The past week saw lots of interesting stories, but the one that caught my attention was about the traffic jams. Best of all was the reaction by our government on the reasons for the rise in congestion on the streets in Bangkok.
The news initially appeared on Monday when Inrix Inc -- a US-based company that provides services and applications for road traffic -- ranked Thailand as one of the world's most congested countries in 2016.
The report said that Thais on average spend up to 61.4 hours per year in traffic jams. Then TomTom, a Dutch company compiling similar data, also released results that put Bangkok just behind Mexico City for time spent in traffic jams.
Umesh Pandey is Editor, Bangkok Post.
Those who brave traffic each day in the City of Angels would not be surprised with this data. We have all seen how things have got worse over the past few years. I know that traffic has got worse because of the fact that the average fuel consumption of my car has gone down dramatically. And this is not as a result of my way of driving, I am getting older by the day and have become much more cautious in how I drive.
Commuters in Bangkok are left baffled as to why traffic is worsening. Is it the construction of the Green Line mass transit network? If so, that is a lame excuse because the construction is in the Lat Phrao/Ratchayothin area and not in the central business district.
But lo and behold, our Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon found the magic answer to congestion. According to the wise man, the root cause of the problem is that Thais are becoming rich and are buying too many cars. He said increasing affluence has enabled them to buy more vehicles and this, coupled with the construction of the mass transit system, has resulted in congestion
Well, sir, the only new construction that has started in the city has been the Green Line extension from the Chatuchak area, while other projects have been ongoing for years. So how are you going to justify the traffic jams we are all facing?
Gen Prawit is also in charge of the government committee put in place to resolve the country's traffic problems and has been making various statements of how his committee is going to resolve the traffic problems soon. If my memory serves me correctly, about last September, Gen Prawit came out to say that the traffic problems of the city would be resolved in a period of one month and that 21 roads around Bangkok would be targeted for improvements.
The calls followed heavier than expected rain caused chaos on the streets of Bangkok, but it has been five months since the Sept 26 announcement of the "one month" to resolve Bangkok's traffic problems and we, the commuters of Bangkok, have yet to see any real signs of improvement.
Another member of the committee is national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda, who has gone on record to say that if there was no solution found to the traffic problems, then he would recommend the use of the draconian Section 44 to increase the penalties for traffic offenders.
What these men in charge do not understand is the need to have a better system in place for controlling the purchase of vehicles.
Gen Prawit came out to say that it was rising affluence that needs to be blamed, but at any given point one person can only drive one car and the fact that they may own 10 does not mean that all 10 are out on the street creating congestion.
What they do not realise is the fact that they need to put in place measures that prohibit people from purchasing vehicles if there is no place to park the vehicle. A drive on many of the streets in Bangkok shows how shophouse owners have a car or two parked on their properties and another one or two on the street.
Then there are those who park their cars for their work or a quick stop at a 7-Eleven, which takes up a lane on most major roads in Bangkok, while few policemen are around to control these activities.
Traffic problems in the city can only be resolved with stern measures. It could start from having traffic police patrolling the streets and imposing fines to more drastic measures such as higher taxes for existing owners purchasing more vehicles, or even the option of having even and odd number plates running the streets on alternate days.
If strict measures are not put in place, commuters in Bangkok will continue to live as they have been and the mai pen rai (no worries) attitude will remain the name of the game.