Bangkok traffic: Cops and private sector meet at HQ to decide there are just too many cars!

[webfact]

Bangkok traffic: Cops and private sector meet at HQ to decide there are just too many cars!

 

Image: Daily News

 

BANGKOK: -- A huge gathering of top cops and dozens of public and private sector organizations yesterday pointed the finger at the culprits for Bangkok's notorious traffic.

 

Top of the blame list was that there are too many cars and too few roads. Also to blame, it was agreed, was the rain, reported Daily News

 

Other problems were caused by the residual flooding and the building of various new sky train routes and other construction.

 

They also agreed that drivers and law enforcement were at the heart of the problem.

 

So what to do to solve the problem?

 

Chief of police Chakrathip Chaijinda led the way in announcing that five committees have been set up to look into the problem. 

 

These would look at the law and its enforcement, road maintenance issues, public transport matters, the role of technology and public relations.

 

All police and invitees from 53 agencies were in agreement that the core of the issue of the traffic was the attitude of drivers and the enforcement of the law by police.

 

A proposal by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to target 21 main arteries in the capital over the next month was mentioned but played down as the total answer to the traffic woes.

 

Two areas were highlighted: the committee looking into law and enforcement that will be headed up by the Land Transport Department in consultation with the police will look into the issue of drivers who do not pay fines being unable to renew tax and licenses in the future.

 

And one concrete measure was mentioned in connection with this regard - fines not paid within 30 days are set to be quadrupled in size.

 

Many Bangkok residents have noticed that the traffic in the city has been particularly bad over the past several months with some observing that it does not seem to matter if there is a rain storm or not.

 

Thousands of new cars pour onto the capital's streets each week.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-09-23

[trogers]

???

 

Ureka!!! The top minds of this country just switched on...

[poostick]

Aren't they clever 

[jamesbrock]

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

"They also agreed that drivers and law enforcement were at the heart of the problem."

 

"These would look at the law and its enforcement,"

 

"the committee looking into law and enforcement"

 

They keep omitting one very important term before the word 'enforcement'... 

[toybits]

Amazing Thailand.

[PatOngo]

Five committees, great, just what's needed!

[NongKhaiKid]

Five committees set up, will that be enough ?

They'd better be careful blaming the rain as there's a govt dept with a special name whose job is to produce the stuff !

[LannaGuy]

good grief Watson what a deduction!  but what do do?   more Tolls? no VIP convoys?  no let's set up FIVE committee's that should do the trick!  

 

let's face it those committee's will keep at least  10 cars each off the roads for a few hours so that's a saving of 50 cars!!!  

[trogers]

I keep recalling an incident back in 70's...

 

A man brought his family of wife and six kids to a family planning clinic.  "Hello Doctor! Here's my family. What's the plan..."

[smedly]

- forward thinking and city planning, roads that exist are too narrow - fail

- traffic light management - currently lights stay red/green far too long

- provide park and ride services and charge those that insist on using their cars a congestion fee

- no parking clear ways strictly enforced with stiff penalties

- look at the possibility of total one way systems which would limit the need for junctions and traffic lights were major one way routes would just simply merge

 

- bring in foreign experts that know what they are doing to provide advice guidence and training

Edited September 23, 2016 by smedly

[HoboKay]

20 minutes ago, smedly said:

- forward thinking and city planning, roads that exist are too narrow - fail

- traffic light management - currently lights stay red/green far too long

- provide park and ride services and charge those that insist on using their cars a congestion fee

- no parking clear ways strictly enforced with stiff penalties

- look at the possibility of total one way systems which would limit the need for junctions and traffic lights were major one way routes would just simply merge

 

- bring in foreign experts that know what they are doing to provide advice guidence and training

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, the Thais must want change and be capable of accepting change.

 

Until the national dogma is reformed, one can only dream.

[seajae]

actually the most interesting thing will be to see if they can enforce road rules when the majority of drivers/riders have no idea what they are, will also be interested as to whether or not the police will actually leave their air conditioned offices to do it, somehow I doubt it 

[Brer Fox]

And in the very final analysis it came down to money and unpaid fines and the multiplication of fines if payment is delayed. That should fix it!

Rain also gets the nod for part of the blame just as it does for just about everything.

