Friday, August 24, 2007
SAAT’S 2007 DeLEUW TRAVEL JOURNAL
I’m one of the 2007 winners of Charles E. DeLeuw Travel Award at the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U.S.A. The award was endowed to enable an outstanding civil engineering student to inspect urban public transportation systems in foreign countries.
This journal is dedicated to record my journey. Over the next month, I’ll be visiting several transit authorities and city planners in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Saturday June 23rd 2007 - Travel Day
In my attempt to adjust to the time changing to Asia, I have been sleeping during the day on Friday and been awake in the dawn hours of Saturday to catch the first flight out of Champaign to Dallas Ft. Worth in which I’d catch another flight to Tokyo.
At 4 a.m., I received a message from American Airlines asking me to call back to reschedule my itinerary. Apparently, there was a really bad weather in Dallas area the night before that delayed the last flight crews’ arrival to Champaign until midnight. The FAA regulation requires them to have at least an 8-hr rest. Consequently, my first flight to Champaign was delayed by two hours and I should miss my flight to Tokyo.
This unpleasant occurrence turned out to be a very unexpected, surprisingly great experience as the airline bumped me up to the first class for the 13-hr flight to Tokyo. Being a college student, flying in premium cabin for a long-distance international flight is totally beyond my means.
The moment I stepped up the plane, I was offered a drink and a hot towel, and yes, you have a name in the first class – “Mr. Saat, would you prefer Western or Japanese lunch. Which movies would you like to watch? Mr. Saat, you can certainly mix your desert (as I was having difficulties to choose which decadents to put on my sundae)”. The moment I woke up from my nap on a flat bed, I was asked if I needed anything to drink.
So here I am starting to write this journal on this 777. My next stop is a 2-night visit to Tokyo. This stopover on the way to Kuala Lumpur is not part of the DeLeuw travel. I decided to meet my high school classmate who works in Nagoya and have her bring me around downtown Tokyo. Until next time, I’m going to watch another movie, and have a deep dish Uno pizza for snack.
At 4 a.m., I received a message from American Airlines asking me to call back to reschedule my itinerary. Apparently, there was a really bad weather in Dallas area the night before that delayed the last flight crews’ arrival to Champaign until midnight. The FAA regulation requires them to have at least an 8-hr rest. Consequently, my first flight to Champaign was delayed by two hours and I should miss my flight to Tokyo.
This unpleasant occurrence turned out to be a very unexpected, surprisingly great experience as the airline bumped me up to the first class for the 13-hr flight to Tokyo. Being a college student, flying in premium cabin for a long-distance international flight is totally beyond my means.
The moment I stepped up the plane, I was offered a drink and a hot towel, and yes, you have a name in the first class – “Mr. Saat, would you prefer Western or Japanese lunch. Which movies would you like to watch? Mr. Saat, you can certainly mix your desert (as I was having difficulties to choose which decadents to put on my sundae)”. The moment I woke up from my nap on a flat bed, I was asked if I needed anything to drink.
So here I am starting to write this journal on this 777. My next stop is a 2-night visit to Tokyo. This stopover on the way to Kuala Lumpur is not part of the DeLeuw travel. I decided to meet my high school classmate who works in Nagoya and have her bring me around downtown Tokyo. Until next time, I’m going to watch another movie, and have a deep dish Uno pizza for snack.
Monday June 25th 2007 - Tokyo
On a train trip back from Kiruna to Stockholm about a week ago, I had a conversation with a railway magazine editor, and in answering my question, he mentioned Japan as one of a rare example in which privatization has been successful for public rail transportation. Today, I had an opportunity to get a first-hand experience on part of the systems.
I met up with my high school classmate at Hotel Nikko Narita where I stay. She was practically my tourist guide for the whole day. We took a shuttle bus from the hotel to go to a train station at Narita Airport. Then we took a metro train for about 90 minutes to our first stop, Asakusa.
