PM Prayut wants Bangkok traffic relief in 3 months

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha rides a BTS train during an inspection of Bangkok traffic conditions on Wednesday. (Photo by Om Jotikasthira)

Inspecting Bangkok's traffic conditions on Wednesday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered officials to alleviate congestion in Bangkok and its outskirts within three months with the help of technology, water transport and new bus routes.

He started his inspection by visiting the Traffic Police Division, where he told officials to consult universities about using technology to replace humans in traffic control.

The prime minister suggested establishing new bus routes to feed commuters to railway stations. He said some commuter railways were not connected with a feeder system to draw commuters from roads to trains.

Gen Prayut also encouraged the Transport Ministry and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to increase the number of commuter boat routes. He then invited the private sector to propose to the government their projects to build parking lots in strategic locations to encourage people to use mass transit systems.

The prime minister thanked traffic police for facilitating his journeys by closing roads for his motorcade, but said they didn't always have to do so if it would cause inconvenience. He said he was ready to get stuck in traffic jams like ordinary commuters.

During his traffic inspection trip on Wednesday, Gen Prayut travelled on the BTS electric train system and took a short passenger boat ride in the Thon Buri area.