Air Quality

[Guest]

We're back to the pollution season in Thailand (see image).

There's an interesting article in the Bangkok Post blaming burning of sugar crops for some of the pollution.  Essentially, farmers won't pay for mechanical harvesting and burning the crops to eliminate excess foliage reduces the labour requirement for manual harvesting.

That seems easy to fix, if they ban burning of sugar crops, ban sugar factories from accepting burnt sugar and possibly even subsidize mechanical harvesting.

Accepting this pollution for sugar production is of course perverse, as sugar is one of the least healthy foods that is commonly consumed.   The human race would be much better off without it -less obesity, less diabetes etc.

Note how governments act when something like covid kills people quickly.  When air pollution or excess sugar consumption kills people slowly, little is done.

On the positive side, we get a 2 for 1 benefit, with the N95 face mask helping with covid and air pollution.

 

[vinapu]

8 hours ago, z909 said:

, as sugar is one of the least healthy foods that is commonly consumed.   The human race would be much better off without it

 

 

you are telling me I should  have my tea without sugar ? No way ! 

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, vinapu said:

you are telling me I should  have my tea without sugar ? No way ! 

Upgrade from tea to Aribica coffee, then savour that without sugar, cream, cinnamon, chocolate chips, syrup or any other adulteration ?

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, z909 said:

Upgrade from tea to Aribica coffee, then savour that without sugar, cream, cinnamon, chocolate chips, syrup or any other adulteration ?

no , while I drink  coffee I don't like an aftertaste left  so I stick to a tea with 2 teaspoons of you know what

[Guest]

There is some discussion about raising the max fare on the Bangkok green line from 65 to 158 baht.   London type prices in Bangkok !

Nowhere does anyone seem to mention the implication on pollution and the general principle that they should tax polluting road vehicles and encourage people onto public transport.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2052087/govt-urges-bma-to-halt-raising-train-fare-ceiling

[vinapu]

first that should think about decongesting trains in a peak times by adding more trains. Size of crowds at Siam station sometimes is  downright scary.

[PeterRS]

11 hours ago, vinapu said:

first that should think about decongesting trains in a peak times by adding more trains. Size of crowds at Siam station sometimes is  downright scary.

Years ago there were pleas that at least one extra car be added to the Skytrain and MRT. There is plenty of room on the platforms for at least 2 or 3 more. Yet even though many additional stations have since been added and yet more are about to come on line, there are still no extra cars. Once the tourists return, travelling at any time of day will feel like the sardines on Japan's commuter system.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

Years ago there were pleas that at least one extra car be added to the Skytrain and MRT. There is plenty of room on the platforms for at least 2 or 3 more. Yet even though many additional stations have since been added and yet more are about to come on line, there are still no extra cars.

The people responsible for public transport in Thailand clearly don't use it and haven't travelled on superior public transport systems in countries like Japan either.   The system in Japan is very efficient and easy to use.  Also quite pleasant, outside peak commuting hours.

I suspect the main objective of public transport in Thailand is to create profitable construction contracts, ideally using about 3 times as much concrete as would be needed with efficient design.  The service that follows is deemed unimportant.

[PeterRS]

36 minutes ago, z909 said:

The people responsible for public transport in Thailand clearly don't use it and haven't travelled on superior public transport systems in countries like Japan either.   The system in Japan is very efficient and easy to use.  Also quite pleasant, outside peak commuting hours.

I suspect the main objective of public transport in Thailand is to create profitable construction contracts, ideally using about 3 times as much concrete as would be needed with efficient design.  The service that follows is deemed unimportant.

I am sure you are correct in raising the issue of profit. It is no longer a surprise that prior to the government announcing contracts for projects requiring land purchase, that land has always just recently been purchased by the crony capitalists. And for the same reason - so more can gain from the outsize profits - transport infrastructure like expressways and MRT lines are carved up with bits going to different bidders rather than just one. For an inter Bangkok expressway trip to require three tolls is just nonsense.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

For an inter Bangkok expressway trip to require three tolls is just nonsense.

What they need to do is increase the road tolls and also apply them to more roads, whilst decreasing BTS fares, putting on more carriages and making other improvements to connectivity.

Charge polluters and subsidize near carbon free transport.

[daydreamer]

20 hours ago, z909 said:

I suspect the main objective of public transport in Thailand is to create profitable construction contracts, ideally using about 3 times as much concrete as would be needed with efficient design.  The service that follows is deemed unimportant.

I believe that is correct.  The answer is revealed if you google "who owns Siam concrete".

[Guest]

On 1/20/2021 at 8:17 AM, daydreamer said:

I believe that is correct.  The answer is revealed if you google "who owns Siam concrete".

That explains a lot.   Some countries tax concrete due to CO2 emissions.  Others try to use as much as possible, for questionable reasons.