The world's worst traffic jam, Japanese style to challenge

The intersection of Asoke, central Bangkok. Passenger cars and motorcycles wait for the signal to change now or later = July 12, Bangkok, Ryota Somedaya

[PR]

Traffic congestion in Bangkok, Thailand, which is said to be the worst in the world. With so much seriousness, the Thai government has embarked on a long-lasting signal system reform that relied on police manual work. The technology chosen was the technology used in Japan. (Bangkok = Ryuta Somedaya)

“Today we are in traffic for 3-4 hours. I'm regretful that sales will run away while waiting.” Wella Seiko (60), who has been a taxi driver for 7 years in the center of Bangkok, stared at the tail lamps in front of him. The morning and evening traffic is getting worse. Especially on Friday evenings, it usually takes about an hour or more to arrive in about 15 minutes.

According to the Dutch traffic information service company TomTom, Bangkok is the world's 8th worst traffic city on average. It is the worst in the world in the evening peak hours. U.S. dispatcher Uber announced in 2017 that the number of people in Bangkok is on average 72 minutes a day. It is estimated that 2 to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) of about 50 trillion yen is caused by traffic jams.

According to the Thai government, 1.6 million vehicles, including motorcycles, can be held in Bangkok's transportation network. In fact, over 5 million passenger cars are registered, increasing by 600 daily. There are many narrow one-way streets outside the main road, and cars tend to be stuck.

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