Bangkok roads cannot serve all 7 million vehicles registered in the city, and many more registered in the provinces, without causing congestion. Traffic and Transport Policy and Planning Office data show that each year, the average speed of automobiles in Bangkok has declined as the number of new cars continues to rise. According to the office, the average speed of vehicles on Bangkok's main roads - such as Rama IV and Sukhumvit roads - during morning rush hour has dropped to 15.7km/h.
What should authorities do?
Much of the criticism is directed at the government's first-car-buyer programme. The scheme initially drew orders for more than a million vehicles, but as many as 200,000 may be cancelled, since new campaigns by automakers are offering even more attractive packages than the tax-rebate package offered last year by the government. Whichever way you look at it, these policies allow for the easy purchase of automobiles, thus increasing the problems of carbon emissions, while also aggravating Bangkok's congestion problems.