Govt urged to build sky lanes for bikes and foster cycling culture to tackle traffic, pollution
The government must encourage the use of bicycles by building more sky lanes for bikes, the chief of the engineers council has suggested.
Professor Suchatvee Suwansawat, president of the Council of Engineers Thailand, said that currently traveling on a bicycle in Bangkok was full of pitfalls, citing the lack of safe biking paths, exposing riders to the high risk of being hit by cars or motorcycles. He said there had been cases of foreign tourists choosing to travel by bicycle and losing their lives in road accidents. He also cited poor convenience for bikers due to city planning problems in Bangkok, as well as cyclists being exposed to high pollution such as PM2.5 dust particles and other toxic gases from traffic congestion for a long time.
He suggested that the government review its plans and construct more sky lanes, which could be done by choosing safe and convenient areas near the Airport Link that connects East Bangkok and Suvarnabhumi Airport to Phya Thai, the centre of the capital; installation of bicycle lanes with lightweight steel structures to the Airport Link pole that is capable of supporting the weight of the electric train. These lanes could be used as a round-trip bike lane for a distance of more than 20 kilometres with ramps at various bike stops from Lat Krabang Station, Thap Chang, Rama 9, Hua Mak, Khlong Tan, Ramkhamhaeng, Phetchaburi, Makkasan, Ratchaprarop, and Phya Thai.
He urged the government to promote travel on bicycles with additional measures to create facilities to support a cycling culture, such as bicycle lock zones in official places or increasing parks for bike exercise.
He said these measures would not only decrease air pollution, but the exercise would also promote good health. Citizens in many cities around the world such as Boston, London, Paris, Beijing, Singapore and Copenhagen are using “bicycles” for travelling in their everyday life.
