Rama I Road and Ratchaprasong traffic now diverted during rush hour
Anyone who has been in the vicinity of Rama I Road and the Ratchaprasong intersection in Bangkok during rush hour knows how bad traffic jams can get. Especially with large amounts of traffic going in and out of the Central World shopping mall from early morning to late at night.
As of today, February 1st, 2018, that has hopefully changed, with traffic on Rama I Road and the Ratchaprasong intersection now being diverted during rush hour in an attempt to ease traffic jams. Traffic will be redirected from 4pm to 8pm.
According to the Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Maj-Gen Chirapat Phumichit, all traffic going towards the Ratchaprasong intersection, except buses and motorbikes, will be diverted.
That diversion means they will be forced to turn right at the Chalerm Phao intersection into Henri Dunant and Rama IV roads instead.
Any cars that are leaving the Central World shopping mall will be forced to turn left towards the Ratchaprasong intersection. Upon arrival at the intersection, they will then be able to turn left or right.
As for traffic coming from Ploenchit or Chidlom, they will have to turn right onto Wireless Road when they arrive at the Ploenchit intersection. This, again, does not include buses and motorbikes.
While time will tell if this new traffic plan will have the desired effect, at least it does mean the Metropolitan Police Bureau is taking the congestion seriously and taking steps to solve the problem.
