Chasing Cars Cambodian style, 24 May 2009

A round up:

• Cambodia’s PM goes against the grain. He actually wants bribery and especially bribing police to stop:

  ‘“Some government leaders give money to traffic police and the gendarmeries, but sometimes this kindness scorns the forces who apply the law and scorns the law as well,” Hun Sen said at a ceremony to change heads of the government’s counter-drug office. “Please stop doing it.”

  Why would he mention this at a counter- drug ceremony? And why is he so anti-Cambodian social norms?

• What is acceptable [from khmer440 forum]?

  'Someone has spent large at the Mercedes dealership today. I got pulled over by the police on Norodom this afternoon while a convoy of brand new Mercedes cars and minibuses headed south. There must have been over 40 vehicles, all of them spanking new. All the cars had signs in their front windows telling the names of different countries. Is Cambodia hosting a major international meeting?
  ....
  I wonder who payed for all those cars - that's some serious loot.'

  A.: ....?

• More gifts:

  'China on Tuesday provided about 73 million U.S. dollars of a concessional loan to Cambodia to build a part of main road in the northeastern part of the country to develop that area into a newly potential economic zone'.

  Technically it's not a gift, but who will pay this back?

• More on gifts, but now from the less fortunate Lao: '

  Lao cops accept donation.

  No doubt, these sponsored plastic traffic danger triangles will greatly assist them'.

• And now we are to find out what happens to the gifts: the speed guns are in use. At least according to the Phnom Penh Post (19-05-2009). But citing Phnom Penh's top cop:

  'We are reconsidering working at nighttime.... It is a bit hard to work at night for the police when they try to stop drunken drivers, especially in dark places'.

  Surprise, surprise, Cambodian drivers usually drink, drive and speed at night as during the day there is too much traffic and lights interfere with the drinking business!

• Meanwhile on the license plate biz front a Phnom Penh Post writer on Monday had the following:

  'The government is cracking down on cars with unauthorized police and military number plates. But around 8:30am, everyone can see Mercedeses with government plates driving the opposite way on Monivong Boulevard towards the Council of Ministers building. Why do cars with government plates insist on driving in the opposite lane during rush-hour traffic, as if they were an emergency vehicle like an ambulance or firetruck?'

• And then the PM waded in:

  'During a speech at the Ministry of Interior, Hun Sen ordered ministers to take action after he noticed that drivers were still flouting his recent ban on the use of RCAF and police plates by unauthorised vehicles. He said he had ordered the ministers of interior and defence to establish a deadline for drivers to get rid of their illegal licence plates, saying any cars still bearing unauthorised tags would be confiscated by the state.'

• Not only cars need to confiscated, according to yet again another Phnom Penh Post article:

  'Police could be empowered to seize and confiscate motorbikes without side mirrors under a Land Traffic Law amendment proposed by Prime Minister Hun Sen. Drivers without helmets would also be subject to the amendment suggested in a speech Tuesday'.

  That seems a bit harsh. Moreover it's against the law. Currently only art. 84 gives police the powers to confiscate, but only in cases of overloading a truck. Despite that traffic police do regularly confiscate cars after accidents, this in clear contravention of art. 72. One problem with laws are that they are supposed to be adhered to. And considering that a new law can take anything of up to 10 years to draw up (in the case of anti-corruption), amending this law might take some time.
  Finally, Phnom Penh's top traffic cop adds a curious remark:

  '"I think it is good that the law [will] allow police to catch the motorbikes to warn those who do not respect the law because fining them does not seem to be very effective," he said'.

  But we have already proven (see previous Chasing Cars that it's the police who are failing to be effective, not the law!

• On law enforcement, from Thailand, a mention in today's Bangkok Post.:

  'Director Nonsri "Oui" Nimibutr has been convicted on a second drink-driving offence. A court has sentenced the former drink-driving campaigner to 14 days in jail, reduced to seven days confinement after he confessed. They also suspended his licence for six months.
  ...
  "I want the court to reconsider the sentence. I don't want to just sit around for seven days. How about getting me to front another advertisement, free of charge, on the dangers of drink-driving?"'.

Yeah, how come?

• Finally on trip advisor someone who has more info on Mekong Express buses. More than the company themselves.

Somewhere along the highway in Kampong Thom province.

Another post Khmer New Year Chasing Cars section

Traffic related press coverage has been decreasing, at least that's what seems to be the case. However Khmer New Year has resulted in a rash of articles, concerning the need for safety, the need to get out of town and the need to expect delays.

Personally, Crossing Cambodia once more went up country, to Stung Treng and Ratanakiri provinces. The road north out of Phnom Penh until Kampong Cham is patchy: they're working on the road just over the bridge. Beyond Snoul, the road opens up and especially the last stretch of road from Stung Treng northwards, the road is great. Though, this being a new road, one would not expect deterioration to be setting in, so soon.

The road to Ratanakiri is a different story. It's not black-topped and has severe problems after rainfall. Closer to Banlung it gets worse after rainfall. Surprisingly, other roads fanning out from Banlung are ok and the road to Vietnam is getting a major overhaul.

What surprised me most was the fact that helmets are now commonplace everywhere in Cambodia by the looks of it. Even in Ratanakiri. On the highways helmet compliance was nearly 80%!

The rash:

• With Khmer New Year just passed, officials have already decided that it was much better than last year. Today's (20 April, 2009) Phnom Penh Post reports that

  'Accidents down during New Year'.

  In Phnom Penh there were apparently just 4 dead (last year 8?). And to whom the credit?

  "Now Cambodian people have learned more about road accidents," Hem Ya, the deputy of the traffic police in Phnom Penh, said on Sunday.'

