Published on May 13, 2005

Most Bangkok residents are praying for clear skies and deliverance from traffic gridlock on Monday when children return to school, according to a survey released yesterday.

Traffic on the first day of a new semester is notoriously terrible, because many parents ferry their children to and from school. Heavy rain during peak times of congestion would make matters worse, respondents to the survey said.

Almost 70 per cent of the 12,717 people surveyed by the FM 91 Traffic Pro radio station said downpours in the morning or the late afternoon on Monday would be a horror scenario. Flooded roads and traffic lights malfunctioning could result in city-wide traffic congestion, they said.

Another 15 per cent of respondents said they were concerned about their children’s safety on the roads and about violent clashes between students from rival schools. The remainder said they were afraid petrol prices would be jacked up for the first day of school.

The survey was conducted between Monday and yesterday, with listeners to encouraged to phone in via toll-free numbers, said Jaitana Sriwangphol, managing director of We Fly Infinite Co, the station’s operator.

When asked about possible causes for heavy traffic on the first day of school, 45 per cent of respondents blamed parents who drove their children to school. Another 43 per cent pointed to traffic lights that frequently malfunction.

She said the survey by the radio station discovered that between May 1 and 11, lights went on the blink in 13 Bangkok intersections.

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