Asakusa is the old capital, and consists of retrospective streets that bring you back to the time when Tokyo was once called Edo. You can find all kind of Japanese traditional souvenirs including the samurai swords and ninja collectible dolls. We went to a sushi-bar style restaurant called Magorobito. This place is well known for its freshest and tastiest sushi on the budget. We then walked to Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in the city that was built in 628. Other attractions there are Asakusajinja Shrine and the pagoda. Before leaving the town, we went to a restaurant called Owaria to have a Soba noodle with prawn tempura.
We then went to Akihabara, or Electric City. It is an area with the most advanced electric products. I spent about 30 minutes on an electronic massage chair for relaxing. Then we took a JR East line to Shinjuku, a place where a lot of young people hang out. We strolled down a street to a building called Opera City for a dinner at the 53rd floor of the building. We had a 7-course meal of tofu prepared in traditional Japanese style. Yes, different kind of it. Even the desert is tofu vanilla ice cream. If you are a food adventurer, this place is a must-go, Tofuya Restaurant.
I met up with my high school classmate at Hotel Nikko Narita where I stay. She was practically my tourist guide for the whole day. We took a shuttle bus from the hotel to go to a train station at Narita Airport. Then we took a metro train for about 90 minutes to our first stop, Asakusa.
Asakusa is the old capital, and consists of retrospective streets that bring you back to the time when Tokyo was once called Edo. You can find all kind of Japanese traditional souvenirs including the samurai swords and ninja collectible dolls. We went to a sushi-bar style restaurant called Magorobito. This place is well known for its freshest and tastiest sushi on the budget. We then walked to Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in the city that was built in 628. Other attractions there are Asakusajinja Shrine and the pagoda. Before leaving the town, we went to a restaurant called Owaria to have a Soba noodle with prawn tempura.
We then went to Akihabara, or Electric City. It is an area with the most advanced electric products. I spent about 30 minutes on an electronic massage chair for relaxing. Then we took a JR East line to Shinjuku, a place where a lot of young people hang out. We strolled down a street to a building called Opera City for a dinner at the 53rd floor of the building. We had a 7-course meal of tofu prepared in traditional Japanese style. Yes, different kind of it. Even the desert is tofu vanilla ice cream. If you are a food adventurer, this place is a must-go, Tofuya Restaurant.
Wednesday July 4th 2007 - Kuala Lumpur
My first official DeLeuw Travel visit was to Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The core business unit for KTM Berhad consists of the intercity passenger services, freight and suburban commuter services. Below is an extract from the company’s website to introduce the company:
“KTM Berhad was corporatised on August 1, 1992 under the Railways Act 1991. Although still wholly-owned by the government, KTM Berhad currently operates as a private sector organization, responsible for its own revenue and operations.
In 122 years of KTM Berhad history, it has undergone tremendous changes, from the first steam locomotive in 1885 to diesel engines in 1958. In 1995, KTM Berhad introduced KTM Komuter, Malaysia’s first electrified rail system.
With its service covering the length and breadth of the country, KTM Berhad runs its train on a meter gauge of 1,000mm, over a track length of 2,262 km.”
- http://www.ktmb.com.my
My visit was hosted by Mr. Mohd Hider Yusoff, Senior Manager of Komuter Services, and his assistant, Roshidi Yahaya, Executive of Business Development Commuter Services. Mr. Yusoff organized a roundtable discussion with personnel from Project Management and Risk Management departments, and I had an opportunity to give a short presentation on my research.
Mr. Ismail Said, Senior Project Engineer from Project Management Department, gave updates on on-going and future infrastructure projects. Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (a 10-year development master plan), Project Management Department manages all rail infrastructure projects for the Ministry of Transportation involving a total of RM5 billion (US$1.5 billion).
Major ongoing projects include Rawang to Ipoh electrified double-track project, a 179-km (111-miles) length. This project is scheduled to complete by the end of 2007.
Among major challenges faced by KTMB are vandalism, sabotage and theft. KTMB works closely with Malaysian Royal Police and their own police to overcome the problems. KTMB also works with the Ministry of Transportation to organize public relation campaigns to increase public safety awareness.
