A culture of callousness
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Unless we as a s0ciety learn to share public spaces, there will be more tragedies like what recently befell some cyclists
Widely reported recent accidents that left four cyclists dead have forced the government to go for quick measures that do not necessarily address the root cause of the problem or change our selfish attitude when it comes to the idea of sharing public space.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the police to crack down more on drunk drivers, and
the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has said it will next conduct a survey for more bicycle lanes around Rattanakosin Island.
Deputy national police chief General Ruangsak Jarit-ake joined the chorus, saying “We have to find measures to prevent such accidents from recurring.”
This was not the first time that a high-profile road accident involving cyclists had captured the attention of the nation and embarrassed the country. There were other road-rage incidents that resulted in at least on man being beaten to death by a 21-year-old man.
With regard to the death of cyclists in Chiang Mai, fingers were pointed at all sorts of people and places – from the authorities for turning a blind eye to pubs and nightclubs that stay open well beyond the legal closing hour of 1am, to hostile motorists who don’t seem to regard cyclists too kindly.
Indeed, territorial disputes on the roads, as well as territorial claims on the sidewalks in Thailand’s cities and municipalities are nothing new.
Cyclists feel they have as much a right to be on the road as the motorists. They often become the subject of admiration when political leaders want to promote car-free day or similar public relations stunts to show that they care about health, environment and so on.
But in reality, there isn’t much space for the cyclists. And on top of that, nobody in power is doing anything to provide them that space because it would mean motorists and others would have to make some sacrifice. We are still stuck in that zero-sum mentality and have yet to find a common ground for all users and stakeholders.
Needless to say, the needs of the cyclists, not to mention handicapped people – people on wheelchair and people with visual disabilities – have consistently been overlooked.
Authorities can point to the
meagre “bike lane” and the side-
walk designed to help guide peo-
ple with visual impairment as examples of their caring. But they overlook the violators who have no qualms about occupying these designated spaces.
In many spots in Bangkok and other cities around the country, shopkeepers and vendors leave
little room for pedestrians, thus, pushing them to the street where they compete for space with bicycles and cars.
When it comes down to it, this dispute over the use of common space reflects poorly on us as a society and our authorities, as well as our city planners.
