Traffic chaos on the first day of school: Bangkok fights for safety!

Traffic chaos on the first day of school: Bangkok fights for safety!

It's late morning in Bangkok, and the back-to-school crowd brings both excitement and worry. The first day of school is here and the traffic situation on Sam Sen Street is tough. JS 100 reported that Mayor Chatchart Sitthiphan and Deputy Mayor Visanu Tapsomboon visited Sanhi Junction to assess the situation. Above all, the heavy traffic situation on the Krung Thon Bridge, better known as the Sanhi Bridge, is a major problem. Here many parents deviate from the White Road and prefer to turn right.

The concerns about safety at zebra crossings, especially near the Sanhi crossing, are not unfounded. Traffic is fast and heavy, posing a real danger to pedestrians. To improve the security situation, the police have deployed traffic guards to keep an eye on traffic flow. Adjustments to the existing barriers and construction panels are also planned to improve visibility when crossing the street. The traffic lights are in urgent need of an update, even though the police are already actively monitoring them.

Transportation solutions for parents

To support parents who want to take their children to school, shuttle buses have been set up that leave every 20 minutes. This service could prove particularly helpful in reducing pressure on roads and increasing safety.

It looks like there are also some construction sites in and around Sam Sen Street that need attention. On October 26, 2025, work to clear the rubble of the Sam Sen police station will get rolling again. Soil investigations and improvements are also carried out. According to director Suriyachai Rawiwan, there are no new cracks on neighboring buildings so far. In addition, underground tunnels will be repaired and a D-wall will be used to stabilize the ground. A comprehensive safety check will be carried out before the road is opened to traffic.

Road safety in focus

But it's not just Sam Sen Street that has been identified as a problem area. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has set ambitious goals to improve road safety across the city. The farang reports that a speed limit of 50 km/h has been requested on 40 selected roads. The aim is clear: the number of traffic accidents should be significantly reduced.

By using technical know-how and implementing regional speed limits, the BMA hopes to make road traffic safer. In addition, stricter action should be taken against drunk drivers and unsafe roads should be repaired. In collaboration with Chulalongkorn University, the BMA conducted an analysis of the safety standard of the roads. The results show that the current speed limit of 80 km/h is dangerous for many road users.

In addition to speed reductions, the planned implementation also includes the installation of warning signs and the installation of speed cameras to control speed. These measures are intended to significantly improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers in Bangkok.

In turbulent times like these, when students are attending school and parents are carrying out their daily responsibilities, it is important that the city of Bangkok creates safe traffic conditions. The coming weeks and months will show how well the implemented measures actually work.