BMA’s traffic snarl blues

Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra made some solid points about traffic last week. It boiled down to facts that others have made for decades, but with some new ideas on what to do about them. The undeniable truth is that no matter what statistics one wields — the governor had an attentiongrabbing new one — there are more cars in Bangkok than can fit on its streets.

The most memorable statistic pulled out by the governor was this one: in Bangkok, there are more registered cars than people. One may argue that this is yet another case showing that statistics can be used to prove anything. After all, while there are 5.8 million people registered in Bangkok households, the actual population of metropolitan Bangkok is probably much closer to 15 million. In fact, it is not a trick. Bangkok has six million registered cars, and MR Sukhumbhand provided a dramatic illustration of that basic reality.

Even when many of those six million vehicles are not actually moving along city streets, even when the weather is cooperatively dry and clear, even when there are no nearby construction projects or traffic accidents — even then, there are too many cars on too few streets. Certainly every resident and visitor has time to ponder the governor’s stark words while sitting motionless in traffic.

Solutions to the traffic crisis have consumed planners and politicians for well over 50 years. Their ideas have almost always centred around construction. Bangkok grew as an unplanned metropolis. The total road surface is less than 10% of the city’s area, or about a third of cities in the west. There has been extensive investment in new roads, freeways and expressways, but cars still fill up the roads available.

In his talk last week at a forum on city traffic management, the governor buried what could have been a major part of his speech. That is, he and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) have no important avenue with which to discuss these problems. They have little say with central government planners, and the far-too-many agencies that make decisions on what to do about traffic in Bangkok. They have no decision-making powers on any of the important areas where problems can be solved.

To all intents and purposes, Bangkok is just another province under the central government’s control. While most major cities have mayors, MR Sukhumbhand’s title illustrates the problem. Like the chief officers in 75 other locations, MR Sukhumbhand is just a governor — albeit the governor of the capital, Bangkok, which is to the central government still a mere province. For sure, it has a special status and special perks, such as being able to elect its governor. But nevertheless, it’s just a province to the administrative offices of the central power.

That means the governor and his staff cannot plan or build roads or mass transportation systems; they cannot buy or route buses, cannot limit road use or vehicle sales. That last problem earned the governor headlines last week when he recommended limiting the sale of new vehicles to people able to prove they own or rent parking spaces.

Bangkok has long needed decentralisation regarding many matters. But few are as important as traffic planning.

Proper political reform must include the devolution of power to local bodies. Bangkok’s unique traffic problems will never be solved by central planners.

The total road surface in Bangkok is less than 10% of the city’s area, or about a third of cities in the West.