Govt blames increased wealth for traffic

In a nutshell, by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon: Too many people have too much money to buy cars for too few roads. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Thais earning more money is one of the key factors resulting in Bangkok being rated among the world's worst cities for traffic, says Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.

He said people who are more wealthy can afford to buy more cars.

Gen Prawit, who chairs the government committee to solve traffic problems, said another key factor is that the availability of roads has been reduced due to construction of the mass-transit system, resulting in traffic problems in Bangkok.

The deputy premier promised new traffic regulations, which will be enforced to solve the problems.

On Monday, the INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard rated Bangkok the 12th most congested of all cities, considerably worse than in 2015 when it placed 30th.

It said Thailand was the "most congested" country in the world.

Bangkok drivers spent an average 64.1 hours a year in traffic jams, it said.

This was just above Caracas and Mexico City, both known for horrendous traffic.