Page 65 - The World About Us

Skytrain: Bangkok
1.1.1
1.1.1
2.2.3
2.2.5

How does traffic congestion affect expanding cities?

As a city's popula on grows and the area covered The cost of keeping the ci es moving is o en very high.
expands, the need to move even more people around Spending on the infrastructure of ci es o en outstrips that of
becomes an acute problem. In the age of the motorcar, rural areas and smaller towns. This can lead to resentment in
motorbike and moped, vehicles increasingly clog the roads. the countryside, as people feel abandoned.
Traffic conges on can lead to some ci es literally grinding fig.176 Bangkok is building elevated roads and railways.
to a halt. Keeping our ci es moving is one of the great urban
challenges of the 21st century.
Mul ple op ons exist to relieve conges on and many
ci es use a variety of strategies. These include: widening
roads or building more elevated flyovers, conges on charging
to price people off the roads and parking restric ons.
Public transport systems o en lag behind the demand but
many ci es are using a combina on of buses, dedicated bus
lanes, light railways and trams, monorails, underground
metros and river boats and ferries.

Bangkok’s public transport solutions

Bangkok, Thailand's capital city, Water taxis and ferries move
has become notorious for its traffic people along Bangkok's network of
conges on. As car ownership khlongs (canals). One of the fastest
expanded, traffic regularly brought its ways around Bangkok is the
road network to a grid-locked halt. Chaophraya Express, a system of fast
In response, the city has moving passenger ferries that zig-zag fig.177 Bankok’s problem: too many cars?
up and down the city's main river. fig.178 The Chaophraya Express.
developed a complex but effec ve
public transport system. The Skytrain Taxis have become more common
(BTS) and underground rail lines in recent years, slowly replacing the
(MRT), plus a new elevated train line fleets of yellow three-wheeled
to the airport move thousands of Tuktuks. Nonetheless, despite all the
Thais and tourists each day. Suburban investment in public transport, the
buses and train lines link the city city can s ll find itself standing s ll in
centre with the outer suburbs. grid-locked road traffic.

develop in growing cities? (4)
1. “Homo sapiens is 8. What are the health issues
now an urban species.” Discuss this associated with slum living? (4)
statement with relation to figure 164
9. Explain why traffic congestion often
on page 60. (3)
becomes a significant problem with
2. Using figure 164 on page 60, describe rapid urban growth. (4)
and suggest reasons why the rates of 10. Discuss the advantages and
urbanisation have declined in Latin fig.179 Bangkok’s public bus service. disadvantages of using public buses,
America since the 1960s. (3)
advantages for a country of having one such as the one shown in figure 179, to
3. Describe and explain some of the or more megalopoleis within its alleviate traffic congestion in
push and pull factors leading to rural- borders? (4) expanding cities. (6)
to-urban migration. (6)
6. Outline some of the problems 11. Suggest reasons why Bangkok has
4. What is a megalopolis? (1) associated with rapid urban growth. (4) chosen a variety of methods to deal
5. What might be the economic 7. What is a slum and how do they with traffic congestion. (5)

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Many factors contribute to a country’s economic development.The majority of the world’s population now live in urban areas.y factors contribute to a country’s economic development.e are causes and consequences of rapid urbanisation in LIDCs.
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