This post is a little different, but I wanted to give everyone a glimpse of what traffic is like in Bangkok. The pictures do not do it justice but I will explain some of the differences I have experienced, starting with this photo collage.
Figures 1-3: Mopeds are a very common and easy way to get around the crowded streets of Bangkok, especially early in the morning when everyone is off to work or the early evening when everyone is getting out of work and school. In figure 1, you can see a man in an orange vest waiting by the sidewalk for potential customers. Mopeds are one form of taxi you will see in Bangkok and the orange vests display drivers that are more "credible." Mopeds tend to end up at the front of traffic at red lights, due to their weaving in and out of traffic (Figure 2). It is not uncommon to see dogs or even children, often without helmets, riding on mopeds (Figure 3).
Figures 4-5: Tuk tuks are commonly seen on the streets, especially at night, with the drivers approaching people to find customers. They will often offer very high prices, but it can be easy to talk them quite a bit. Tuk tuks are more dangerous than taxis since the sides are open, the drivers are questionable, and the smell of exhaust is quite intense while riding them. Tuk tuks are often brightly colored with bright lights flashing, decorated seats, and sometimes music. They fit usually up to 4 people.
Figure 6: Taxis are okay. They are more expensive, but also more safe. The drivers have pictures and ID numbers posted in the car and it is common for people to take a picture of this and send to a friend if they are alone or feeling unsafe. Often during rush hour, the taxis will refuse to take you to more crowded parts of the city because they will lose out on business. There is also a bus system but I have personally never used this. The lack of ventilation creates a higher risk for spread of airborne diseases.
Figure 7: Many roads have no stop signs and no cross walks so as you can see in figure 6, the taxi is just slowly forcing itself into traffic, practically hitting the bus. This makes crossing streets very difficult.
Figure 8: Our van has a camera constantly recording from the front of the van, in case there is an accident. Although we have not experienced this, hit and runs are very common. There is also a mirror on the hood of the van, allowing our driver to get extremely close to other vehicles without hitting them.
Figure 9: We spend a lot of time in the van, sometimes traveling 40+ minutes depending on traffic.
In addition, there are some easier public transportation systems that are preferred by many. This includes the BTS which is a skytrain that is privately owned and is exactly what is sounds like (figure below - I did not take this picture). There is also the Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT), which is owned by the city and is basically a subway system. These each go to slightly different places so it may be necessary to take one instead of the other.
Bangkok.com
Thanks so much for reading and I hope you have learned something!
Sara
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