Thailand: Police want old cars off Bangkok roads

Bangkok Post, 7 Oct 13;

The deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police revealed Monday that he is planning to ask the government to limit the age of vehicles permitted to drive on Bangkok's streets as part of efforts to solve traffic problems in the capital.

Pol Maj Gen Adul Narongsak said, for example, that cars between seven and 10 years old and above could be banned from travelling in Bangkok, while owners would have to pay higher taxes on older cars.

Pol Maj Gen Adul said the idea was adopted from the Japanese government but did not elaborate on further details of the scheme.

He said he would also propose 16 urgent projects to tackle traffic jams in the city.

One of them would involve increasing penalties for motorists who park illegally. At the moment, illegally parked vehicles are clamped and drivers given a 500 baht fine.

Under Pol Maj Gen Adul's plan, vehicles would be towed to police stations and offenders would have to pay an additional 500 baht fine for reclaiming their vehicle, on top of the regular 500 baht fine. Police would also charge motorists 200 baht a day for maintenance if they failed to take the vehicles home.

The Office of the Ombudsman on Monday meanwhile suggested various ways of improving Bangkok's traffic, including heavy fines for motorists that leave broken-down cars on the streets.

Ombudsman Sriracha Charoenpanich said car owners could be fined 100 baht for each minute it takes them to move broken-down vehicles off the road.

Pol Maj Gen Adul said the ombudsman's proposal could be developed for future use, but there is currently too little support to implement such a penalty for motorists.


Fine plan 'would ease' Bangkok traffic
Bangkok Post, 7 Oct 13;

The Office of the Ombudsman on Monday suggested various ways of revamping Bangkok’s traffic system, including heavy fines for causing road accidents and leaving broken-down cars on the streets.

Ombudsman Sriracha Charoenpanich said motorists could be fined 100 baht for each minute it takes them to move broken-down vehicles off the road.

The punishment would improve traffic and also prompt drivers to regularly perform maintenance on their cars, he said.

Tree branches that block street signs should also be cut down, while more roads should be made one-way, and expressways and highways should carry more speed limit signs, he said.

The Ombudsman also addressed the issue of parked vehicles on busy roads.

He recommended that prospective car owners be required to show evidence that they have somewhere to park their new car before being allowed to purchase a vehicle, to prevent them parkiing on the roadside.

The agency is also urging the Departments of Public Works and Town and Country Planning to improve the Building Control Act, he said, suggesting the department should check the sufficiency of proposed parking areas before buildings are permitted to be constructed.

He added that public trains, buses, and boat services need to be better connected, to increase their popularity among commuters.