Lane-changing offences nearing 100,000 after four days of camera work
Just four days after a strict ban on the practice was implemented, Bangkok traffic police had issued nearly 100,000 tickets to motorists at 18 flyovers and underpasses for illegally changing lanes to pass other vehicles.
The May 9 ban at 15 new locations and three longtime spots led to the tickets being issued to 96,830 motorists, with accompanying fines of up to Bt1,000, said Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumjit, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau in charge of traffic affairs.
The law-breakers were caught in the act by a Lane Change Camera System, which involves four automatic cameras at each location.
Eighty per cent of the offences occurred in daylight hours, with motorcyclists accounting for the majority of culprits, followed by sedan drivers, said Jirapat.
At 11,307 incidents, Din Daeng intersection on the inbound lane of Din Daeng Road had the highest number of offenders. Next was the Siriraj Bridge on the outbound lane of Aroon Amarin Road with 10,932 offences, and then the Huay Kwang tunnel alongside the inbound lane of Ratchadapisek Road with 10,713. The spot with the least violations was the Sutthisan Tunnel, at 700, he added.
The three spots with previously installed cameras are Yommarat intersection, Prachanukul intersection and Sutthisan Tunnel.