Put common good before mass car ownership

I can fully understand the joy of families benefiting from the first-car scheme, but at the same time, road congestion must be managed to benefit the public at large - something even Thaksin found insurmountable, despite his long-ago promise to solve Bangkok's traffic problems in six months if elected. Consider, for example, that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reports that Bangkok's roads can accommodate only 1.6 million vehicles - but the city has 7 million registered vehicles, over fourfold its capacity.

Thus, I propose:

All mass transit lines within a given area be coordinated with one another and run seamlessly as if they were one organisation. Yes, this will require giving up territorial fiefs, etc, but Pheu Thai enjoys a public mandate to a rare and overwhelming degree, so it should muster the political will to work for the public good.

As in Rome, a given car must have an assigned parking space at its place of registry (within

the owner's home): one car per parking space, only at its place of registry.

As in Singapore, all cars entering congested areas will be charged for entry unless they have at least three persons therein at all times or are registered to a parking space within the congested zone, with revenues going to improve mass transit lines.

As in Manhattan, parking spaces will be costly. Tickets for parking violations will be enthusiastically given out, including towing at the drop of a hat, with hefty fines being shared between the traffic authorities to improve mass transit and the towing companies.

Heavily discounted mass transit fares will be readily available for the disadvantaged, students in uniform, monks, etc.

Spread car ownership to the masses, certainly, but, as in other matters, the common good must come first.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok

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