Under the same master plan, KTMB plans to do several flood mitigations and bridge maintenance projects.
Mr. Said also gave an overview of the overall electrified double track project for the whole Malaysia peninsular. The following slides summarize the project.
Mr. Perumal Shanmugam, Executive of Risk Management, gave an overview on KTMB corporate information. KTMB owns a total of 1,658 km (1,030 miles) meter-gauge route length. It has 58 electric multiple unit for public transit and 88 locomotives, 264 coaches and 3,707 wagons for intercity and freight trains. The commuter system runs 247 trains daily with about 100 thousand passengers per day. There are 24 intercity and 46 freight trains daily.
Mr. Shanmugam also introduced the Risk Management Unit which is currently manned by two personnel. The unit plays a supervising role in any risk management effort by all regional managers. Every department in KTMB has a risk correspondent that reports to the Risk Management Unit. Currently, the unit is in a planning phase to develop a loss-event accident database.
Mr. Yusoff and Mr. Yahaya then brought me to KL Sentral, the main transportation hub in Kuala Kumpur in which the KTM Komuter main office is located. After lunch, they brought me to Operation Management Center (OMC) where they have automatic dispatching and surveillance systems. Mr. Shuhaili, Fauzan and Jasmani explained how the whole system works. I also met Ms. Keiranjit Kaur at their customer service center to look at their customer communication system.
Thursday July 5th 2007 - Putrajaya
My next visit was to Perbadanan Putrajaya, a city authority of the new federal government administration centre of Malaysia. Putrajaya was selected as one of my DeLeuw travel destinations as it offers unique insights into transportation policy planning for a new planned city.
Perbadanan Putrajaya was established in 1995 for the purpose of developing, administering and managing Putrajaya on behalf of the Federal government, and is also entrusted with the functions of a local authority and local planning authority.
Putrajaya is located 25 km (16 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur and 20 km (12 miles) north from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It was design as a garden city where there are several parks and wetlands around the city center and the housing areas.
My visit to Putrajaya was hosted by Ir. Ab Rahim Md Junoh, Deputy Director of Transportation & Traffic Division in City Services Department. We spent a couple hours in his office discussing transportation master plan for Putrajaya. During planning, the city was designed so that the ratio between public transportation and private vehicle trips is 70:30. In 2002, the ratio is still well below the target, 20:80.
There are a well-maintained network of pedestrian walkways and cycleways.
Integrated public transportation system consisting of bus, taxi and express rail service connect Putrajaya with Kuala Lumpur and the nearby towns. The hub of the transportation system is located at Putrajaya Sentral.
Currently, the bus system is the main transit system in Putrajaya. They have 55 number of buses available, and in the near future, the total number will be increased to 135. I have a personal attachment with the bus system because before retired, my father worked as one of the bus drivers in Putrajaya.
There is about 19-km completed right-of-way and basic infrastructure for a monorail service. However, as the city has only reached about 20% of its population capacity, the project has not started.
Currently, they have completed and still building a number of park-and-ride facilities. With limited parking spaces in the city center, Perbadanan Putrajaya is working very hard to encourage people to use public transportation.
While driving around the city with Mr. Md Junoh, I found that they use a unique system to slow down private cars but not buses called speed cushion.
What impress me about Putrajaya is how beautiful and unique each of the buildings and infrastructures especially the bridges.
Perbadanan Putrajaya was established in 1995 for the purpose of developing, administering and managing Putrajaya on behalf of the Federal government, and is also entrusted with the functions of a local authority and local planning authority.
Putrajaya is located 25 km (16 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur and 20 km (12 miles) north from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It was design as a garden city where there are several parks and wetlands around the city center and the housing areas.
