Just how bad is Bangkok traffic? Photos that went viral over the weekend show a bus driver and conductor leaving their vehicle to take a roadside smoke break amid paralyzed, rush-hour traffic.
Facebook user Titinan Janthankpol shared photos capturing the hellish traffic Friday evening on Lat Phrao Road, prompting groans and laughter from netizens.
“How bad is the traffic on Lat Phrao today? The driver got out of the bus and is now sitting on the road side, having a sweet smoke. It’s been an hour and we’ve barely made it beyond one kilometer.”
One netizen who was also stuck in the traffic commented that his bus conductor was able to make a trip to buy food … and get back into the vehicle before traffic started moving again.
Titinan told Coconuts that the bus only made it about 300 meters within an hour timespan, so after he took the picture, Titinan decided to proceed home on foot. He ended up walking about 4 kilometers, from Ratchada Intersection to Lat Phrao Soi 71.
“It was a hellish day,” he said.
While it’s fair to say that all parts in Bangkok suffer from some sort of traffic, Lat Phrao usually features right at the top of the list, as it is a major residential area.
The traffic on Lat Phrao has actually worsened in the past few months, ever since officials closed off one to two lanes for the construction of the Yellow Line train.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Jirapat Phumjit, deputy director of Metropolitan Police Bureau and the man responsible for handling Bangkok’s traffic, said yesterday that commuters will simply have to deal with it.
“[Commuters] will have to deal with it since there’s construction on the road. Motorists will have to help each other and avoid using [Lat Phrao] road if they can. Lat Phrao has a lot of traffic, and people will have to allow extra time for their commute,” he told Voice TV.
A meeting between the police, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand, and the contractor will be held later today to discuss a solution to lessen Lat Phrao’s traffic, as the construction is expected to take three years to complete — for the train line to open in 2022.
