Column: It's the bananas, stupid…
Finally! I thought it would never happen. The end of the "rot tit", or traffic jams, hated by millions of people, in the Thai capital is in sight. Why has it taken so long? What prevented our “men in brown” from doing what they should have been doing for a long time?
Namely… (drumroll)… tackling those damned sellers of fried bananas, who, when you doze off comfortably behind the wheel at a red traffic light, knock on your window to sell you a delicious cone of warm, fried bananas for the extortionate price of thirty euro cents …
You read that right, dear reader, these marginalized people who want to earn a few cents by selling a treat to bored motorists who are standing still at a traffic light, are now the target of the Thai mafia, Police. According to these primates, these people are the causes of the infamous traffic jams in the City of Angels.
The reasoning is as follows: as soon as a motorist sees a banana seller on the sidewalk, he immediately reflexively hits the brakes hard, rolls down his window and sticks six fingers in the air. Six cones, please. The result: gigantic traffic jams. The chief commissioner has therefore decided to take firm action with fines of 50 baht (500 euros) for the criminal banana peddlers, and XNUMX baht for the criminal consumer who, with his antisocial eating behavior, ensures that traffic is stuck on the street every day. boiling asphalt…
The reality, however, is as follows: The banana peddlers are only active at major intersections with traffic lights. During the red light, these people with their delicious, often still warm delicacy, rush between the stationary cars to offer their goods. These are people from the poorest layers of Thai society, who try to scrape together an income in an honest way. As soon as the traffic light turns green, they take off, because then, without exception, the accelerator pedal immediately goes down.
What the chief of police may be trying to cover up with this disgraceful action is that the police themselves are largely responsible for the grotesque traffic jam problem. The traffic lights seem to be aligned by one gifted baboon, confused police officer with nothing but good in mind. The period when the traffic light is red sometimes lasts up to 4 minutes, while the lights are often green for no longer than 20 seconds. You don't have to be a gifted baboon to understand that something like this impedes any traffic flow.
Hopefully it needs no further explanation that the writer of this mediocre epistle hates the Thai police with every fiber that can be found in a human body. Not only the banana sellers are targeted by these uniformed thugs, also shopkeepers, beggars, street food vendors and all other ภาษาไทย who try to earn their rice outside the formal sector, life is often made impossible by extortion, intimidation, and threats. In short, terrorizing people who cannot defend themselves because they are too poor to do so.
When you, oh reader, while urinating in public in a national park, are addressed with “what are we doing here, sir?”, think of this story and answer: “I am walking my fried banana, officer”. Then it remains with a warning, believe me…
They better deal with those "traffic wardens" (fanatical whistlers!) and taxi drivers on Ratchaprasong; there are constantly 2 or 3 lanes blocked, because the "traffic controllers" have apparently been given the task of getting ALL traffic from the parking garages of Central World and (to a lesser extent) Big C onto the road at all costs at the expense of other traffic . And then you also have the taxi drivers who, hoping for a customer, simply stand still for minutes on the road. Bringing the other traffic to a halt as a result and forcing that traffic to change lanes again. The consequence of the above is of course that the flow from Sukhumvit Road and from Lumpini/ Silom does not work.
In reality, one of the major problems with traffic in Thailand is that everyone and their mother-in-law are on the same lane (not just road users, but also (but not exclusively) food stalls and (souvernir) vendors. Even on major thoroughfares , which with some imagination can be called a motorway, you will encounter pedestrians, cyclists, moped riders and dogs, in addition to fast traffic such as trucks and cars.
In a big city like Bangkok it is of course inevitable that everyone is on the same piece of asphalt. Regulation could actually do good things. But I'm afraid everything you see around you on Ratchaprasong (and elsewhere in Bangkok) is so deeply woven into Thai culture that it would be impossible to remove.
The traffic controllers usually do indeed have the opposite effect. A good friend of mine, who lives on a soi between LadPrao and Ramkamhaeng, was so annoyed by a politeiman directing traffic that he got out of a taxi and (he speaks fluent Thai) pointed out to the man that the traffic chaos was acted on site only if the police interfered. Where I expected him to ask for trouble with this, the officer only stammered that he couldn't help it either, because his superiors had made him do this job. Orders unfortunately trump common sense in Thailand. Good thing there are fried bananas for sale to ease the suffering.
And in addition to this uninhibited chatter about Bangkok, this same Thailand blog contains uninhibited praise for the city of .. der what actually? Devils or Angels?
@lije,
I love this city, with all its shortcomings and blessings. I have lived here for over eleven years and have no intention of ever moving anywhere else. I see the police force as a shortcoming, the banana sellers as one of many blessings 😉
@Lije,
Beautiful name actually “City of Devils and Angels”. Also shows much more the true shape of this megapolis.
It is unbelievable that so much dissatisfaction is expressed again and again
in many articles about Bangkok , and Thailand in general !!
Personally, I think it is a fantastic country, with wonderful nature, and it is wonderful
climate and ditto cuisine!
Add to that the incredibly friendly population and for the average Dutchman
also important spot and spot cheap
What are you complaining about.
Of course , nothing beats Holland Although ?
You definitely go two or maybe three once a year
weeks on holiday to Thailand. I've been coming here for 20 years. Earlier
a few weeks a year and now I have lived there for several years.
Then you really look at Thailand with completely different eyes than a tourist.
No Jeroen, we spend an average of 5 months a year in Thailand!
And we have been doing this for 17 years!
Many years in Krabi , and the last 8 years in ChiangMai !
In those years we also visited the surrounding countries several times, also beautiful,
but we still prefer Thailand!
Of course there are always things that we may not experience as pleasant, but don't forget it's a completely different culture!
There are always arguments against going to Thailand, but there are also countless reasons to do so!!
We keep it to the latest!
Dear Wie, I think you have never read pieces by Cor before because he also thinks it is a fantastic country, with great nature, a wonderful
climate and cuisine, but thank God he also has a wonderful sense of humour, take that as an example!
I also like Bangkok, but police are downright mafia, especially Sukhumvit is known
that everyone has to pay who wants to make a little money Have a thorough dislike
to those people in the Netherlands as well. Let's not forget that there is also a penalty
given to hardworking people of just 250 euros, and that has to be done
The Netherlands after deduction of taxes must be worked very hard for. Not much difference
So. Assignment is assignment what a job
Weird story. I think last week I saw both in the newspaper and on TV that these bananas are largely fried in the left lane. Who knows the real story???
I live in Chaiyphum, we hardly suffer from traffic jams, but we do have traffic lights that are red for minutes and green for seconds.
When driving out of Chaiyaphum towards Korat you sometimes stand in a traffic jam for a long time after the roundabout. But one time hardly any traffic, I could drive right on!
As it turned out, the traffic lights were off. So leave it out! and also no police, because they indeed only make it worse.