  CC believes that the worldwide financial meltdown may have more to do with this drop (if it is a drop)
  

• A case in point from the 'celebration' of Cambodia's Road Safety Week:

  'According to our yearly data, traffic accidents have been increasing by 15 percent every year'.

  Deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhayly adds:

  "The main cause of traffic accidents is people themselves. They don't respect traffic laws, they speed, they show negligence and drink while driving. I want to suggest to all relevant ministries and authorities taking actions on a serious scale to punish these road-rule offenders," he said'.

  Yeah right, the general public are to blame for low law enforcement.

• Khmer New Year is also an occasion to celebrate the poor infrastructure situation. Going south and west out of the city are no problems, going north and east are, as there are only two bridges. The east route though got a shot in the arm apparently:

  'Technicians and engineers have been working around the clock to complete construction of the new Monivong Bridge by Thursday's target date so as to accommodate the increase in traffic expected for the Khmer New Year, officials said'.

  The new Monivong bridge getting a finishing touch?
  
  

  Unfortunately though the bottleneck is elsewhere: an estimated 10,000 motorbikes and 6,000 cars were backed up for more than 4 kilometres, waiting hours in the heat to cross the Mekong River towards Prey Veng province.

• In the never ending series of who's up next, Phnom Penh drivers will now be speed tested and breathalyzed! Despite the law enforcers even unable to catch motorcyclists without helmets or drivers licence or no licence plate, the technical route seems to have been take:

  "Speed cameras are very important because they can photograph the offender, the place, time, the speed, the number plate and the vehicle colour," said the country's Deputy National Police Chief Ouk Kimlek on Tuesday'.

  Consider the law, art. 17:

  'The driving speeds of vehicles are defined in accordance with the conditions as follows:
  1. The driving speeds for vehicles in general:
  A. In towns:
  - The drivers of all motorcycles and tricycles must drive in the maximum speed of 30 km per hour
  - The drivers of all kinds of cars must drive in the maximum speed of 40 km per hour.'

  That means many culprits. 30 km an hour is hardly faster than my push bike! Mind you if you are caught driving twice the speed limit, the fine is just $3. The law also stipulates the legal requirements for alcohol, though it also notes that using mobile phones while driving is forbidden as well as driving on the left hand side of the road. $3 is again enough to buy yourself freedom. Or ignorance.
  
  By the way, everybody who hangs out their (clean) laundry will be in line for a fine:

  'hanging clothes to dry along sidewalks and house balconies must end.
  ...
  However, this habit is well ingrained among numerous residents. The lack of education, as well as the poverty suffered by numerous families, will probably hamper this desire to embellish the city'.

• Andy also has his take on this:

  'The helmet law, for moto-drivers only whilst passengers are not required to wear them, remains in place but revenue from fines is down as the police decide standing on the side of the road to stop motos in the hot weather of April isn't such a good idea after all. When the weather cools a bit, the police will be back out in force, also equipped with brand-new speed cameras and breathalyzers I hear'.

• What Andy doesn't know is that there is a new way of dealing with no helmets and daytime heat:

  'Phnom Penh traffic police have begun to enforce the wearing of helmets after dark, said city officials, who say the lack of nighttime patrols had promoted reckless and illegal driving'.

  So are lack of nighttime patrols to blame? Mea Culpa?
  Battambang though is doing it the hard way:

  'Battambang Traffic Police chief Sath Kimsan said barely a third of drivers wore helmets at night. "At nighttime, only 20 percent to 30 percent of people wear helmets because they don't see the police standing along the road," he said.
  "I haven't taken any measures to enforce the wearing of helmets at night yet. I want to enforce them during the day until 100 percent are complying, and then I will work hard for nighttime enforcement."

  Yeah, right, 100%.
  

• Talking about push-bikes, Khmer 440 forum members can not be persuaded to use these in Phnom Penh:

  'Bicycle is good
  Motor Bike is Good
  Small Car is Good
  Big Car is Better
  
  Bicycle Vrs Motor Bike = Bad Bicycle
  Bicycle Vrs Small Car = Bad Bicycle
  Bicycle Vrs Big Car = Very Bad Bicycle
  
  Bicycle always lose.'

• Concerning the same forum: Chuangt2u suggests making a DVD of street scenes in Phnom Penh so as to

  'record a little lunacy for posterity or to amuse the folks back home'.

  Replies vary:

  'Im up for this. Why dont you want any blood and guts though? Im thinking flipped trucks, crashed motos, and other such footage will be prime viewing...'

  ... yes, possible the traffic police could use it for their new direction (see above).

  'I just had a look through an old clip I have of the junction of 63 and Sihanouk. The properties tab tells me it was taken on Sunday the 16th of October 2005, at 9:21pm. It runs for 5 mins and 28 seconds and caught 6 red light cycles. The quality is low as it was taken with a digital camera, but I counted:
  
  Running a red light = 122 road users
  
  Driving the wrong way down a 1 way street (st63) = 44 road users
  
  Using a vehicle with no visible lights = 50 people - around half of them riding bicycles
  
  "Illegal" u-turn = 1
  
  Unsurprisingly hesitant pedestrian trying to cross the road under a red light = 1'

• Though it may have been a relative accident free Khmer New Year, the Phnom Penh Post (14 April) confuses us:

  'Motorbike Market Crashed
  ...
  "In the first three months of last year, I sold about 300 motorcycles, but during the first quarter of this year, only 80 motorcycles have been sold," Hang Heng, a motorcycle dealer in Chamkarmon district, said'.

  Poor thing.

• Another mind boggling PPP article, this time on taxi / bus prices:

  'Despite officials' efforts to discourage taxi drivers and bus companies from inflating fees during Khmer New Year, several interviewed by the Post said they had no intention of passing on the opportunity to make extra dollars.
  ...
  But he [Phnom Penh Governor] said City Hall would not punish those who raise prices. "This is not a legal directive," he said.
  "City Hall has to inform taxi owners every year".

