BANGKOK, 4 September 2013 The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is prepared to organize activities under the Bangkok Car Free Day campaign on September 22 to promote commuting via public transport.
The Car Free Day events will be held under the theme “Share the Road” in a bid to encourage the use of public transport or bicycles instead of driving. The overall goal is to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. The planned activities include a cycling parade, historical tours through Rattanakosin Island, exhibitions and stage performances.
The BMA has also produced commemorative pins for the Bangkok Car Free Day 2013 which will be sold to the public at a price of 50 baht each. Anyone wearing the pin will be able to board the skytrain, the underground train, public buses and river ferries or rent public bikes for no additional costs on September 22, from 6 am till midnight.
The commemorative pins will be available for purchase at all 50 district offices across Bangkok. All proceeds will go to the Chaipattana Foundation.
The Car Free Day campaign was spurred on by the growing traffic congestion in Bangkok. According to the Department of Land Transport, the number of registered vehicles in the capital in the first half of the year is estimated at 8 million and the average speed at which vehicles can travel on the road has been decreasing since 2011.