My visit to Putrajaya was hosted by Ir. Ab Rahim Md Junoh, Deputy Director of Transportation & Traffic Division in City Services Department. We spent a couple hours in his office discussing transportation master plan for Putrajaya. During planning, the city was designed so that the ratio between public transportation and private vehicle trips is 70:30. In 2002, the ratio is still well below the target, 20:80.
There are a well-maintained network of pedestrian walkways and cycleways.
Integrated public transportation system consisting of bus, taxi and express rail service connect Putrajaya with Kuala Lumpur and the nearby towns. The hub of the transportation system is located at Putrajaya Sentral.
Currently, the bus system is the main transit system in Putrajaya. They have 55 number of buses available, and in the near future, the total number will be increased to 135. I have a personal attachment with the bus system because before retired, my father worked as one of the bus drivers in Putrajaya.
There is about 19-km completed right-of-way and basic infrastructure for a monorail service. However, as the city has only reached about 20% of its population capacity, the project has not started.
Currently, they have completed and still building a number of park-and-ride facilities. With limited parking spaces in the city center, Perbadanan Putrajaya is working very hard to encourage people to use public transportation.
While driving around the city with Mr. Md Junoh, I found that they use a unique system to slow down private cars but not buses called speed cushion.
What impress me about Putrajaya is how beautiful and unique each of the buildings and infrastructures especially the bridges.
Monday July 9th 2007 - Singapore
I took an intercity train from KL Sentral to Singapore, departed at 8.30 am and arrived at 3.55 pm. Upon arrival, my friend brought me to his dorm in Nanyang Technological University (NTU) where I crashed for two nights.
Tuesday July 10th 2007 - Singapore
In the morning, I visited National University of Singapore (NUS) to meet with two PhD students, Huang Yikai and Khoo Hooi Ling. This visit was arranged by Prof. Lee Der Horng, Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at NUS.
I visited their Intelligent Transportation Systems lab and discussed the research the students were working on. Then they showed me around campus areas.
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In the afternoon, I visited Sentosa Island, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Singapore. I enjoyed visiting a World-War-II fort, an observatory tower and of course, the beach.
I visited their Intelligent Transportation Systems lab and discussed the research the students were working on. Then they showed me around campus areas.
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In the afternoon, I visited Sentosa Island, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Singapore. I enjoyed visiting a World-War-II fort, an observatory tower and of course, the beach.
Wednesday July 11th 2007 - Singapore
“Profits attributable to shareholders grew 30.9% to $135.4m when compared to $103.4m in FY2006. Economic Value Added (EVA) was $77.5m, 25.2% higher than FY2006”.
Would you expect this statements come from a transit operator’s annual report? In fact, SMRT Corporation Ltd (SMRT), Singapore’s multi-modal public transport service provider offering integrated transport services island-wide, is among a number of rare cases in the world in which a transit operator is actually making money.
My visit to SMRT was hosted by Mr. Tay Ko San, Senior Manager of Control Operations from Rail Operations Division. He brought me around to ride the MRT system and visit a number of MRT stations. Mr. Tay mentioned that similar to transit operator in Hong Kong, SMRT diversified heavily in real estate, developing shopping areas near major MRT stations. In 2007, SMRT refurbished commercial spaces at 10 stations, adding 141 shops to the network. In 2007, this line of business brought in $9 million of profit.
In 2007, SMRT rail had 435 million passenger trips; about 1,280 thousand total passengers weekly. In Singapore, private car ownership is very costly and they employed a controlled traffic flow system into the city such as the electronic road pricing system (ERP). Thus, public transportation is very important to the city state.
Would you expect this statements come from a transit operator’s annual report? In fact, SMRT Corporation Ltd (SMRT), Singapore’s multi-modal public transport service provider offering integrated transport services island-wide, is among a number of rare cases in the world in which a transit operator is actually making money.
My visit to SMRT was hosted by Mr. Tay Ko San, Senior Manager of Control Operations from Rail Operations Division. He brought me around to ride the MRT system and visit a number of MRT stations. Mr. Tay mentioned that similar to transit operator in Hong Kong, SMRT diversified heavily in real estate, developing shopping areas near major MRT stations. In 2007, SMRT refurbished commercial spaces at 10 stations, adding 141 shops to the network. In 2007, this line of business brought in $9 million of profit.