So now there will be people from five committees and 53 agencies regularly scuttling all over the city in cars to attend meetings thus adding to the traffic congestion.

The people attending these meetings should lead by example and catch the filthy disgusting rattletrap public buses to get to their destinations so they can find out for themselves why people prefer cars.

[bubba]

I don't suppose that brilliant plan from back in 2013 to offer rebates on new car purchases helped to create this situation, did it?

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-autos-idUSBRE98L0JJ20130922

[chrisinth]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Top of the blame list was that there are too many cars and too few roads.

 

That's just funny.........................

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Just bulldoze the whole stinking place and use it as a garbage dumping ground and move the city to higher grounds, it will be under sea level in not too many years anyway.

[Deez]

5 committees set up? lol

[williamgeorgeallen]

why is no one blaming ying luck? her scheme put 1 million extra cars on the road. surely the yellows can prosecute her for that or do they have enough cases going against her already?

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Dozens of major cities around the world have implemented measures to reduce traffic in the downtown cores.

 

Too bad Thais are to proud to look at what WORKS in other places and try implementing some of those methods.

 

Get rid of 50% of the taxis to start with!!!

[Honthy]

It should have been a very serious "prachoum"  55555

[jonclark]

My ideas:

1. Pedestrianize central Bangkok, enclosed walkways, sidewalk cafes and lots of opportunities for new businesses. 
2. introduce parking fees more expensive that those offered by public transport (for a family of 4) as opposed to being currently free.
3. Use the parking fees to directly pay for improvements to the transport system
4. Raise car tax

 

 

[gchurch259]

From a purely personal view. We bought a Townhouse off Rama II an had hoped to see BTS from city center to Samut Sakanorn even to Samut Songkhram.

 

Been 8 years and I will pass before it happens !!

 

Thailand has the same prblem to many countries have, everybody wants to mov.e to the big city and get rich, no way.

 

I suggest they build some commercial developments 80 to 100 Km from existing cities. Look at what Brazil did!

[grumbleweed]

Cars are cause of traffic problems??? Bet no one was expecting that 

What next; Water is the cause of floods?

 

[DM07]

Sorry, but I beg to differ!

There are not enough roads...

[gchurch259]

The other thought, I just read where Thailand Touism wants 30 million tourist in BKK, like that does not create more traffic ??

[gchurch259]

4 minutes ago, grumbleweed said:

Cars are cause of traffic problems??? Bet no one was expecting that 

What next; Water is the cause of floods?

 

Excuse me, I read some Big Wig in BKK said we do not have floods, only undrained water, must be the brightest bulb on the tree !!

[Dexlowe]

1 hour ago, HoboKay said:

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, the Thais must want change and be capable of accepting change.

 

 

Ahhh ... the existentialist approach. I think we need a committee to investigate this.

[BlindMagician]

Wwoooowww!!

Bad traffic is due to there being too many cars.

 

Did you notice there is no blame attached to any traceable individuals, such as successive mayors.

 

Did you also notice the one concrete action was to increase the penalty if payment is late...hhmmm...all about the money flow eh?

 

It's laughable at sooo many levels, not least, blaming the poor old rain. Yeah cos that's such an unknown quantity in a monsoon tropical climate.

 

I spoke to some expat civil engineers over a decade ago, and they knew what the problems were, and how to solve them. Studies have been done, but shelved after the usual brown envelopes dried up and served their purpose. Then restart the process, more studies, more paperwork, more committees, to get the next cycle of brown envelopes.

 

And so it goes on.

[Bob9]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

- forward thinking and city planning, roads that exist are too narrow - fail

- traffic light management - currently lights stay red/green far too long

- provide park and ride services and charge those that insist on using their cars a congestion fee

- no parking clear ways strictly enforced with stiff penalties

- look at the possibility of total one way systems which would limit the need for junctions and traffic lights were major one way routes would just simply merge

 

- bring in foreign experts that know what they are doing to provide advice guidence and training

 

It sounds like a great idea - after all they invested cities with roads and cars.  

Two chances - none, and a snowflake in hell.  

But if somehow that snowflake survived, then guarantee the recommendations would be held up in Committees !!

 

[wow64]

Thanks Captain Obvious.. "There are too many cars". He should have added that these cars were also going on the road causing traffic.