  So if you inform them every year and they still raise the prices why do you continue? Taxi driver logic:

  'Chhay Veth, who drives a taxi between Phnom Penh and Battambang province, said he believed fares would increase by 10 to 20 percent during the holiday, adding that customers expected fee inflation because it happened every year'.

  What if I expect prices to go down? Ten-twenty percent sounds doable but:

  'He [taxi driver] said most drivers on that route would increase prices from 17,000 riels (US$4.09) to 25,000 riels'.

  That's nearly 50%! Forget Somali pirates, think Cambodia pirates.
  

• More bad economic news. The World Bank are now tabbing tuk-tuk driver incomes:

  'And still, we have data showing a sharp decline in the revenue of tuk-tuk drivers'.

  Last year inflation figures couldn't be produced, but they can tab tuk-tuk driver incomes?

From A to B in Phnom Penh

Or what's the safest way to get around Phnom Penh. An opinionated piece in today's Phnom Penh Post.

If someone suggested to you that riding on the back of a stranger's motorbike without a helmet was an acceptable form of transportation in London, New York or Sydney, you would think they were crazy. So why is it considered acceptable in Phnom Penh?
Even if Phnom Penh didn't have one of the highest accident rates in the region; even if there were a head-injury unit in the city (the closest is in Bangkok); riding pillion without a helmet would still not be a sensible choice. The human head is simply too fragile to risk impact with the ground.

Firstly, the driver's trustworthiness and blood-alcohol level are unknown. Then, the motorbike itself is generally too underpowered to take a large foreigner at the speed of the traffic.
Foreigners also have an abiding urge to carry bags: handbags of immense size, daypacks, laptop cases, all manner of encumbrances that seem to be part of our lives. To a potential thief, they identify where all your good stuff is, and you've got lots. Did you ever see a Cambodian lady riding with more than a small clutch purse?

Then there is the helmet issue. The new law enforcing helmets is not being applied to pillion passengers on motorbikes. Why? Is it because there is a genuine lack of alternatives?

Tuk-tuks are safer and although they move slower through the traffic, which means that it's unlikely you'll ever be thrown across the ground in an accident.
In most cities in the region, such chariots are not allowed on the major city streets, as they block the flow of traffic. In Manila, you would cross the city in a jeepney or bus, transferring to motorbike-powered vehicle to get from the main road into your suburb or residential area.

There is also a new taxi company offering air-conditioned, metered service that actually works out cheaper than using a (negotiated) tuk-tuk.

If you call the hotline in English, they send a driver who speaks English. The flag-fall is 3,000 riels (US$0.72), the drivers know their way around, the taxis are spotlessly clean and there's no late-night surcharge. Their call centre is not currently up to taking bookings, so you have to call and wait 10 to 15 minutes, but the system is a great development for the city.
The next development has to be some kind of public transportation system, perhaps like Bangkok's system of buses and minivans on the main boulevards fed by subsystems [moto's! But with helmets.] in the residential and commercial areas.

Dismissing Phnom Penh as somehow different and claiming that the motorbike system is somehow fine because it's in place and it works is symptomatic of the thinking of foreign employees of what is loosely (and perhaps ironically) called the development industry.

Meanwhile, tourists and expats alike continue to take their lives in their hands, or rather put their lives in motorbike taxi-drivers' hands, and crossing their fingers while clutching their over-sized fake-Gucci handbags.

So what does Crossing Cambodia believe is the way to go?

Well, from the start I did try moto's out, but not only did I not feel safe, neither do these guys seem to know where you're going. Possibly by now I would be better able to direct the guys, but alas the safety issue. So I get around by tuk-tuk, it's a bit of drag when going far away or need to navigate Monivong, but take a book.

The taxi service is catching on, but it still requires ordering, you just can't flag them down on the street.

Great piece, let's hope it provokes some reaction. Other than 'the poor moto drivers ...'.

Chasing Cars, another pre-Water festival edition

More yawns? Apparently so.

• 'But the peak-time electricity cuts in Russey Keo are upsetting more than local residents - the capital's major ring road runs through the area and power cuts mean traffic lights are out of operation, causing the roads to become nearly unmanageable.
  
  "Electricity shortages in Phnom Penh are causing major traffic jams," Tin Prasoeur, chief of the Phnom Penh traffic police, told the Post on Thursday.
  
  "We get a very bad headache when lamp posts and traffic lights on the major roads in this city are cut off as a result of no electricity," he said.'

  Again the traffic police lay the blame elsewhere. Conveniently. Over the last few months CC has mentioned a few times how once the electricity goes, traffic jams occur. And what do the traffic police posted at that intersection do? At best they try to fine a couple of moto's without mirrors. If not, they just hang out on the shady cornor and wait for an accident to happen.

• Because accidents are a source of income for the traffic police:

  'Phnom Penh Police Chief Touch Naruth admitted that his force occasionally informed private clinics about traffic accidents, but said that most cases involved witnesses or victims calling them directly.
  "Our police do inform private clinics where traffic accidents are sometimes, but usually people at the scene call private clinics directly because they are faster."'

  But despite that admittance, the govenor of Phnom Penh goes on record:

  'Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema denied at the meeting that his police department had accepted bribes to inform private clinics of accidents'.

  So why do we care?

  'In an bid to promote a public ambulance service, the Health Ministry has made it illegal for private ambulances to retrieve victims in emergency situations - even if they are first on the scene'.

  How long will the ban last? Until the Water festival?

