Frustrated About Traffic In Bangkok

[Travel2003]

Everything people say about Bangkok.......is true. No-matter what it is, it is true.

 

[Mr22Tim]

My job relocated me to Bangkok in 1979. I  have use of a company car, but no driver. I CHOOSE TO RIDE MY MOTORCYCLE 90 % of the time , and still do. YOU EITHER LEARN TO DANCE TO THE Thai DRUMMER, OR YOU DON'T. DOES IT FREQUENTLY SUCK? OF COURSE IT DOES. But try living on Sukhumvit soi 22 and have a destination half way across town on a Friday night and drive a car. i have sat for 20 minutes in my car and not moved 50 meters on Sukhumvit.  All the improvements made to the roads have just kept pace with the increasing traffic.

You should have been here 30 or 40 years ago when there were few flyovers on the main roads and a trip on a motorcycle would leave you with a layer of black soot ON YOUR FACE. follow a city bus away from a traffic light, and when they shift Gears they would disappear in a billowing cloud of black diesel smoke. And don't forget all the 2 stroke motorcycles.Many of the side sois did not connect to other sois ,let alone main roads, [ example, no extension of Asoke past sukhumvit, which only old Thais refer to as  soi 16 after the extension past Queens park convention center was built.. Sukhumvit soi 24 and 26 did not connect to other sois, let alone Rama 4.]  No road connecting Sukhumvit to Rama 4 between soi 22 and 50 feet from the railroad tracks near soi 1. No sky train , no subway WHICH OPENED TO ALMOST EMPTY RIDERS AS MANY THAIS WERE STILL NOT CONVENSED THAT TIME IS MONEY, OR JUST COULD NOT AFFORD THE ADDED EXPENCE AND SO SAT IN  BUSES FOR  1,25 TO 5 BAHT The super to Don Muang on soi 1 was pretty much your only option for a chance at high speed travel across town, AND DON'T FORGET THERE WERE NO METERS IN THE TAXI'S TILL THE EARLY 1990'S SO YOU HAD TO BARGIN FOR EVERY RIDE. THIS ALONE WAS TOTALLY ENOUGH REASON TO HAVE A THAI GIRLFRIEND TO TAKE OVER THE BARGINING DUTIES ACCROSS THE BOARD.

and now there is the rookie farang on their sewing machine powered scooters. 

It just never ends. It sucks, it will always suck. Get used to it, and don't get so upset, You didn't think living in this wonderful place you can't wait to get back to after 2 weeks in farangland would come without a few down sides did you ?

[zzidenn]

On 8/13/2017 at 5:45 PM, Phatbeets said:

^ No question was asked -  Its just my assessment of an aspect of the city which sucks to the point that it became predominant for me.

grab bike saves alot of money and time

[richard_smith237]

I kind of agree with the Op... but more along the point of... Not everyone needs a car but everyone wants one...

 

I think my family need a car, there is no other safe way of transporting my Son. At 3 years old he is safe in his car seat. 

Even though its about 700m to the BTS walking there is not safe, the pavement (sidewalk) is unnavigable with a push chair, the motorbikes and cars don't give way to pedestrians and pass dangerously close....  Taxi's don't have seatbelt, UBER could be a possibility but then there is the issue of having no car seat, its OK in the inner city but as soon as we are reaching any speed (i.e. express way) the increase in risk of injury is exponential in the event of a bump. 

 

The car is the safest options and still too convenient for us to consider any alternative....  

 

But the traffic in Bangkok is a pain.... but so is the traffic in Phuket, in Pattaya in Chiang Mai... I get stuck in regular traffic Jams in each of those countries. 

 

In a very small rural area of the UK it used to take 10 mins to get into town and park up. Now it takes 25-30mins... Traffic everywhere in the world is worse. Unless that city has employed control measures such as the 'congestion charge' or as with Singapore stringent limits (financial) on who can have a car. 

 

With more condo's being built - Bangkoks traffic will get worse and the Public transport is not yet good enough. 

 

We'll just have to sit, grin and bear it and not let it irritate us.