Police tackle major store traffic jams
Police and the military will attempt to regulate traffic flow at major department stores in the capital to ease road congestion in front of the stores.
The authorities, consisting of traffic police, military, and Department of Land Transport (DLT) staff, together with taxi operator representatives, will meet tomorrow to discuss ways to deal with traffic congestion around the stores, particularly in the summer season.
Summer traffic is expected to be heavier than at other times of the year in Bangkok partly due to the long school break, which started early this month and runs until May.
Also, more people tend to seek out department stores’ cool environments during the hot summer months. The major stores where traffic congestion is reported are mostly in downtown Bangkok, including those in the Siam and Pratunam areas.
Pol Maj Gen Niphon Charoenpon, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau who also oversees the work of traffic control, said traffic in front of many stores over the past few weekends has been particularly heavy. The congestion stemmed from insufficient parking space at the stores, he said.
Some stores use traffic cones to create lanes to make it easier for customers to drive to the stores. The stores’ security guards also stop other vehicles from using the lanes, which causes traffic bottlenecks, he added.
Pol Maj Gen Niphon said he had ordered the chiefs of 88 police stations to work with the stores in their jurisdictions to smooth traffic flow and remove anything obstructing the roads.
He had also ordered traffic authorities and volunteers to be deployed in front of stores during their busy times at weekends.
Meanwhile, Royal Thai Police Office spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said the stores should improve traffic flow inside their immediate area to prevent heavy congestion that can affect traffic on nearby roads. Traffic should be able to move in and out of stores without causing too many problems elsewhere.
Witoon Naewpanitch, head of the Bangkok taxi driver network, said the number of customers visiting the stores is expected to rise substantially during the summer and the majority of them use taxis.
He said some stores have too many taxi stands. The taxis must queue up to collect customers resulting in tailbacks. Fewer stands would help relieve such snarl-ups.
A taxi stand should be set up far enough from a bus stop to prevent too many people and vehicles from crowding in one place which leads to traffic jams, Mr Witoon said. The stores also must work with authorities to tackle the problem.