ThaiRAP lead Professor Kasem Choocharukul joined a panel discussion last week on “Bangkok… Better Future” at the Road Safety Enforcement Forum supported by ThaiHealth, with representatives from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Metropolitan Police, academia, and other road safety partners.
During the discussion, Professor Choocharukul shared perspectives on advancing road safety through the Safe System approach and applying ThaiRAP/iRAP methodologies to proactively identify and address road infrastructure risks, rather than waiting for crashes to occur.
A key message was that traffic law enforcement and safer road infrastructure must go hand in hand.
While road user behaviour matters, roads must also be designed to accommodate human errors without resulting in deaths or serious injuries.
Professor Choocharukul also emphasized the importance of data-driven collaboration, integrating crash data, enforcement information, and road infrastructure risk assessments to support evidence-based decisions, targeted interventions, and measurable safety improvements.
Bangkok’s Road Safety Master Plan includes commitments to assess and upgrade a city demonstration corridor to achieve a minimum 3-star safety rating for all road users, and to develop Safer Roads Investment Plans (SRIPs) for at least one road in every district to guide improvements towards the minimum global safety standard.
Supported by ThaiRAP, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has collaborated with staff across its 50 districts to build capacity, conduct Star Rating assessments and develop SRIPs to inform the implementation of safety countermeasures such sidewalks and bicycle lanes, barriers, improved intersection designs and speed management.
Speed limits have been reduced on strategic routes, a new standard has been developed for sidewalks which has seen line markings and traffic signals improved on pedestrian crossings, a newly created Road Safety Administration Centre is supporting coordination, and Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) is helping to create safer school journeys in the city.
The BMA was recognised in 2023’s coveted international Gary Liddle Memorial Award Programme for its work using the iRAP Methodology to create safer roads in the city, supported by ThaiRAP and local and international partners.
The award recognised BMA’s globally significant and proactive work as a city administration to improve road safety and Bangkok’s liveability with the completion of a 500 km Star Rating assessment – the first time a local administration in Thailand had attempted such a large-scale road safety assessment – and upgrade of 360 high-risk sites.
Presenting at last week’s forum, Professor Choocharukul thanked all participating agencies and partners for their continued commitment to safer roads in Bangkok.
