Monday, August 01, 2005

Bangkok Traffic


Traffic in Bangkok is a nightmare, there is so much of it and not one vehicle respects any of the rules. As far as I can tell, there is only one rule “The bigger the vehicle, the more respect you are given” Unfortunately this applies to the pavements as well, so don’t get high rate when a moped comes up behind you on the pavement and starts giving you the horn to get out of the way, he is bigger and faster than you, so he as more right to be on the pavement.
The Bus is King of the Road, they use what ever lane they want and if you get caught in a bus lane, the driver will actually throw a fit. Also all of the Bus Drivers think they are driving a GT car and speed up then slam on the brakes all the time and if he doesn’t like the look of you, he won’t stop for you! Simple.
Cars have the same set of rules, the bigger you are the more prestige you have, the most common vehicle is the 1 tonne pick up from company’s like Isuzu, Toyota and Nissan, there are 100’s of them, and like the UK, nothing in the back and only one person in the car. These pickups are around £12k and are on a waiting list. Cars are usually Honda or Toyota makes. The cost ranges from £6.5K for a Honda Jazz up to double the UK price for any European car. Fuel by UK prices is very cheap, with unleaded running at 33p a litre and diesel at about 29p.
Pollution is a real problem, you can see it in the air, and if you wait for a bus for more than 10 minutes, you begin to notice the lack of oxygen in the air. Seriously, if you go on an un-air-conditioned bus with opened windows, there’s a good chance you won’t make the end of the journey without passing out.
One of the best ways to get around Bangkok, and one of the least known are the River Boats, As well as going up and down the main river, they also go along the many Canal/Rivers (Klongs) that criss-cross the City, you avoud all the pollution and get to see a different (usually poorer) sides of Bangkok
So remember, it’s not safe to walk on pavements and buy a bus for that nippy round town vehicle you’ve always wanted.

( View from Bus )

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