Gridlock makes losers of us all

Gridlock makes losers of us all

As I sat trapped in the morning traffic yesterday — the summer sun blazing and no hopeful signs on the road ahead except car bumpers extending as far as the eye could see — a thought formed in my head. What a loser country we have become.

Let’s start by finding out what caused the heavier-than-usual traffic jams yesterday morning. I myself spent two-and-a-half hours on a journey to work which usually takes a little over an hour.

Jor Sor 100 traffic radio was full of questions from motorists about what had happened to Rama IV and Rama III roads towards Klong Toey because traffic there had virtually stood still since 8am.

My own social media timelines also showed nothing but complaints about beginning-of-the-week traffic woes from friends and colleagues, which seemed to spread as far as Ekamai and Ram Intra. 

As it turned out, the cause of the jam was later attributed to the closure of both the Thai-Belgium and Thai-Japanese friendship bridges along Rama IV Road by anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protesters.

The demonstrators have made the nearby Lumpini Park, a public park, their base. Concerned about possible attacks, especially by grenades which can be fired from the flyovers, the protest guards have taken the liberty of blocking either one or both of the bridges at night, sometimes from 10pm to 5am.

For some unknown reason, the protesters blocked the two bridges until 12:30pm yesterday. If a "mood meter" were available to gauge the feelings of road users kept at a standstill for hours while they missed appointments or were late to send their children to school and go to work themselves, it would have exploded with feelings from the stressed out to the simply distraught.

A host of questions burst into my mind. The first one was obvious and rather simplistic. Why have the protesters been allowed to block roads or bridges as they please? Have they turned Lumpini Park and surrounding areas into a "liberated zone’’ in which they have full administrative control?

More importantly, what has happened to state authorities? Aren’t they supposed to at least make some effort to tackle the occupation of public spaces?

I wonder how well the capital Bangkok really functions when a blockage of only two bridges can cause gridlock all across our sprawling city? Most workers lost the first half of the day yesterday from being trapped on the roads. How many vehicles were burning how much expensive fuel during those several hours? How much productivity was lost?

The worst thing is that nothing can be done to tackle the situation. If I were a foreign investor interested in the country, I would have a hard time understanding both the apparent lawlessness and the seeming incapacity or lethargy in relation to managing the situation.

The most crucial question in my mind, however, is what role do the PDRC and its protesters still have?

I know the PDRC has vowed time and again to keep pressuring the caretaker government of Yingluck Shinawatra until it stands down. It wants to induce a political vacuum and somehow usher in a reform agenda before proceeding to a new election.

But the truth is that protest leaders have tried to mobilise mass rallies, force shut-downs of state agencies and encourage widespread boycotting of businesses associated with members of the government, especially those belonging to the Shinawatra family. Still, they have failed to force the government out.

There is no question the PDRC has the capacity to gain support from various bases. It does exert political influence. But the truth remains that it has not been able to pressure Ms Yingluck to resign. Nor has it been able to apply enough pressure on the government, or the people behind it, to strike a deal that it wants either.

The PDRC held another long march on Saturday. It could probably organise another parade if it has to. But what will these demonstrations do for the PDRC except serve as a show of force?

At this stage, it is difficult to imagine how any more marches or the continued occupation of Lumpini Park will help the PDRC to push the government out. If the gatherings were to have any effect, they would have produced the desired result when they were at their peaks on Nov 24 and Dec 9. Since they obviously did not, the PDRC and its crowd have no purpose now. It has no reason to hang on in public roads.

But of course, the protesters remain and the authorities can do nothing. Traffic jams will cause us headaches in weeks to come but the political gridlock will set the country back for years.


Atiya Achakulwisut is contributing editor, Bangkok Post.

Atiya Achakulwisut

Columnist for the Bangkok Post

Atiya Achakulwisut is a columnist for the Bangkok Post.

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