Pedestrian crossings in Thailand 'need to be safer'
published : 18 Feb 2025 at 10:30
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Post Reporters
Increased safety measures at Bangkok pedestrian crossings are being urged as most road accidents have been found to happen outside schools and hospitals.
ThaiHealth's Social Mobilisation for Motorcycle Safety Project made the call following a recent accident in which a motorcycle hit a 68-year-old South Korean tourist at a pedestrian crossing outside a hospital on Phaya Thai Road in Ratchathewi district.
It was the same location where an ophthalmologist was killed by a motorcyclist while crossing the street, two years ago.
The project manager said the fact that the two accidents occurred in the same location, despite there being a clear stop light, reflects Thailand's failure to address road accident prevention.
In many countries, she said, rumble strips are installed ahead of pedestrian crossings to slow vehicles down, which can help prevent accidents.
Some of China's pedestrian crossings have illuminated signs, smart sensors and sound alerts when pedestrians are waiting to cross.
South Korea uses a smart crosswalk system, which has lights on the ground for pedestrians.
In other safety measures, there are also cameras and sensors to capture licence plates of vehicles violating crosswalk rules.
Recent data from CCTV cameras at pedestrian crossings in Bangkok show 20 high-risk locations where accidents often happen are in front of schools and hospitals.
Vocabulary
- despite (prep): used to show that something happened or is true although something else might have happened to prevent it; used to show that somebody did not intend to do the thing mentioned - ถึงอย่างไรก็ตาม, ทั้ง ๆ ที่
- failure: the fact of something not working or stopping working -
- illuminated: lit up; bright - ส่องสว่าง, ฉายแสง
- licence plate: a flat piece of metal or plastic on the front and back of a vehicle that shows its license number - แผ่นป้ายทะเบียนรถยนต์
- measure: a firm action taken to solve a problem or stop a dangerous unpleasant situation - มาตราการ
- mobilisation: bringing together for a particular purpose - การระดมพล
- ophthalmologist: a doctor who is an expert in illnesses of the eyes and who can perform operations on people’s eyes - แพทย์รักษาตา
- pedestrian crossing: zebra crossing, crosswalk - ทางม้าลาย, ทางขีดเส้นดำสลับขาว เป็นที่ให้คนเดินข้ามถนน
- pedestrians: people who are walking, especially in an area where vehicles go - คนเดินถนน, คนเดินเท้า
- prevention: preventing something bad from happening - การป้องกันภ้ย
- rumble: to make a long deep sound or series of sounds - ดังฟ้าร้อง, ส่งเสียงครางยาว
- sensor: a device that can react to light, heat, pressure, etc. in order to make a machine, etc. do something or show something - อุปกรณ์ส่งสัญญาณที่ไวต่อแสงหรืออุณหภูมิ, ตัวเซ็นเซอร์
- violate: to do something that is against the law - ละเมิดกฏหมาย
