Bumper-to-bumper traffic is almost standard
on the expressway
in the Klong Toey area, as this Tuesday night photo shows.
Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra has floated
a series of measures to
combat traffic congestion.
(Photo by Thanarak Khunton)
Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra has proposed
an
initiative to ban new car purchases for people who don't
have a place to park
their vehicles, as part of a raft of new
measures to combat traffic congestion.
Speaking at a forum on city traffic management
Wednesday,
the governor said car buyers should have to bring proof to
the
dealership that they have parking spots or they would
not be allowed to purchase a car.
Other
suggestions to tackle traffic include the introduction
of fines for parking
along roads and causing congestion in
business districts; and higher parking
fees at lots in central
Bangkok to encourage drivers to leave their vehicles at
home.
Bus
services must also be better developed to bring commuters
from outside the city
centre to the last kilometre of their
commute, said the governor, adding that other forms of
transportation -- such as public boats on rivers and canals and
bicycle lanes
-- should also be improved so people can rely
on them more.
Bangkok's pavements need to be levelled out
as well so the
elderly and people with disabilities are not at risk,
MR
Sukhumbhand said.
One
way to improve transport infrastructure is through
technology and elevated
walkways in central business areas,
which would draw pedestrians, according to
the governor.
But the high rate of urban migration from
outlying provinces
ultimately needs to be counteracted by developing
"satellite cities" on
the outskirts of Bangkok that are self-sufficient,
so people do not need to
enter the capital for work, he said.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has
no authority
to implement this kind of large-scale development plan,
but
ultimately this is the cause of the traffic problems,
said MR Sukhumband,
urging the central government to
address the issue.
"Questions must be raised as to whether
the problems will be
solved if authority over traffic management remains
scattered
among various agencies," he added.
MR Sukhumbhand warned that traffic
congestion in Bangkok
and its surrounding areas will only become more severe in
the
absence of a plan to deal with the problem.
Currently, some 17 million people travel
around Bangkok
every day and only 40% of them use public transport, he said.
As
of the end of August, there were 8.9 million cars, according
to the Ministry of
Land Transportation.
According to the BMA, the number of registered
cars in
Bangkok now outnumbers the 5.8 million registered population
living in the city as of 2012.
By
2029, the BMA estimates the number of cars in the city
will reach 10 million,
and commuters will make 22 million
trips per day, he said. "It will have
increasingly negative
consequences on people's daily commutes, their
livelihoods,
the economy and the environment.
"Mass public transport must be developed
to serve people
in their daily lives, while the public must be urged to use the
public transport system more," he said.
From January to May this year, 350,000
vehicles were registered
-- an average of 3,500 vehicles a day.
The main traffic cure is the mass transport
system, system,
MR Sukhumbhand said, adding that in 2029 commuter rail
services
in the city are expected to increase five-fold,
covering almost 300km.
News,General,Bangkok Post , 1 October 2015.
Traffic jam is the serious problem in Bangkok
for a
long time so it is good Mr Sukhumbhand
raise the
problem and the point to solve the problem.
I agree that the main traffic cure is the
mass transport system,
and it is the duty of the government to plan
and prevent
more serious problem that will absolutely
happen in the
future if we do not plan to solve and
prevent it to happen.
Sincerely Yours.
