New year traffic chaos hits Ayutthaya roads
Traffic congestion gripped the routes through Ayutthaya as people embarked on their new year holiday journeys. Traffic reports yesterday evening, December 27 highlighted heavy vehicle accumulation at Bang Pa-in Interchange, with cars from Phahonyothin Road, Highway 9, and the motorway filling all lanes. Many city dwellers were eager to leave Bangkok and surrounding provinces, heading towards the northern and northeastern regions.
On the outbound Asian Highway, particularly at kilometre 23 before the railway overpass in Ayutthaya, traffic slowed significantly. Vehicles converged from parallel lanes to ascend the bridge, and upon descending, diverted left to enter a petrol station, causing intermittent slowdowns and congestion.
Phahonyothin Road, traversing Wang Noi district towards the northeast, experienced a similar situation. Traffic was heavy and slow, especially at the diversions leading in and out of parallel lanes and petrol stations between kilometres 54 and 74.
Highway police were compelled to open a special lane starting at kilometre 66 in Wang Noi, Ayutthaya, extending to kilometre 84 in Nong Khae, Saraburi, to alleviate the outbound traffic surge. The anticipation was that vehicle numbers would increase throughout the evening, coinciding with the last working day of the new year holiday period, as individuals hurried to spend the long break with family, reported KhaoSod.
“The influx of vehicles trying to exit the city is substantial,” noted a local traffic officer. “We’ve had to adjust traffic flow to manage the volume efficiently.”
In related news, a viral video on Thai social media led to the temporary removal of a traffic officer from the Rattanathibet Police Station in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, for allegedly collecting traffic fines personally. The Facebook news page Social Hunter 2022 shared the video on December 22 which shows a traffic officer from Rattanathibet Police Station collecting an unofficial fine from a motorcycle rider and his wife inside a police booth.
In other news, the Department of Highways successfully cleared over 70% of the debris from a collapsed bridge in Samut Sakhon, ensuring safety remains a priority.
