Video Does Bangkok *really* have the world's worst traffic jams?

[Jonathan Fairfield]

 

 

[fruitman]

Yes it's vely busy in BKK but most of the congestion is caused by all the public transport, buses/minivans/taxi's/bahtbuses/mototaxi's they all just do what they want and stop where they like....the police won't correct them so it will never improve.

 

That's why i drive a motobike. 

[shadowofacloud]

From the point of view of a (car) driver it is rather heavily congested. However, a motorbike or even a bicycle can get through the traffic fairly easy.

Edited March 1, 2017 by shadowofacloud

[wump]

Coming here after 6 years abroad I was shocked by the state of the traffic. No, it's not minivans or public transport... it's that every Somchai needs to dive around with his car to to his errands. It's ridiculous. You can be stuck for HOURS in traffic. Why isn't motorcycle use being pushed? The rest of Thailand does it?

[gamini]

I would not say so. I tried to drive through India and the traffic was terrible in some cities. Mostly cows walking along slowly with all the cars. And everyone honking their horns

[NMKDom]

45 minutes ago, gamini said:

I would not say so. I tried to drive through India and the traffic was terrible in some cities. Mostly cows walking along slowly with all the cars. And everyone honking their horns

The thing about New Delhi, and New York is that while there is certainly just as much traffic, it does seem to move. Whereas in Bangkok you just come to a grinding stop. It takes people too long to get through a green light to begin with, but when the sequence of lights is not set up properly its worse. It seems to take about ten seconds for people to realise the lights have changed to green (which is often a third of the total green light time)

[mike324]

My friend from Indonesia who visits Bangkok often says Jakarta is worse but by not much.

[little mary sunshine]

No

[KittenKong]

2 hours ago, wump said:

Why isn't motorcycle use being pushed? The rest of Thailand does it?

 

I would not get on a motorbike in Thailand. I find it safer and more comfortable to be in my car, even if it is slower. It's a good idea for other people to use motorbikes though.

[KittenKong]

1 hour ago, NMKDom said:

It takes people too long to get through a green light to begin with, but when the sequence of lights is not set up properly its worse. It seems to take about ten seconds for people to realise the lights have changed to green (which is often a third of the total green light time)

 

Yes, this is what causes most of the traffic problems everywhere in Thailand. Local drivers have no reflexes and take forever to pull away at traffic lights, and to go round corners.

 

OK, I can accept that one has to be careful given the number of idiot drivers here who run red lights and generally do stupid and dangerous things, but evolution gave us eyes and a neck specifically so that we can look quickly before moving off promptly if the way is clear and not have to creep everywhere even when it is totally obvious that nothing is coming from any direction. Thais do not seem to have grasped the usefulness of this.

[01322521959]

Never really notice the traffic as I'm a motorbike rider but traffic jams here are usually caused by vans, buses and stuff stopping where they want and just simple incompetence.

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[Thainess]

Bangkok is in dire need of an efficient mass transit train system. Neither the BTS nor the MRT have sufficient cars on their trains, nor do they have enough trains every few minutes. As a result, they are unable to move enough people. In Hong Kong, they have 20 cars on the MTR trains. In Bangkok on the BTS and MRT? 2 or 3 cars. In Hong Kong, there is a train every 1 or 2 minutes at peak times. In Bangkok, you're lucky to get a train every 5 minutes, usually more like every 8-10 minutes. It's not efficient and it doesn't work in easing congestion because not enough people use trains that don't have enough cars of frequency of service.

[Thingamabob]

Bangkok not the highest volume of traffic, but certainly the slowest. Idiotic timing of traffic lights and excessive u turns mainly to blame, but also driver reaction times lethargic. 

[smutcakes]

1 hour ago, Thainess said:

Bangkok is in dire need of an efficient mass transit train system. Neither the BTS nor the MRT have sufficient cars on their trains, nor do they have enough trains every few minutes. As a result, they are unable to move enough people. In Hong Kong, they have 20 cars on the MTR trains. In Bangkok on the BTS and MRT? 2 or 3 cars. In Hong Kong, there is a train every 1 or 2 minutes at peak times. In Bangkok, you're lucky to get a train every 5 minutes, usually more like every 8-10 minutes. It's not efficient and it doesn't work in easing congestion because not enough people use trains that don't have enough cars of frequency of service.

