BANGKOK, Thailand – Pol. Gen. Adit Ngamchitsuksri, an advisor to the Governor of Bangkok, presided over a meeting aimed at addressing traffic bottlenecks and enforcing strict traffic discipline in designated areas for “100% Traffic Law Compliance.” The meeting, held at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) office in the Phra Nakhon District, was attended by senior officials from both BMA and the Traffic Police Division (Traffic Police Bureau – TPB), including Pol. Col. Damrongsak Sawangngam.
This meeting follows up on a December 17 last year, discussion between Pol. Gen. Kitrat Phanpetch, the National Police Chief, and Governor Chadchart Sittipunt of Bangkok. The earlier talks focused on solutions to various urban issues such as traffic congestion, drug-related activities, illegal vaping, begging by foreigners, and street vending violations. Regarding traffic, there is an emphasis on resolving bottlenecks, blocked routes, and illegal parking, including establishing pilot areas to enforce strict traffic rules, starting with the Ratchaprasong area, and extending to other areas including the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, Sukhumvit Road, and Yaowarat Road.
The meeting today marks the start of a collaborative effort between BMA and the Traffic Police Bureau, with a focus on the pilot initiative of “100% Traffic Law Compliance.” The program will be rolled out in Ratchaprasong first, followed by the aforementioned locations. Specific attention will be given to enforcing no-parking zones and tackling congestion caused by illegal parking, especially in areas affected by ongoing infrastructure projects like elevated train constructions, bridge closures, and roadwork.
According to reports from AI-based and overview cameras installed in the Ratchaprasong model area, a total of 39 cameras have been monitoring traffic violations since August 2024. These cameras have detected 74,133 violations, including 73,909 license plate captures. Among the most frequent offenses are illegal U-turns (60,481 violations), failure to wear helmets (8,355 incidents), and parking in no-parking zones (5,199 violations), with the highest number of infractions recorded on Ratchadamri Road near Big C, at 32,733 instances. Public transport vehicles, particularly tuk-tuks, have been noted for repeated violations.
The meeting emphasized the importance of enforcing traffic laws and the challenges involved, including budget constraints and the costs associated with issuing fines. BMA expressed support for the Traffic Police Bureau’s efforts to enhance its capacity for data collection, which will help create a shared database for more effective law enforcement. The collaboration also includes utilizing advanced technologies like AI cameras to detect violations.
Additionally, the issues and challenges discussed in the meeting will be presented at a follow-up session with the Director-General of the Department of Land Transport, set to take place on Friday. This meeting will seek to integrate all relevant agencies to improve the efficiency of law enforcement and ensure the effective implementation of traffic regulations across the city.
