The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTTPP) said the 81 spots were the most severely congested areas of the city and were adversely affecting other areas.

OTTPP deputy director Chalermsak Rabinwong said the office had asked King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology North Bangkok and Kasetsart University to study 82 problem areas and find solutions.

The study had taken 16 months and the first practical application of their findings was at Siriraj Hospital.

A deputy director of the hospital, Dr Teera Kolladaruangkrai, said the area had faced serious traffic congestion for years as the hospital grounds covered 70 rai, the staff numbered more than 10,000 and it catered to 30,000 out-patients a day, meaning more than 2,500 cars were entering and leaving daily.

Thonburi Associate Professor Thawatchai Laosirihongthong, who led the study, said Siriraj's problems were caused mainly by patients heading to the hospital in the rush hours, too many pedestrians and inadequate and uncoordinated traffic signs causing major vehicle obstruction. The solution involved rearranging traffic inside and outside the hospital by changing the entry and exit gates, moving bus stops to reduce traffic obstruction and providing taxi ranks. With the cooperation of Bangkok Noi police station and hospital officials, the problems were successfully dealt with and it cost just Bt1.3 million, Thawatchai said. He said the medium to long term solution for the area was to promote ferry transport for visitors to the hospital. Some roads will be closed and turned into walking streets and a pedestrian bridge will be built across the Chao Phya River to the hospital.

Chalermsak said similar solutions would be applied soon to the other 81 congested spots, most of which are in the Ratchadapisek area. 

Chatrarat Kaewmorakot

 The Nation