Despite government promises, Bangkok commuters continue to suffer from extraordinarily heavy traffic on outbound Phahon Yothin road, especially near the Mor Chit skytrain station where public buses, mini vans and taxis queueing for passengers block most lanes.
The Mor Chit station is also an interchange with Chatuchak subway station.
Outbound Phahon Yothin road consists of five lanes. It is extremely congested most days and particularly on work days during rush hours, as three of the lanes are usually occupied by private cars, taxis, mini vans and public buses. And it's not getting any better. Quite the contrary.
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The gallery shows the congested Phahon Yothin road on Jan 21, 2013. (Photos by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
In December last year, Transport Minister Chatchart Sittipan said the government's subcommittee on handling traffic in the capital city decided to alleviate the traffic situation on Phahon Yothin by having public buses pick up passengers in the second lane, instead of next to a bus stop.
Only personal cars, taxis and mini vans would be permitted to temporarily park in the first lane, he said.
The minister said the panel believed this would save time, because buses would not have to cut through the congestion, and improve the traffic flow.
He said the Chatuchak district office would make sure there were no street vendors along the pavement near the Mor Chit skytrain station and the Chatuchak subway station, so commuters could move more conveniently.
The parking lanes for different vehicles would also be redone to maximize the traffic flow, he added.
However, the situation on Phahon Yothin has yet to improve. Netizens fed up with the constant traffic jams in the capital have been vocal in venting their frustrations on popular Thai social media websites such as Sanook.com and Pantip.com.
One poster said there are five lanes at Mor Chit: the first for mini vans and taxis that park for many minutes; the second for mini vans and taxis that move at a snail's pace; the third for public buses and the fourth use by different vehicles to cut through the inside lanes. The fifth lane is the only normal lane, the complainant said.
Another commenter criticised the traffic police, saying: "It's good that the police don't come out to manage the traffic. If they were out on the road they would create even more of a traffic jam. Let us [commuters] manage the traffic ourselves, that's the best solution."
One netizen blamed the government's first time car-buyers tax rebate scheme for worsening the problem.
A poster said authorities should not just make people wait for buses in the middle of the street because it is not safe.
As for the solutions, many netizens suggested that people should avoid driving personal cars and they should take public transport instead.
"Taking an airconditioned public bus would cost no more than 23 baht and when the traffic is heavy you can use the skytrain or walk," one poster said.
"If you don't want traffic, park your car at home. Stop blaming others and look at yourself first."