Transport

Proposal being prepared to raise the speed limit on Thai motorways up to 120 kph

Published

2 years ago

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Proposal being prepared to raise the speed limit on Thai motorways up to 120 kph | Thaiger

Saksayam Chidchob, Thailand’s new transport minister, wants to raise the speed limit on main roads in Thailand to 120 kilometres per hour

The proposal, just an idea at the moment, would mean four lane motorways and expressways would have an upper speed limit of 120 kilometres an hour, according to an article in Manager Online.

Saksayam says he believes the proposal will improve traffic flow. Most accidents, he claimed, were on two lane roads and due to bad driving. Some portions of roads like the Chonburi Motorway already have a 120 kmph limit but this would apply to all sections motorways and expressways with four lanes.

The police would be consulted by the transport ministry on how best role out the changes.

At yesterday’s first major meeting of transport ministry officials the minister also said he wanted roadworks on Rama 2 Road as well as other extended construction projects finished quickly, wants to see action on PM 2.5 emissions from trucks and public transport vehicles, and proposed a ban on all 10 wheel up trucks in Bangkok and Phutthamonthon except between midnight to 4 am.

A reduction in expressway, motorway and tollway fees is also being proposed to ease the economic burden on the public. But he speculated that this may only be 5-10 baht per trip as subsidising even lower tolls would impose a large economic burden on the Government.

The minister has also promised that the issue of legalising Grab Taxi and share-riding apps, will be resolved within three months.

Ironically, the new transport minister’s family run a Moto GP track in the north east province of Buriram.

SOURCE: Manager Online | ThaiVisa

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Coronavirus (Covid-19)

Famous Thai gamer dies from Covid after waiting 5 days for test

Published

9 hours ago

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Ann Carter

Famous Thai gamer dies from Covid after waiting 5 days for test | Thaiger

A famous Thai gamer is the latest to die of Covid-19 after waiting for 5 days to receive a test, sparking even more concerns over Thailand’s medical sector’s ability to handle the increase in infections. Kunlasub Wattnaphon, known as Up the gamer, detailed his experience as a Covid patient in Thailand on his personal Facebook page, causing his case to go viral. Up is a famous gamer in Thailand known for his large role in Thailand’s E-sport industry. On April 17, he posted that he had been waiting for 5 days for a Covid test.

“I have been in self quarantine for 5 days, there is no quota open for Covid-19 tests in my area. No one is answering the emergency line. It has been so long I will recover soon.”

On April 21, Up went live on his Facebook page telling about his ordeal. He says he started developing symptoms on April 14 but could not contact anyone in order to get tested. He was coughing and afraid to leave his house. He said it was hard just to walk to his bathroom.

Then, he posted another update saying a doctor told him he was in bad condition. The doctor said him being overweight was not helping. The doctor told him his oxygen was over 80, and only 20% of his lungs were left. The update was apparently when he was finally admitted to the ICU, and was posted by a fellow patient.

2 days later, the same fellow patient posted that Up had succumbed to the virus.

“At 11:26 Up has left this earth. This post is to find a past friend of Up’s, the friend lives in Lampang Province. Up wanted to make sure I found the friend. The funeral will take place at 2pm at Ladprao Temple. Up said once that if he was to die, he hopes everyone will join his funeral. He wants to know if anyone would be sad. But because of the current circumstances, let us all say goodbye to him through the screen. I wish everyone safety.”

Up is just the most recent case of someone dying from Covid after the medical sector failed to treat him in time. Just Just yesterday, news came of an 85 year old in Bangkok, who also died while waiting to be admitted for Covid-19 treatment. The woman was sent home to wait as there weren’t enough hospital beds to admit her. She was among 6 elderly family members living in a shop house in the Bang Kholaem district who were infected. 2 other family members were sent home with her, with 3 being admitted to the hospital.

SOURCE: Thai Residents

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Coronavirus (Covid-19)

Thai PM under pressure to go “full lockdown” as infections surge

Published

12 hours ago

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Tim Newton

Thai PM under pressure to go “full lockdown” as infections surge | Thaiger

With many more businesses being told to pull down their shutters in Bangkok from midnight tonight, there are now calls to just go the next step and impose a full lockdown as the infection numbers keep mounting up. With the additional 31 types of business closed, on top of the current restrictions in Bangkok, the BMA has all but imposed the “L” word without actually saying it.

In Bangkok, alone, yesterday there were 1,582 Covid infections reported by the CCSA.

In the days before Songkran PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, asked if they should restrict Songkran travel because of the rising case numbers (in the 10s at that stage, not 1000s), he replied…

“Whatever will be, will be. The reason is, it’s a matter that involves a huge number of people. The government will have to try to cope with that later.”

Meanwhile, on April 16, Deputy PM Wissanu Kreangam dismissed the possibility of curfews in red zone provinces, claiming “it is not needed”. Wissanu maintains that the colour-coded zones are “efficient at this stage”.

Now the government’s desire for Songkran to go ahead, and the consequences of those decisions, are coming back to bite them.

The PM’s “later” is now.

Even last Friday night PM Prayut said on TV that the government had no plans to lock down the country despite the daily case reports over 2,000 for the past 3 days and nearly 3,000 yesterday.

Medical professionals, from a range of fields, are now calling on the Thai government to go into full lockdown to control the spread of the virus. As it is, with the country broken into red and orange zones, there are enforced closing times at many businesses and Bangkok has an additional regime of closure starting from midnight tonight. You can read about that HERE.

So, many argue, we already have a partial lockdown already and the government should just take the additional step, and enforce it.

PM Prayut responded to the calls on his Facebook page yesterday saying that he gave provincial governors the power to add local curfews if they deemed it necessary.

“Provincial governors have the authority to tighten disease control measures and close premises in addition to any closures ordered by the government. If the pandemic worsens, the 14 day quarantine period for asymptomatic patients treated at hospitals may be reduced to 10 days so they can be self-quarantined at home with a tracking system.”

Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha, speaking to the Bangkok Post, said that the latest wave of infections “has reached a critical point as there are not enough medical personnel to take care of. In light of this, the ministry has asked the prime minister to tighten measures to curb the transmissions”.

Thailand yesterday recorded a total of 2,839 new infections, another record 24 hour reporting period. Sunday’s total is 2,438 infections.

At the peak of the first wave in April 2020 Thailand recorded 188 cases in one day. In the second wave, concentrated around migrant workers in Samut Sakhon in December and January, the largest daily tally was 959 people.

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Coronavirus (Covid-19)

More closures in Bangkok, starts tomorrow

Published

13 hours ago

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Tim Newton

More closures in Bangkok, starts tomorrow | Thaiger

It’s not a formal lockdown, but it may as well be, with newly announced closures from the BMA.

From tomorrow, Monday, a lot more services, public spaces and businesses around Bangkok will be closed. Additionally events will be limited to just 20 people, down from the former limitation of 50 people. Face mask-wearing will be enforced with a fine of 20,000 baht, a situation that is now in force in 42 other provinces around the country (more have been added since yesterday’s article).

But there is no curfew, although shopping centres must now close at 8pm, supermarkets at 9pm and convenience stores will have to close at 10pm until 4am. More about the early closing of those services in red zone provinces HERE.

Here is a list of the businesses, public spaces and service that will have to close from midnight tonight…

• Cinemas

• Water parks, amusement theme parks, inside and outside shopping malls

• Zoos

• Rollerblading and skateboard parks

• Snooker and billiards parlours

• Bowling alleys and video game shops

• Internet cafes

• Public swimming pools

• Exercise facilities and fitness centres

• Exhibition venue, Exhibition center, Convention center

• Museums