SAD to say, but the quality life in Bangkok is now at an all-time low. Under the crush of so many people, and without proper planning, zoning and control, the city creaks and groans. The congestion gets worse. Bangkok’s expressways are massively inadequate for the number of vehicles plying them, many sidewalks are now so jammed with vendors that it’s easier for pedestrians to compete with cars and buses on the roads, unrestricted parking on side streets often makes it difficult for other vehicles to pass, the BTS and MRT are packed for much of the day and night, and queues are everywhere. Then there’s the fast-rising cost of everything from food and accommodation to travel and all kinds of daily necessities, the more frequent blackouts, the slower Internet, the noise and pollution of day and night construction, and the rudeness and impatience of people as frustration amplified by the heat sets in. Some may blame the political stand-off and the ineffectiveness of a ‘caretaker’ government for Bangkok’s ills. But the BMA officials remain above politics and show little inclination to ease the city’s woes. Neither do the police who nonetheless continue to harass motorcyclists and tourists suspected (mostly incorrectly) of wrongdoings.
Where’s the authority? Where are the plans to improve things? Where are the parks and the skywalks promised by the Governor? What’s happening to our once much-loved Bangkok?
Where’s the authority? Where are the plans to improve things? Where are the parks and the skywalks promised by the Governor? What’s happening to our once much-loved Bangkok?
