Bangkok police want cars older than 10 years off the streets 1


[The Nation] BANGKOK POLICE will propose that all vehicles older than 10 years be kept off Bangkok streets as part of a plan to improve traffic flow, unless they pay the same tax as new vehicles, a senior Metropolitan Police officer said yesterday.

Pol Maj Gen Adul Narongsak, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in charge of traffic, said city police would propose that the Transport Ministry set up regulations for such a prohibition.


Owners of such cars should be required to pay a yearly vehicle tax at the rate of a new car if they want to continue driving in Bangkok, Adul added.”It will be required that cars allowed to run in Bangkok should be no older than 10 years. All cars older than that will have to be used in the provinces,” he said.At present, cars of seven years and older are now subject to 50 per cent less tax than on new cars.No more details were provided.

Part of 16 traffic plans

The idea of banning older cars is part of 16 plans proposed by the Metropolitan Police to tackle the traffic problem in Bangkok next year.

Others include setting up a traffic court for the capital, modernising the ageing equipment at the traffic-control centre and reassigning the school hours and working hours of government agencies and businesses so there is not as much traffic during rush hour, Adul said.

He added that the proposals would call for an improvement in the efficiency of traffic police, acquisition of new technology and modern equipment to control traffic, and strict enforcement of traffic laws, particularly involving speeding and jumping red-light signals.

Traffic police would rely more on closed-circuit cameras to direct traffic and enforce the laws.

According to Adul, another measure to be implemented during rush hour from next month is the towing of cars that are parked in prohibited areas. Violators will |need to pay a Bt500 fine, Bt500 in towing fees and Bt200 per day for storage.


Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

One thought on “Bangkok police want cars older than 10 years off the streets