• Instead the government should start to wake up to the issue of petrol smuggling. Like the Tonle Sap when the flow of water changes, so does the direction of the smuggling change, it appears. Despite being dissatisfied with the petrol companies on lowering petrol prices, the following is now occuring:

  'Now, petrol is being smuggled from Cambodia into Vietnam, instead of the other way around'.

  Is Cambodia now subsidizing Vietnam?

• But not to worry, vehicle tax income has risen by at least 12,5% above projections. So are there that many vehicles being imported or is the government not so good in 'projecting'? Despite knowing roughly what the inflow of tax would be:

  'Phnom Penh has an estimated 80,000 automobiles and 220,000 motorbikes, according to tax office figures'.

  Then the discussion on corruption:

  'Son Chhay [opposition lawmaker] said that tax officials often demand illegal fees when people pay their tax and that police collect bribes for violations, which also deprives the government of revenue.
  But Om Cham said the law does not force drivers to pay extra fees and that motorists paying bribes were breaking the law'.

  Yeah right, the motorists are breaking the law! Blame the others!

• Back to the start of today's entry, traffic lights. Vuthasurf surprisingly feels guilt because of a 'blue' light?

  'When approaching in the middle of street, the blue light turned into red.
  ...
  At that time, I felt ashamed about myself because of breaking the traffic light law'.

Chasing Cars, before the water festival

Well is there anything new to mention? Not really, a lot of yawns. Laws being enforced maybe / possibly, fuel prices failing to drop, a couple of accidents here and there, so to start off let's focus for once on the not so up-to date:

• Mr Parish-without-borders travelled upcountry to Kampong Cham:

  'There was a lot of mud but also surprisingly a lot of dust when a road would switch from wet to dry in the space of a few meters--and then switch back again'.

  As always there's a couple of photo's to prove his story.
  
  He also still continues to photograph the weird world of wacky modes of transport in Phnom Penh. An example from September 5:
  
  

  "It's not too bad, as long as I don't breathe...."

• Helmet laws to enforced? Have we heard that before? I believe so. But as of 'early 2009' the law will be enforced. Which differs slightly from the last announcement which said January 1, 2009. But as always there's a catch:

  'But the new laws have only been haphazardly enforced, and motorists complain that they are just another chance for police to extort money from them, saying that the amount they are fined for minor offences is often more than the legal limit'.

  The head of traffic police concedes:

  'Tin Prasoeur admitted that among the 500 traffic police in Phnom Penh there are some who fine people too much.
  "We have suspended many of them from work for taking extra money from people," he said.
  Traffic officers often say they take extra money to supplement their meagre incomes.'

• 'NGO Worker Dies in necklace robbery' reads the cation above Phnom Penh's Post Police Blotter of November 5. However unfortunate, had she been wearing a helmet the result could have been different.

  'Thun Yany, 50, was riding a moto-taxi when two gangsters snatched her necklace causing her to fall off and her head to hit the street. She was seriously injured and had a lot of bloodshed on the head'.

• The new laws on keeping street vendors off the street? The Cambodia Travel Guide (which actually is a blog):

  'police ARE implementing the new rule by removing vendors from around the Russian Market (Psah Toul Tom Poung) and some other streets'.

  However, it seems that the police are acting to get the vendors to sign up a market position in a new local market building. Who would have thought of that?
  

• Mondulkiri province has yet to profit from the halving of the world oil price:

  'Prices in Modolkiri have reached 7,000 riel (Us$ 1,75) per liter, about 2,000 riel higher than in Phnom Penh. Many here blame it on a fuel monopoly in the province’s capital, and even roadside fuel vendors say they cannot lower it further'.

  Why?

  'Khun Samnang said she’d been importing fuel for the past two years from the only dealer in the province, a man named Leng Hour, who, other villagers say, seems to adjust the fuel price arbitrarily'.

• More arbitration? The government has petrol companies within it's aim:

  'The government has lashed out at Cambodian petroleum companies, accusing them of price gouging as a Monday deadline for petrol prices at the pump to drop to 4,000 riels (US$1) a litre passed unmet'.

  But:

  '[Caltex] said the timing of pump price adjustments depends on a combination of factors, including currency exchange rates, inventory levels, freight rates, product quality premiums, refined product prices, market demand and competitors' reactions to market forces'.

  So not to government pressure. Could the Cambodian government do something about the strengthening dollar? Hmmm, though so.
  

• Careful now, police actually are acting to quell an accident dispute:

  '... the tension then rose between the car driver who was slightly injured and the drunk motorcycle driver who had a gun on his waist. Warned by the car driver, the police intervened and one of the cops shot a bullet in the air to calm down the situation'.

• Finally what 's the latest on the Poipet-Siem Reap road I hear you say. Daryn and Hayden on travelblog.org bring you up to date:

  'The road between Poipet (the Cambodian border town) and Siem Reap is obviously a major tourist route, but is still unsealed and hugely potholed and in disrepair'.

  The actual experience:

  'So the roads are terrible, it's getting dark, and we stop for dinner. The previously charming and smiling tour guide then comes to all our tables and tells us that the bus will be stopping at the guesthouse he works for, so we can stay there otherwise we can get a tuk tuk into town. No biggie. He then, however tells us that if we do not stay at his guesthouse it is likely that we will get mugged, and he will not help us if this happens. Charming.
  

  So we get back on the road. About half an hour in, we're stopped by two huge trucks who have become stuck in the huge piles of mud on the ridiculously bad road. The engine stops, and it appears we may have to spend a night in the bus - no great drama, there's a good crowd, a bottle of vodka gets passed around, the guitar comes out, it's all rather school-camp like. The guide then comes on and tells us that he's going home, and that he can maybe call some tuk tuk driver friends of his to come and get us, if we will pay them handsomely. The idea that a tuk tuk could make it through these roads, and the thought of being stranded in an open sided tuk tuk minus the security of being in a group is not an attractive option. We ask what will happen to the bus tomorrow and the guide tells us that maybe it will go, maybe it won't, but if we don't help him he doesn't care and that he's off to bed. The whole episode is such a farce at this point that everyone actually in very jovial moods - despite the borderline threatening behaviour of the innocent faced guide.
  

