Copenhagen of the east

Copenhagen of the east

The closure of Bangkok's main intersections has made the capital a cycle-friendly and safe city

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Copenhagen of the east

When Suthep Thaugsuban decided to lead the Bangkok Shutdown march on January 13, his goal was to change national politics. He had no idea his march would tremendously change Bangkok traffic and the way Bangkokians think about daily commuting - in a good way.

In a city where more than half of the daily commuters rely on private transport to and from work, Bangkok traffic has become the lightest in years after the closure of seven main intersections.

Since the closure of main intersections in the inner city, except at Government Complex on Chaeng Wattana Road, Bangkok residents have learned to look at their city with a new perspective. The capital has become an almost car-free city, as getting around the city on the usual land transport has become difficult.

Is it time for Bangkok commuters to consider life without a car?

"Bangkok has become a heaven for cyclists,'' said Panita Panalak of the Bike Thailand group. While millions of city commuters flocked to the BTS and MRT services on the first day of the streets' closure, the secretary, who started cycling over a year ago, decided to cycle to work.

Panita said most Bangkok commuters often complained about the heat and heavy traffic, which made it impossible to cycle around, either for work or leisure. "Now it's perfect for cycling.'' She and her friend lead a bunch of cyclists out to tour the city and suburban areas three days a week. But it had never been this easy to get around with the unusually empty streets and cool weather.

"The Bangkok Shutdown has made us realise that private cars aren't the only choice for commuting,'' said Paniti Sutabutr. Paniti had to find new ways to take her daughter to school after the 15-minute drive from Sukhumvit Soi 49 to the school on Sukhumvit Soi 15 became an hour. To shorten their trip, the mother parked her car on Sukhumvit Soi 23 and then walked, with her daughter scoot-boarding, along Saen Saeb canal to school.

Like Paniti and her family, several more millions of city commuters had to find their way to get around, to keep their life as normal as possible. Reliable and punctual public transport like BTS, MRT and BRT became the main modes; bicycles are the new private vehicles.

It's clear that countless of commuters have realised this fact. Since the first day of the closure, hundreds of cyclists have taken to the empty streets. An increasing number of cyclists are around the city during the day. Larger groups of cyclists have been seen cycling from one rally site to another.

The manual two-wheeler is often seen friendly enough to enter rally sites, while other vehicles, including motorcycles, have been prohibited at all sites. Cyclists are allowed to enter all protest sites at all times, with a tighter security after dark. Before sunset, they are also "allowed'' to use the flyover bridges that have been occupied by protesters, including the Thai-Belgium, Thai-Japanese and Rama VIII bridges.

In theory, home-made bombs could be hidden inside a bicycle part, said Sitthisan Iamsilapalohit, a PDRC guard at Patumwan intersection, but he explained that all two-wheelers, especially the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's green Pun Pun bike, could easily pass the gates.

"We scan their characters, and sometimes bags, with our eyes,'' said Sitthisan.

Most cyclists are regulars who work or live in the area and had to commute through the rally site or those who come in group sto tour the rally sites after work.

The number of bicycles have risen so quick that Chadchawan Intarasombat, a street vendor who sells bicycle lights, moved his stall from Worachak to the rally sites, first to Ratchadamnoen Avenue and then to Siam Paragon. At the main rally site, he has seen more than 100 cyclists passing through every day.

"It's a rare chance for cyclists to get on these bridges freely and safely,'' said Panita. She and her friend took a bunch of cyclists on a city tour last week, right after the closure, heading to Rama VIII bridge. "If it weren't for the Bangkok Shutdown, we couldn't have enjoyed the chance to get on that so easily.''

While cyclists were enjoying the light traffic, Paniti and her 10-year-old daughter were thrilled by the privilege of being able to stand at the middle of once bustling Asoke intersection, without being knocked over by cars.

Paniti was now exploring the canalside path to get to her daughter's school without having to drive at all. She plans to continue using the route even when the traffic situation returned to normal.

If the idea of being less dependent on private cars lingers even after the political crisis is over, Bangkok will become a much friendlier city for cyclists and pedestrians.

Photo by Sirinya Wattanasukchai

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