A recent survey has identified five intersections in Bangkok which suffer from the worst traffic congestion during the morning and evening rush hours.
Dataxet, a media intelligence company and news agency, conducted a survey on social media about traffic jams at intersections from Nov 1-30.
The company used DXT360 Essential, a dashboard that offers media monitoring across TV, radio, print, websites and social media, to analyse the data on Bangkok’s traffic and intersections.
The Asok-Phetchaburi intersection was the most congested. It is a junction where major roads — Phetchaburi Road, Asok-Montri Road and Asok-Din Daeng Road — cross each other, with multiple traffic lights along these roads, where traffic builds up to a standstill.
The intersection drew the highest number of complaints made by social media users (41.5%), according to the survey.
The Lat Phrao intersection, which is near a large shopping mall, is heavily congested all day, with the second highest number of complaints (18%), it said.
A total of 17.8% of netizens also complained about the Rama IX intersection while 15.9% were unhappy with the Sathon-Surasak intersection as both are near business districts with many office buildings and schools.
The Pratunam intersection, also located near several shopping malls, is the fifth most congested, drawing complaints from 6.1% of netizens in the survey.
The Traffic Police Division under the Metropolitan Police Bureau is in charge of traffic management in Bangkok.
Police stations in each district of the capital also work with agencies such as the Land Transport Department and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s traffic and transportation department to boost efficiency in handling traffic flow.
Dataxet says social media platforms, such as Facebook and X, serve as channels to provide real-time traffic data to help drivers navigate away from traffic jams.
Social media accounts run by state agencies and companies that provide regular traffic updates also prove useful, the company said. They include FM91 Trafficpro, the Traffic Control and Command Centre and hotline 1197, and JS100 Radio.
The company has also offered some solutions to ease traffic congestion in Bangkok.
One involves installing an intelligent transport system and integrating various kinds of technologies such as closed-circuit television networks and traffic sensors to better manage traffic lights.
Another solution is to apply travel demand management strategies such as congestion charges in some areas in the city centre.