Bangkok police given the authority to take action against overloaded trucks
Officers of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) can now enforce the law against trucks whose weight exceed the legal limit.
The new regulation has been approved by Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who signed in the amendment to the ministerial order on officials responsible for local highways, ministry spokesperson Trisulee Trisaranakul said on Thursday.
Trisulee said that prior to the amendment, the role of enforcing laws under the 1992 Highway Act, which included stipulations on overloaded trucks, was enforceable only by local highway officials. In the case of the Bangkok metropolitan area, the responsibility was that of officers of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
With the new amendment, MPB officials can also take action, thus increasing the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of law enforcement, she added.
The new regulation aims to solve problems related to overloaded trucks in Bangkok, which often caused damage to roads and jeopardised public safety.
In a widely publicised incident on November 8 last year, concrete slabs placed across the road at the entrance to Sukhumvit Soi 64/1 in Phra Khanong collapsed under the weight of the truck, which was transporting dirt from a construction site.
Two motorbike riders crashed during the incident and needed hospital treatment for their injuries. The incident also caused heavy traffic congestion on the already busy Sukhumvit Road.
Investigation into the incident has come under the public spotlight, as several parties are questioning the responsibility of officials in checking the truck weight limits, as well as possible involvement in bribery scandal of highway officials.
