The recent death of a pedestrian in Bangkok who was knocked down on a zebra crossing illustrates this country's severe lack of road safety.
The pedestrian, an 83-year-old woman, was crossing the street at Sri Yan intersection in Dusit district on April 23 when a bus crashed into her. Medical reports said she suffered internal injuries and two broken legs.
The incident rekindled sad memories of a young woman doctor who was fatally hit by a reckless motorcyclist on a zebra crossing in downtown Bangkok on Jan 21 of last year.
Public anger about her tragic death prompted the authorities to promise a revamp of traffic regulations and stronger enforcement to prevent such an incident from recurring.
Yet, the problem stubbornly remains. Two months later, another city woman was killed when a bus hit her on a pedestrian crossing in Phra Nakhon district.
In response to the April 23 crash, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the city needs a so-called "risk map" so authorities can single out what makes certain spots unsafe and tackle them accordingly, especially in areas with blind spots.
A former transport minister, Mr Chadchart appeared to be well aware of the flaws that make it difficult to improve road safety measures.
In his gubernatorial campaign, he recognised the need to install more light systems as well as flashing lights and CCTV cameras at zebra crossings to alert drivers.
Shortly after winning the May 22 election, Mr Chadchart led a road safety campaign, urging drivers to respect the traffic laws.
The campaign encouraged drivers to slow down, stop when necessary and not overtake other vehicles, especially at zebra crossings.
The governor noted the city administration had already added 1,000 white zebra crossings, and another 500 red zebra crossings as of last year. There will be a further 700 this year. He also mentioned the need to enlarge the size of crossings, as is the case in Japan, so drivers can see them more clearly.
The governor said he would instruct city traffic authorities to designate speed limit areas. While the governor is spot on, traffic law violations are not unusual in Bangkok.
Take, for example, the problem of motorcyclists riding the wrong way down the road and on pavements. Negligence on the part of traffic authorities adds to the problem.
While traffic law enforcement is the duty of the police, the city administration can do better by organising street traffic with a view to improving public safety. If the problem persists, the governor and his administration should consider installing speed bumps, for instance, to force drivers to slow down. This solution is applied in several world capitals.
The authorities should no longer drag their feet. The elderly people form a large portion of Bangkok's population as Thailand has become an aged society. Most of them cannot climb up steep flyover stairs.
Better road safety can help facilitate the mobility of this group, which is essential for a healthy lifestyle.
Besides, as Bangkok projects itself as a world tourist destination, it needs to improve its road safety, given that most foreign tourists, especially those from developed countries, are not accustomed to pedestrian flyovers. After all, there can be no compromise when it comes to public safety.
