Chasing Cars, 25 September 2007

• Has anybody noticed whether the new traffic law is being implemented? Thought not, it's just a case waiting for a lame excuse.

• Someone with an excuse is the (former) deputy governor of Phnom Penh:

  'he cannot work because of a traffic injury sustained in the US'.

  He apparently had not showed up for work for over a year! Was he missed? No, the city of Phnom Penh employs 9 (!) deputy governors. The brief article is from the KI Media site which mentions everyday.com.kh as their source.

• August turned out to be another month of increasing traffic accidents. KI Media

• The metered taxi business is continuing. Business is a

  'struggle',

  but they made enough profit in the first month

  'to drive forward'.

  Somehow it strikes Crossing Cambodia odd. Wouldn't you need to make just as much profit to drive backwards? KI Media trashing VOA.

• Did anyone in Cambodia notice that Saturday was International Car-Free day? No? Well, it was, though not observed in Cambodia. Thailand struggled to come up with some kind of programme to keep everybody happy. The Nation mentions that

  '1221 bikers made a ride'.

  Elsewhere, The Nation reports that cyclists were trying to 'break the cycle'. Not their own hopefully. No it was aimed

  'at encouraging city people to use their cycles'.

  It was part of a 5(!) year campaign to reduce global warming through city efforts. Apparently the city authorities are expanding the number of cycle lanes. The report then focuses on Chiang Mai, where three cycle routes were proposed and public transport was free.
  
  In Phnom Penh the car-free celebrations have been shifted to coincide with the Pchum Ben Holidays in two weeks ...