  Eventually, a tow truck arrives and pulls the trucks out, and we're able to get through. We arrive at Mr tour guides aforementioned guesthouse about 11pm - 15 hours after we left, the last 7 spent covering the tiny distance of about 120km'.

  Ah well, could be worse. They also go on to explain how they were overcharged for the Cambodian visa and

  '... changed the money he just assumed he was getting a fair rate. Needless to say, we realised later on we had been well and truly had - for about a third of the value of the money'.

  Welcome to Cambodia!
  

Chasing cars, wet season style

One would expect two weeks into the new 'get tough(?)' campaign of Phnom Penh's traffic police that adherence to some of the enforced rules of the traffic law would be rising. Unfortunately it's not the case. Wearing a helmet is still only done by 20-30% of the motorcycle drivers and though side mirror counts are increasing, they hardly reach 10% usage. So a waste of time?

With the cloudy conditions, the traffic police have been able to set up shop at new sites looking to surprise the odd moto. Is this positive news? Hardly, those of us awaiting a new dawn after the elections will have to be satisfied with the same old song.

More traffic news?

• The Cambodian Mirror focuses on the increasing number of deaths in Cambodian traffic:

  'During the first six months of 2008, the total number of traffic accidents was 3,511 which killed 903 people; it increased 17%, compared to the same period of the first six month of 2007'.
  

• Rainy season? KI Media has some pictures:

• Good news for the Vietnamese, petrol smuggling (to Cambodia) is down. This though is bad news for Cambodian drivers who rely on the Vietnamese petrol smuggling for cheap adulterated fuel. With prices at the Cambo pumps dropping, smuggling will also drop.

• How's the traffic in Cambodia? Kalyan's blog:

  'Yes, the traffic is currently getting worse as there are more vehicles on the streets and some do not respect the traffic law at all'.

• Matthew describes taking a 'van' from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh:

  'About that point we reached my personal best of being crammed into the taxi, counting 24 people in the van, each contorted to accommodate everyone kind of like a big jig saw
  ...
  On the way up we see two traffic accidents and one body lying on the road
  ....
  We continue past the airport through the flooded roads, right when a truck overtakes us through the deepest part of the water. The boot of the van is tied down but ajar because it is overloaded. A tsunami of brown, muddy and smelly water is swept up by the truck , through the boot and soaks everyone in the back rows

• In the rainy season bridges are a luxury. Those traveling from Battambang to Pailin will find out why. Khmernews.com:

  'A cement containing truck destroyed a bridge'.

  Highway 57 is out for the moment, wait till it dries up.

• A report connected to the above story? '

  'When roads become rivers. Newly constructed roads on the outskirts of Phnom Penh are deteriorating rapidly, according to local residents, who say hasty repair work and a lack of proper drainage are condemning them to a life of chronic wet-season flooding'.

• More wet season problems, this time in Siem Reap:

  ' "The plane landed in heavy weather," the [Jetstar Asia] spokesman said. "The aircraft drifted to the edge of the runway" '.
  

• Another traffic victim:

  'Pok Chantola, 55, a car salesman in Meanchey district, was crushed to death by a Lexus 470 while waiting for his friend in front of a beer garden in the Chamkarmon district of Phnom Penh at 10:30pm on Saturday. The driver of the Lexus, Hong Piseth, 38, was drunk at the time of the accident. He was detained by police at the scene but was released a day later after he paid $13,300 reparation to the victim's family'.

  Do note the difference in payment, to the incident in last weeks Chasing Cars edition, where the well-connected driver paid only $4,000. Maybe his victim was poorer...
  Meanwhile, the Phnom Post police blotter continues:

  'A drunken driver of a CRV car, and his three intoxicated passengers, crashed into the parking lot of Calmette hospital in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. No one was injured in the accident but 12 motorcycles were damaged by the out-of-control car. Witnesses said that the CRV car did not have a number plate and ended up stuck on the hospital wall. Police have arrested the driver, Khan Kosal, 30. The car and the damaged motorcycles are being kept at the Municipal Traffic Police office'.

  So, if I'm right: you damage motorcycles, you go to jail, you kill someone, you do not go to jail!

• Finally an unlinked mention. Cambodia's Pocket Guides latest Phnom Penh Out&About issue focuses on accidents:

  'Motorbike accidents are so common in Cambodia, it's taking on the mantle of a national sport.Hit-and-run seems to be the most popular, which typically involve a monstrous SUV barreling through an intersection'.

  The article then gives the classic accident scenario and the lack of insurance which naturally would help Cambodia hugely. It ends with this prophetic words:

  'As Cambodia's traffic laws develop and the capacity to implement them grows, more and more drivers will be required to attend driving school,obtain proper drivers' licenses, be covered with a minimum of third party liability and, most importantly, follow the law. So remember the next time you're pulled over for not wearing a helmet and told to pay that dollar, it's ultimately for your own good'.

