Whale of a problem on city pavements
Once in a blue moon, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) surprises me with a campaign that actually shows encouraging results. No, I am not talking about its constant failure to improve the city’s garbage management, nor its failure to improve wastewater treatment, which up to this point, still covers only half of the city. This time, I am talking about City Hall’s campaign to crack down on motorcyclists who treat the city’s footpaths as their personal shortcuts and/or parking spaces.
On Tuesday, the BMA released the official number of “pavement intrusion” cases, after 16 months of its campaign. The figures show the number of violators is on the decline. For example, the number of motorcyclists arrested and fined for riding on the pavement stood at 1,978 in September last year. In September this year, the number had fallen to 1,241 — a 37% reduction.
Since July 9 last year, BMA officials have arrested 24,337 motorcyclists for pavement riding and collected about 17 million baht in fines. The impressive figures show that if City Hall really gets serious about executing this campaign, its efforts will bear fruit. The crackdown was initiated following numerous complaints of pedestrians being hit by motorcyclists riding on pavements.
In July last year, the BMA raised the fine for the offence from 500 baht to 1,000 baht. However, the stick turned out to be too small to scare selfish bikers off the pavements. As a result, in August this year the BMA doubled the penalty to 2,000 baht.
Of course, there will always be some motorcyclists who defy the law. For example, from Oct 1-13, Bangkok municipal officers, or thetsakit, arrested 614 people for riding on pavements. That said, the figure shows promise — considering that in the same period last year, the number of riders arrested for the offence stood at 941, or 65% higher.
The BMA has urged its officers to remain vigilant. The next challenge for the city’s administration is the hundreds of motorcycle taxi stands across Bangkok’s 50 districts, which still use the city’s pavements as parking spaces. This problem is caused by the city’s double standards on the matter — allowing some riders to use the pavements, while prohibiting others. According to the BMA’s figures, there are 500 motorcycle taxi stands which still occupy city pavements. At first, the stands were set on the roads, but they were later told by the police to move them onto the pavements to avoid taking up road space. Without a firm, singular stance on the matter, other riders will simply follow suit.
The BMA needs to deal with these motorcycle taxi stands. Yet the challenge is that City Hall cannot just use the law to move them off footpaths. Without finding alternative spaces for these stands, sooner or later they will simply return. Furthermore, motorcycle taxis have become a necessary mode of transport that help increase the mobility of the city’s residents. As such, they need to stay close to their customers, who are also pedestrians. The BMA needs to take that into account before they move them off the pavements.
Actually, the city has already proposed a constructive idea to solve the problem. A few months ago, deputy Bangkok governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul said the BMA will ask owners and operators of commercial areas, including the BTS and other retail buildings, to provide spaces for motorcycle taxis. I am looking forward to seeing the fate of this initiative. A tech-based solution could also be a part of the answer. For instance, the BMA could install a “smart” system that drivers could use to gauge demand at their particular stand. With such solutions in place, there would be less need for motorcycle taxi drivers to take up pedestrian space, as they could simply wait elsewhere.
Nevertheless, traffic violations by motorcyclists are just the start when it comes to the problems plaguing our capital’s footpaths. There is a whale of a problem that remains unaddressed, making it fair to say that walking on Bangkok’s pavements can be a risky thing to do. Although the danger of getting hit by a motorcycle may have reduced following the BMA’s campaign, pedestrians still face the risk of stumbling over (if not falling into) potholes, spraining their ankles on uneven pavements, or getting mugged by thieves — since even in central business areas like Sathon Road, the streets are poorly lit. All in all, Bangkok still lacks sufficient dedicated spaces for pedestrians, which contributes to the city’s shortcomings in terms of walkability.
The BMA also needs to admit that many of the problems plaguing Bangkok’s footpaths are its own doing. Ill-placed public utilities, streets which are devoid of shade from trees, and a lack of street lighting which contributes to crimes and accidents are only some of the complaints made by Bangkokians. The BMA should have fixed these problems ages ago, but it’s never too late to start.
‘‘ Motorcyclists are just the start when it comes to problems plaguing footpaths.