kill commerce and restrain future economic expansion, why not?

 

The bottom line with your plan is that eventually Bangkok as it is known today will die and be replaced with Bangkok II in your new location with it's relocated congestion exactly as it is now or even worse as all those people who were previously able to get to work on public transport will have had to buys cars to get to the new Bangkok contributing to more congestion.