In 2007, SMRT rail had 435 million passenger trips; about 1,280 thousand total passengers weekly. In Singapore, private car ownership is very costly and they employed a controlled traffic flow system into the city such as the electronic road pricing system (ERP). Thus, public transportation is very important to the city state.
Monday July 16th 2007 - Bangkok
I took a low-cost airline, AirAsia, from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Low Cost Carriers Terminal (LCCT) to Bangkok, a two-hour flight. How low is the cost? The one-way trip only cost me $45. Upon arrival, I was a little disappointed to learn that the train system to the city is not completed yet. So I took a cab to a no-frill hotel, Ibis Siam. I didn’t do much on the first day, just stayed at the hotel and worked on my research.
Tuesday July 17th 2007 - Bangkok
I walked to Victory Monument to catch the SkyTrain to Mo Chit where Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) is headquartered. When I arrived there, I was greeted by Mr. Sutep (Lek) Punthupeng, Manager of Control Room Section in Train Operations Division. I was then brought to meet Mr. Sandy Yu, Head of Operations. Mr. Yu is originally from Hong Kong. When Bangkok wanted to have a rail transit system, they realized that they don’t have enough local expertise. So, foreigners like Mr. Yu were brought in to train the locals.
After casual conversation with Mr. Yu, Mr. Lek gave a short presentation to give an overview of the BTS system. He started by explaining the need for better public transportation system in Bangkok and then he discussed BTS’s existing system and future expansions.
Currently, there are about 11.5 million people live in Bangkok. By 2011, this figure is expected to increase to 14 million. There are 1.5 million car ownerships and this number is projected to increase to two to three millions. Besides the unrestricted growth in car ownership and property development, there is an explosive growth in birth rate and in-flux of immigrants to Bangkok. All these factors lead to excessive congestion, pollution and urban sprawl.
The BTS SkyTrain offers a promising alternative to alleviate the problems. It requires only 9 m (30 ft) wide corridor for elevated structure, and carries 60,000 people per hour per direction versus 245 m (804 ft) wide road by cars for the same capacity.
Currently, the BTS system only accounts for 5% of public transport market share. The total length of the system is 23.5 km (14.6 miles) with a station in every kilometer. In 2006, it carries 139 million passengers. The BTS owns 35 Siemens-made trains in which 32 of them are used daily while the rest is maintained. They have ordered 12 new trains from a Mitsui-Bombardier joint venture. In 1 ½ years, the BTS is planned to adopt a new dispatching system from Bombardier to allow moving-block operation to increase line capacity.
The BTS has also started some extension projects to expand the system.
After the presentation, I had lunch at the employees’ cafeteria with Mr. Lek, Mr. Yu and Mr. Leung Chun Kong, Maintenance Training Consultant from Hong Kong. Right after that, we all went to the control room.
After leaving the headquarters, Mr. Lek brought me to their maintenance plant.
Mr. Lek then brought me ride the system, in-cab rides I should emphasize!
Overall, I practically had access to all the BTS facilities. The visit to BTS is probably among the best experiences I had in this journey.
After casual conversation with Mr. Yu, Mr. Lek gave a short presentation to give an overview of the BTS system. He started by explaining the need for better public transportation system in Bangkok and then he discussed BTS’s existing system and future expansions.
Currently, there are about 11.5 million people live in Bangkok. By 2011, this figure is expected to increase to 14 million. There are 1.5 million car ownerships and this number is projected to increase to two to three millions. Besides the unrestricted growth in car ownership and property development, there is an explosive growth in birth rate and in-flux of immigrants to Bangkok. All these factors lead to excessive congestion, pollution and urban sprawl.
