Bangkok lowers speed limit to 60 km/h in bid to reduce road accidents
The Royal Gazette published an announcement today, December 24, regarding a new regulation on speed limits within Bangkok, which reduces the speed of vehicles on all roads in the city to 60 kilometres per hour (kp/h), except on 13 specific roads.
The Royal Gazette released details on its official website today regarding the new speed limit and noise prohibitions in Bangkok. This new speed limit is part of a campaign to reduce road accidents, organised by the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
The most significant change introduced in this announcement is the reduction of the speed limit on all roads in Bangkok from 80 kp/h to 60 kp/h. This limit is now in effect on all roads, except for the following 13 roads:
- Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road
- Bangna Trat Road
- Srinakarin Road
- Phahonyothin Road
- Ram Intra Road
- Ratchaphruek Road
- Boromratchonnanee Road
- Kanlapaphruek Road
- Romklao Road
- Suwinthawong Road
- Chaeng Watthana Road
- Rama III Road
- New Srinakarin Road-Romklao
Furthermore, the announcement also urges motorists to reduce their speed to 50 kp/h when driving on roads around the royal area including:
- Ratchadamnoen Road
- Na Phra That Road
- Phrachan Road
- Na Phra Lan Road
- Sanam Chai Road
- Kalayana Maitri Road
- Tai Wang Road
- Maharat Road
- Rachini Road
- Setthakan Road
In addition to the speed limit, motorists are also prohibited from honking or creating any loud noise on the roads around said royal areas.
Under Section 67 of the Land Transport Act, motorists who fail to comply with the speed limit on each road will be required to pay a fine of between 200 and 1,000 baht, depending on the discretion of the traffic officials.
The new speed limit sparked some controversy among Thai motorists, who were accustomed to the previous limit of 80 kp/h on all roads. The Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Thawat Wongsa-nga, addressed the public later today to clarify the reasons for the change.
Thawat emphasised that driving above the speed limit is the leading cause of accidents in Bangkok, followed by drunk driving and reckless lane changes.
Thawat further explained that Bangkok is one of only 14 cities in the world that has not yet implemented a speed limit below 60 km/hr within the city centre, unlike other cities around the world. The change aims to enhance road safety and reduce the number of accidents.
Thawat also stated that technologies, such as cameras, will be used to monitor the speed of vehicles on the roads.