I use the bts daily along the Sukhumvit line in peak rush hour. I have been doing it on and off for a decade. In the past year i have perhaps had 3 or 4 times returning home in peak time on a rainy Friday evening when i or anyone else has had to wait without getting on the 1st or 2nd train but 1st in close to 100% of the time. I also believe on the Sukhumvit lines in peak times the trains are every 2.50.

 

Perhaps you can tell me which train station you are referring to? Where trains are only 8-10 minutes.

[siam2007]

Bangkok traffic is a WALK IN THE PARK compared to both Jakarta and Manila. I remember the last time I read such a report, it was Jakarta which won that trophy. And right so, as I can confirm it 100%, particularly during the frequent flooding in the rainy season. It is rather common to spend a full day of your time if you want to get from one end of the "Big Durian" to the other - happened to me more than once. In no other City in the world I sat on Taxis for 4-5 hours just to cover a distance of 20 KM or so. Manila is only marginally better (EDSA nightmare). Give me Bangkok traffic 365 days a year before sending me to JKT or MNL.....

Edited March 2, 2017 by siam2007

[SiamBeast]

By experience I think Manila has worst traffic than Bangkok - I have only been in Manila for a week  but the traffic was worse than I experienced in Bangkok. No break, just heavy traffic all the way despite their license plate numbering system. It is due mainly to a poor public transport infrastructure.

 

I think there could be such a system in place in Thailand, with exceptions for commercial vehicles. It would at least improve the situation while they get the new BTS / MRT lines ready.

Edited March 2, 2017 by SiamBeast

[gemguy]

No....not really ..rather plenty of  hearsay and conjecture....lol

 

Meantime I have been told by several people that the city of Cairo has the worst traffic Jams in the world.

 

Cheers

[fruitman]

On 2-3-2017 at 9:20 AM, wump said:

Why isn't motorcycle use being pushed?

Motocy no good, him no rich...

[gdgbb]

On 02/03/2017 at 3:01 PM, Thainess said:

Bangkok is in dire need of an efficient mass transit train system. Neither the BTS nor the MRT have sufficient cars on their trains, nor do they have enough trains every few minutes. As a result, they are unable to move enough people. In Hong Kong, they have 20 cars on the MTR trains. In Bangkok on the BTS and MRT? 2 or 3 cars. In Hong Kong, there is a train every 1 or 2 minutes at peak times. In Bangkok, you're lucky to get a train every 5 minutes, usually more like every 8-10 minutes. It's not efficient and it doesn't work in easing congestion because not enough people use trains that don't have enough cars of frequency of service.

"In Bangkok, you're lucky to get a train every 5 minutes, usually more like every 8-10 minutes."

 

More nonsense from Thainess, the BTS trains run approximately every 3 minutes at least until 9.30/10.00pm, in fact on a straight part of the track the next train can be seen approaching as the last one starts to go out of sight.  I know this because it is brought up so many times here that out of curiosity I time the BTS on the Sukhumvit line every time I use it.

[gdgbb]

On 02/03/2017 at 4:30 PM, smutcakes said:

I use the bts daily along the Sukhumvit line in peak rush hour. I have been doing it on and off for a decade. In the past year i have perhaps had 3 or 4 times returning home in peak time on a rainy Friday evening when i or anyone else has had to wait without getting on the 1st or 2nd train but 1st in close to 100% of the time. I also believe on the Sukhumvit lines in peak times the trains are every 2.50.

 

Perhaps you can tell me which train station you are referring to? Where trains are only 8-10 minutes.

I'd like to hear that from him also but it can't be just one station that has his extended waiting/arrival periods, it would have to be the entire line, either Sukhumvit or Silom, and it's definitely not the Sukhumvit line.

[Andy32]

Manila is definitely worse. With Bangkok most of the long jams you see are because of the traffic lights, as soon as they go green everything starts moving pretty freely. Manila just doesn't move at all though. Can take hours driving a very short distance.


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[SiamBeast]

At least, you can be thankful for the motorcycles running red lights and using the footpath - it helps alleviate the congestion on the roads by leaving more space for cars.

 

The police wants to stop scooters from using the sidewalk? Simple: Implement a odd-even license plate systems for a few years while they build new roads, which should reduce the number of cars by half. Along with raising the petrol price, tollway price, and import taxes, I should be able to drive "sabay sabay" without being stuck for hours.