The BTS SkyTrain offers a promising alternative to alleviate the problems. It requires only 9 m (30 ft) wide corridor for elevated structure, and carries 60,000 people per hour per direction versus 245 m (804 ft) wide road by cars for the same capacity.
Currently, the BTS system only accounts for 5% of public transport market share. The total length of the system is 23.5 km (14.6 miles) with a station in every kilometer. In 2006, it carries 139 million passengers. The BTS owns 35 Siemens-made trains in which 32 of them are used daily while the rest is maintained. They have ordered 12 new trains from a Mitsui-Bombardier joint venture. In 1 ½ years, the BTS is planned to adopt a new dispatching system from Bombardier to allow moving-block operation to increase line capacity.
The BTS has also started some extension projects to expand the system.
After the presentation, I had lunch at the employees’ cafeteria with Mr. Lek, Mr. Yu and Mr. Leung Chun Kong, Maintenance Training Consultant from Hong Kong. Right after that, we all went to the control room.
After leaving the headquarters, Mr. Lek brought me to their maintenance plant.
Mr. Lek then brought me ride the system, in-cab rides I should emphasize!
Overall, I practically had access to all the BTS facilities. The visit to BTS is probably among the best experiences I had in this journey.
Wednesday July 18th 2007 - Bangkok
Before leaving to Hanoi in the evening, I allocated the whole day to visit several temples and other tourist attractions in Bangkok. These include the Giant Swing, Wat Phra Kaew, Grand Palace, Wat Po and Vimanmek Museum. I also had a very nice Thai lunch in Siam Square at a restaurant called Ban Khun Mae (thanks to Kwan, my colleague, for the tip).
In the evening, I departed to Hanoi with AirAsia for a 2-hour flight.
In the evening, I departed to Hanoi with AirAsia for a 2-hour flight.
Thursday July 19th 2007 - Hanoi
In Hanoi, I had a short visit to the office of Hanoi Transportation and Urban Public Works Service. I met with Mr. Le Huy Hoang, Civil Engineer & Manager in Planning & Investment Department. Throughout the discussion Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Huong, Expert in Planning & Investment Department, acted as the translator.
One thing that you would realize quickly when you are in Hanoi is there are so many motorcycles. There are 1.6 million motorcycles with 3.5 million populations. More than 90% daily commuters use motorcycles and bicycles. The main mode of public transportation is bus. Currently, there are 58 routes served by 921 buses. In 2006, the bus system carried 314 million passengers. By 2010, Hanoi plans to increase the bus routes to 70.
There are a number of planned infrastructure projects to improve transportation system in Hanoi. By 2010, there will be an additional 27 km (17 miles) road network. The World Bank is sponsoring a development of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). By 2012, they will start constructing a subway system from Hanoi, north to Nhon, a total of 15 km (9 miles). By 2020, Hanoi authority has a target to reduce the percentage of motorcycle trips to 30%.
One thing that you would realize quickly when you are in Hanoi is there are so many motorcycles. There are 1.6 million motorcycles with 3.5 million populations. More than 90% daily commuters use motorcycles and bicycles. The main mode of public transportation is bus. Currently, there are 58 routes served by 921 buses. In 2006, the bus system carried 314 million passengers. By 2010, Hanoi plans to increase the bus routes to 70.
There are a number of planned infrastructure projects to improve transportation system in Hanoi. By 2010, there will be an additional 27 km (17 miles) road network. The World Bank is sponsoring a development of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). By 2012, they will start constructing a subway system from Hanoi, north to Nhon, a total of 15 km (9 miles). By 2020, Hanoi authority has a target to reduce the percentage of motorcycle trips to 30%.
DeLeuw Travel Most Unique Experiences in South East Asia
1. Culture-Induced Capacity Problem
In a conversation with Mr. Sandy Yu from the BTS, he mentioned that Thais are very gentle and this is ironically causing a capacity constraint. He elaborated that for Thais, it is very rude to touch or being too close with other people in a train. Usually, in Asia, there is on average a maximum capacity of 10 people per square-meter of space. In the BTS system however, the average is 6 people. Thus, the train is usually run below its design passenger-space capacity. On another issue, when there are two arrows for queuing to get into an arriving train, the Thais have a tendency to only use one line. For them, going to the second line is like cutting the queue. In certain stations, the BTS hired some part-time students to manage the queuing to reduce the train stopping time.