  Seeing is believing
  

Chasing Cars, 5 May 2008

• Combatting beggars is increasingly becoming a major issue in Cambodia so as to create a healthy image for the millions of (potential) tourists. Read this article in the most recent (May 4) Phnom Penh Post (Beggars to get the boot ...).
  Apparently authorities are taking quite a strict line on beggars: police have been told that they are not allowed to beg (or is it issuing fines?). As read on KI Media which ripped it from everyday.com.kh.:

  'The city of Phnom Penh asked the city police force to end the arrest of motorcycles that are not equipped with rearview mirrors, or if their drivers do not wear safety helmets, and the end of the fines for these infractions will begin on 30 April 2008. The city said that this measure was not successful because people still continue not to have rearview mirrors, and they still do not wear helmet. Furthermore, the cops who issued fines for these infractions are in fact pocketing the fines for themselves only. Major Tin Prasoeur, director of the Phnom Penh land traffic police, said that the traffic police used to issue fines to those who do not wear helmet, and those whose motorcycles are not equipped with a rearview mirrors, but, they have stopped issuing fines, and, instead, the police is turning to educating people instead because some of them do not understand the new traffic law very well. Furthermore, for vehicles which do not have a license plate, or do not have a permanent license plate, or they are overloaded with merchandises, the police will still continue to issue fines as before. Tin Prasoeur recognized that in the past, some crooked police officers used fines as an excuse to extort money beyond the fine limit, furthermore, some issued fines but did not provide the receipt to the vehicle owners'.

  This is very weird. Authorities asking police not to enforce the law, while the same authorities actively provide lip service to the same law whenever grand functions are held, such as the Road Safety Week.
  But at the same time, has anyone seen police pulling up unsuspecting drivers? At least in the English section of the web on Cambodia no one seems to have noticed. Crossing Cambodia however did notice some increased activity by police but the lack of other responses possibly thought that these were unrelated to any law enforcement. And has it helped? That's strange not at all, a helmet count yesterday afternoon came to 31%, at seven in the evening it was just 10-11%!
  

• Cambodian Daily draws attention to the low rate of helmet-cladded moto drivers and possible future beggars (May 1, 2008).

  'Nearly 50 percent of people involved in motorbike accidents in January suffered head trauma, but only 6 % of those in motorbike accidents were wearing a safety helmet'.

• What's happening to Cambodia's railway? No news, good news? You may remember that Cambodia seeks to privatize their railways, looks like Thailand is following suit. The state run company is pathetic:

  'The move [privatization] follows SRT's [State Railway of Thailand] chronic losses, making it not possible for the state unit to develop its network for modern logistics, even though rail transport per unit is much cheaper than road transport'.

  And in New Zealand the same argument (rail is cheaper and more environmental friendly) is being used to reverse their privatization of their railways, buying back from Toll, who were in Cambodia's rail privatization driving seat. NZ's PM Helen Clark:

  'With rising fuel prices and growing awareness about the challenge of global climate change, many nations are looking to rail as a central part of 21st century economic infrastructure. She said a modern rail system could reduce the emissions of the overall transport network, take pressure off our roads and allow trucking and shipping to operate more efficiently'.

  Crossing Cambodia begs to know, what the ADB thinks?
  

• The little incidents section: a bridge in Stung Treng province 'breaks'. This bridge is located on the main highway to Rattanakiri and with the rainy season just under way, one might need to expect some major delays!
  By the way, Crossing Cambodia begs you to look at this photo on Vuthasurf, it's your local transport to Rattanakiri.

• The report is minor, not the incident:

  'Two female garment workers died when a truck hit them from behind as they were riding bicycle'.

  This begs the question, was the driver blind?

• More question marks:

  'Witnesses claim that before the accident, they saw the car was driven to hit the road’s concrete chest and the driver lying down in the car and they smashed the car’s glass to help him. He died at the hospital and doctor said that he had incident because of dizziness'.

• Cambodia Daily (May 1, 2008) adds to the minor incident section:

  'Police have detained the suspected drunken driver of a car who had fled the scene of two separate traffic accidents Tuesday night before crashing near the Russian embassy'.

  The culprit:

  'whose father is a senior government official'.

  The sentence:

  'if both sides cannot agree [victims and culprit], we will send their case to the court'.

  Obviously he will be let off, without needing to beg!
  

Chasing Cars, Khmer New Year style, April 152008

• The city of Phnom Penh frees itself from the never ending stream of moto's and cars:

  'Thousands of people crammed onto buses and cars, some clinging to roofs and spilling out of doors, as they headed out of Phnom Penh yesterday for the Buddhist New Year holiday'.
  

• The road toll? Today's (April 15, 2008) Cambodia Daily mentions five traffic deaths, elsewhere the country seems to be relatively free of traffic accidents.
  

• However, there are some peculiarities when investigating accidents:

  'Policeman Meas Samuth, one of the injured, said his colleague was conducting a traffic investigation following a collision between a motorcycle and child, when a “two gangs” began blowing whistles.
  “My friend asked them to stop,” he said, adding that they told the group the police were working.
  “They did not stop,” Meas Samuth said. “And then my friend asked them to give him the whistle, but they didn’t want to.”
  A fracas ensued, and the youths began beating the police, knocking one of them out, Meas Samuth said'.

• A clear case of disrepecting the law. Vuthasurf has a blog entry on Respecting the traffic law to reduce corruption. He mentions:

  'The main cause of corruption is in the traffic system after the judiciary system in the current Cambodian society'.

  Furthermore he links on to the new anti-corruption site Saatsaam, though the specific link to the guide on traffic law and traffic fines is only available in Khmer which, in itself, is a very good initiative.

  'If you have committed a fault whilst driving on the road, you should remember: A fine issued without a receipt is corruption. Drivers must always remember to ask for a receipt from traffic police officers whenever they are fined. Drivers should wait to obtain receipt for a fine when they have committed faults and fined by traffic police officers. Asking for a receipt for fines can contribute to reducing corruption in the implementation of traffic law'.
  

• More on shady deals or is it not shady? The ongoing saga of creating a national flag carrier. Will it take off? Just read this:

  'With a national flag carrier, we envisage our economy and tourism industry will grow rapidly," Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister, Sok An, said in the statement released by Rajawali.
  
