Michelin gets families rolling

Two hundred families, including loads of kids, took part in Sunday’s “Michelin Safe on the Road: Family Bike Rally”, starting out from the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

Michelin, the tyre company, is aiming to improve public awareness on cycling regulations and the tricky art of sharing the road with bigger vehicles in a city that’s seen a boom in biking for health, tourism and daily convenience. 

It’s partnered with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the Don’t Drive Drunk Foundation and the HRH Princess Sirindhorn Art Centre to try and get the skills across.

The rally covered three kilometres to Chamchuri Square and back, with pointers shared along the way about traffic laws and safe practices.

Michelin Siam director Segsarn Trai-Ukos said the firm has been conducting “Safe on the Road” activities since 2006 and family bike rallies for two years.

Sunday’s event also included a walking rally, a “Share the Road” exhibition that highlighted Michelin’s global “Golden Rules” campaign, and a showing of prize-winning children’s paintings on the “Safe on the Road” theme.

Segsarn said that, while the bike campaign is designed to teach youngsters about road smarts, parents must play a crucial role, since the lessons learned in childhood form safe-driving habits later in life.

Thaveesak Lertpraphan, the BMA’s director of traffic and transport office, said the city administration will next year improve traffic management on Rattanakosin Island, one of the most popular cycling areas thanks to its relatively safe routes and many attractions.

It has already coordinated the movement of tourist buses in the area to ease traffic congestion, he said, and will next year organise “feeder services” to accommodate the 40,000 to 50,000 visitors who go in and out of the district every day.

“When the area is ready in terms of road safety, the BMA is also mulling car-free days on the island once a month, or possibly every Sunday, rather than once a year,” Thaveesak said.

In five or six years, once the mass-transit extensions are completed, people will have more choices in getting around. The BMA plans to integrate all transportation modes to get traffic flowing, and efficient feeder services would help commuters get to their mode of choice. More bicycle lanes are envisioned along some roads as well.

Fifty-six-year-old Somkiat Maliwan was enjoying his first Family Bike Rally with his wife, 11-year-old son and other relatives on Sunday, though he’s been cycling every weekend for five years. He’s a member of the Tiger Group of biking enthusiasts and usually rides around Rattanakosin and along a 100-kilometre stretch of the Bangkok-Suphan Buri highway, another popular route for two-wheelers.

“There are a lot of groups riding around Bangkok now, both day and night,” he said. “It’s not only healthy and enjoyable, but they also organise volunteers to help with various social causes.”