2. Honking on the Road
When you happen to drive in Hanoi, don’t feel intimidated when every single vehicle passing you or behind you keep on honking. In Hanoi, the most popular mode of transportation is with motorcycle. This accounts for more than 60% of daily commuters. I suspect because of so many of these bikes on the street, horn has been used as universal signaling and warning systems. Upon arrival at Hanoi Airport, I took a taxi to my hotel. I was a little perplexed because the driver kept on honking to get into the main road, when the cars at the front were too slow, when there were motorcycles at the front or besides the taxi – it’s practically all the time. As the room I stayed was on the 4th floor facing a busy junction, you can imagine how hard it was for me to catch a sleep on my first night. Crossing the street is a challenge too. There is practically no respect to the traffic lights. You need to be pretty agile and fast and sometimes direct the motorcycle traffic yourself to let you cross a street.
3. Double Parking
Among all, this is the most unique thing I discovered in this trip. I will use a series of photos to explain it. It is about double parking, apparently common in all crowded parking areas in Bangkok. In the photo below, we can see how crowded a park-and-ride area at the BRT Mo Chit station.
Imagine that the circled car in the photo below is yours. You went to work early in the morning and then decided to go home at 3pm. How do you get your car out once you arrived at the station?
Look carefully at the zoom-in of the double-parked car’s gear box below. It’s in Neutral. What you have to do is you need to push the double-parked car, or sometimes several cars to get your car out, and then push back the double-parked cars. Look at these cars again. They ain’t 1984 Le Baron!
In a conversation with Mr. Sandy Yu from the BTS, he mentioned that Thais are very gentle and this is ironically causing a capacity constraint. He elaborated that for Thais, it is very rude to touch or being too close with other people in a train. Usually, in Asia, there is on average a maximum capacity of 10 people per square-meter of space. In the BTS system however, the average is 6 people. Thus, the train is usually run below its design passenger-space capacity. On another issue, when there are two arrows for queuing to get into an arriving train, the Thais have a tendency to only use one line. For them, going to the second line is like cutting the queue. In certain stations, the BTS hired some part-time students to manage the queuing to reduce the train stopping time.
2. Honking on the Road
When you happen to drive in Hanoi, don’t feel intimidated when every single vehicle passing you or behind you keep on honking. In Hanoi, the most popular mode of transportation is with motorcycle. This accounts for more than 60% of daily commuters. I suspect because of so many of these bikes on the street, horn has been used as universal signaling and warning systems. Upon arrival at Hanoi Airport, I took a taxi to my hotel. I was a little perplexed because the driver kept on honking to get into the main road, when the cars at the front were too slow, when there were motorcycles at the front or besides the taxi – it’s practically all the time. As the room I stayed was on the 4th floor facing a busy junction, you can imagine how hard it was for me to catch a sleep on my first night. Crossing the street is a challenge too. There is practically no respect to the traffic lights. You need to be pretty agile and fast and sometimes direct the motorcycle traffic yourself to let you cross a street.
3. Double Parking
Among all, this is the most unique thing I discovered in this trip. I will use a series of photos to explain it. It is about double parking, apparently common in all crowded parking areas in Bangkok. In the photo below, we can see how crowded a park-and-ride area at the BRT Mo Chit station.
Imagine that the circled car in the photo below is yours. You went to work early in the morning and then decided to go home at 3pm. How do you get your car out once you arrived at the station?
Look carefully at the zoom-in of the double-parked car’s gear box below. It’s in Neutral. What you have to do is you need to push the double-parked car, or sometimes several cars to get your car out, and then push back the double-parked cars. Look at these cars again. They ain’t 1984 Le Baron!
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