  Cambodia launched its own national flag carrier, Royal Air Cambodge (RAC), in the mid-1990s but it went bankrupt, resulting in heavy losses for the government'.

  So history tells us that creation of a national flag carrier not necessarily means a good move. The same goes for most countries around Cambodia, where the national carriers are good examples of lacking management (Thai) and excessive chances to influence the airline to take non-commercial decisions such as flying politicians (and their extended families) for free (all the other countries). In this respect one must view how Vietnam is opening up it's airline sector and who knows the recently renamed carrier Jetstar Pacific will be jetting into Phnom Penh by the end of the year; at affordable prices. Cambodia Daily (April 11, 2008) adds that:

  'The Cambodia Association of Travel Agents are frustrated by the lack of information officials have provided about the new carrier'.

  They should not hold the breath, as the new carrier is still considering which new model to use: a 737, 757 or 767? Clearly, by now one would have established which routes to fly and then considered the aircraft. The capacities of the aircraft mentioned are quite diverse, anyway that's their problem.
  p.s.: did you notice that Bangkok Airways mentions a possible link from Bangkok to Sihanoukville on their latest route map?
  

• More traffic news revisited ('Biting the dust'). The dump trucks are still obstructed from going to and from the quarry (Cambodia daily, 11 April, 2008).

  'The quarry's manager whose trucks have been halted by the protesting villagers, said his company is not at fault and should not be responsible for paving a public road'.

  To be continued ....

Chasing Cars, Cambodian Style, Tuesday 18 March 2008

So what's up in traffic related Cambodia?

• We had confirmation that trains are still running via Khmernews.com:

  'Battambang Province: A 28-year-old mouse hunter died immediately on a rail way on 15 March 2008 in Mong Russey district’s Mong commune. The train ran over his head while he was sleeping on the rail way, police said. The victim, Sok Kiet, always hunted mice at night. Mong Russey district police Chief Kit Heang concluded that the victim fell asleep on the rail way'.

  Comprehensible? Can you call someone who catches mice a 'hunter'?

• The key to winning the upcoming elections?

  'He [Keo Chuktema, governor of Phnom Penh] said that for the CPP [Cambodia's evergreen ruling elitist party] to win in Phnom Penh, he will start repairing as many of the new and old roads as possible, starting from now on'.

  Why would he need to repair new roads?

• More electioneering: the prime minister all of sudden notices that all and sundry are asking for hand outs:

  'Hun Sen said that, near Chhlong district [Kratie province], there is a control station, and in Kampong Cham, near the digging by the paved road, there is one place where bribes are being asked also. .... He said that roads were built for orderly traffic, but these cops turn them into a bribe-request location instead. He said that TVK broadcast about this issue every day, but, they don’t watch it, and even the newspapers are reporting about these control stations, but the government officials do not read about them. ... Hun Sen added: “When the high-ranking officials go down to inspect, their cars are blaring the siren sound, so that when those who set up the control stations hear about it, they just took off because they are mobile control stations.”'

  And the PM himself, he has no blaring siren?

• The dead are rising? At least that's this article's caption:
  

  'Traffic Deaths Rising Steeply: Group'

  They of course mean increasing, but what is the 'group'? It's Handicap International:

  'At least 125 people died and 576 were seriously injured in traffic accidents nationwide in December 2007, Handicap International reported this week. This is a 32 percent increase compared to the same period in 2006, the group said. ... Handicap International spokesman Sem Panhavuth said about 83 percent of the victims died because of head injuries. Of those who died, only four were wearing a helmet, he said'.

  The government then construes the figures:

  'Tem Proseur, director of the Phnom Penh traffic police, said that in in the capital only about 80 percent of motorcycle drivers wear helmets'.

  If you look around Phnom Penh roads, it's 80% that are not wearing helmets! So what are 'we' going to do about it?

  'In order to decrease the traffic fatalities, the government has formed a traffic safety committee, which includes members from 20 ministries, said Chum Iek, secretary of state for the Ministry of Public Works. ...The committee is working to advocate traffic safety to students, as well as strengthening law enforcement. The committee hopes to work with non-government agencies to educate people on traffic laws, he said'.

  Isn't it time that someone educates the government?

• On a separate non-Cambodian note: did you know Traffic kills?

• Cambodia's most 'aggressive' (they phoned Crossing Cambodia a couple of weeks ago from Thailand asking me to attend a 'meeting') insurance company, Infinity, has had to retract a statement made in an advertisement on motorcycle insurance: apparently they can't substantiate that daily 40 motorcycles are stolen in Phnom Penh. This according to today's (March 8, 2008) Cambodia Daily. The governor of Phnom Penh is quoted:

  ' "Have you seen the ad? ... Losing [stolen he means] 40 motorbikes per day is too much" '.

  The official figures for February were just 3. But probably they mean those that were reported stolen, not those they are stolen unreported. According to khmernews.com on February 3 this happened:
  

  'Witnesses said that as the suffered man had his motorbike filled, two men riding an old C100 Korea motorcycle came nearby and pointed handgun at the victim and took his motor. The robbers left their old motorbike at the scene'.

  On the 26th:

  'Two thieves with handgun rode 2007 serried Smash motorcycle to run over a man and pointed the gun to take his motorbike safely'.

  Was this just it for February? Crossing Cambodia thinks not. On Khmer 440 there is a forum entry on the same article. Was MarkLathams motorcycle included in the Feb. 08 tally?
  

• A fracas occurred at the airport taxi stand / parking on Monday. Both taxi drivers as well as tuk-tuk drivers want to earn an extra buck at the expense of the other. The airports solution is to get passengers out of the airport by bus!
  

• The vintage cars have made it. The good news:

  ' "The road (from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh) is good," so that the vehicles entered the capital city around half an hour earlier than the scheduled noon time'.

  The bad news:

  'costing each participant some 46,000 U.S. dollars'.

  !!!! Have they figured in the rise in petrol prices yet?

• A blogger finds Phnom Penh traffic confusing:
  

  'Basically, you can do as you please. Traffic rules can be bent or twisted in any way or direction, just like what contortionists to their bodies'.

  Now that being the case, why is one of the photo's from a couple of years back?
  

Chasing Cars, Cambodian Style, February 2 2008

• Not much on internet the last week, however yesterday's (Feb.1, 2008) Cambodian Daily had a couple of traffic related articles. The big news is that highway 32, the road connecting Bokor Mountain (to be, but currently in ruins) Resort, is off-limits while it is being reconstructed (and privatized (?) in the process). Sokha Hotel Group

  'estimates it will take around 2,5 years to complete'.

  Reportedly trekking up the mountain is becoming all the rage.

• 'Traffic Injuries deaths up 45% in November'.

  A yell from again yesterday's Cambodian Daily. However the article then points to the fact that the 45% rise, is in comparison to October, the year to year rise was 18%, which seems very much in line with the growth in traffic overall. The article also reports

  'that the number of motorbike drivers reporting that they wear safety helmets increased from 3% to 7% from October to November'.

  A not so trueful statement, as it concerns victims of accidents. In general a look on today's roads (in Phnom Penh) would reveal that this percentage is 25-40%; it implies that helmet wearers are also safer drivers.

• Only if you are important, does an accident make the newspaper. An executive's car overtaking while a car is coming from the other side ...

• China will invest a packet (55 million $US) in a road to Ratanakiri; no strings attached?

• And now for something completly different:

  'Motor taxi driver injures a robber. ... The robber used a cleaver to rob the motor taxi driver. They scuffled each other. Meanwhile, the motorbike owner took the cleaver from the robber and attacked him back, police said. The victim known as Trei Sopheak, 35, got severe injured seven times in his neck, head and stomach. While both were fighting, police intervened on time and sent them to the hospital.'

• Motorcycle touring Cambodia? 'Don't look back in Angkor'. A pity the Chinese and private companies will ruin the future for these tourists. Which kind? The kind that like this:

  'The two boys and their bikes are totally covered in mud and I suspect, as I try to kick-start my Honda XR250, that I will be soon, given the road ahead is a barely passable series of potholed broken tracks'.

Helmet issue (not again?)

One thing the new year has brought about, is the realization that Phnom Penh is now the only Southeast Asian capital where motorbike riders are not compelled to wear their helmets. This after Vietnam recently began enforcing a law on helmets and earlier last year, the same happened in Lao. Both countries capitals are now awash with helmet wearing bikers, thus ensuring an increasing safety for oneself and attributing to an increased sensibility to the countries in general.

However this enforcement is not nation-wide enforced: in up-country Lao and Thailand, if you want to feel the breeze in your hair, no one (it seems) is going to stop you. So obviously there are issues here at stake concerning law enforcement; the further away you are from the centers of power, the less you might be compelled to stay in line?

In Hua Hin, Thailand, new year was heralded by forceful eastern winds. Fishers on it's pier resorted to wearing their helmets while fishing, a clear case of needing a helmet not to let your hair get messed up (or is it a new bit of legislation requiring fishers to wear helmets?)

Chasing Cars, 6 November 2007

Missed Crossing Cambodia? Nah? Hmm, wondering wants happening to the site? Keep wondering, Crossing Cambodia has some long term plans ....

In the meantime, CC just came back from a week holidays. Cambodia was world news! For what? The local supremo's adopted daughter officially switches sexual preference, so as a good surrogate father you cut them from your will. Don't worry, even Dick Cheney (the Darth Vader?) has these kinds of problems.

Furthermore the North Korea PM paid his Cambodian cronies a visit, to bolster economic and cultural ties.

And finally the traffic news: DPA picked upon a recent trend to use animal noises as horns. Crossing Cambodia has not witnessed this himself, though once saw a foreigner on a motorcycle using his horn which resembled a policeman blowing his whistle. It didn't help much and anyway it's not allowed anymore (for fear of 're-education' [like the sound of that]). More tidbits:

• Believe the new traffic law means every one can get a traffic license without paying all and sundry? Think again. The Phnom Penh Post apparently uncovers scams costing more than $100 to get a driver's license without sitting any exam.

• See picture, Pol Pot's car is for sale.

• Rainy season means thousands of trucks stuck on national highway 57

• Getting stuck? The Bangkok - Siem Reap blog Updates Report on October 2007, mentions

  'mafia taxi's'.

  Apparently run by the maffia for the public good. One report:

  'The road to SR is still a mess but passable with care'.

  Another lady mentions:

  'Believe me after that 6 1/2 hrs taxi ride I was pretty upset, ...'.

• Less stuck is this expose called Rush hour at Angkor: visiting the temples by push-bike. Conclusion:

  'I'm well and truly spent. One day of this type of exertion is plenty...'.

• Getting unstuck and less exerting: Dancing Roads Dirtbike:

  'Brave yourself against seemingly impassable roads, ...'.
  

• Getting stuck at the Lao-Cambodian border: Sun san's forum entry on Khmer 440 shows you the way north from Phnom Penh, literally on his flickr site.

Then finally a round up of all kind of miscellaneous announcements on infrastructure / government decisions:

• Free skies coming your way?

  'It's open skies as 10 Southeast Asian nations agreed this to week to have free air access between their capital cities by December next year'.

  Pie in the sky.

• Building bridges in times of elections.

• More roads means more Toyota Camry's.

• And what all this can lead to? Vietnam News reports that the city Hue is unable to cope with just the Thai arrivals, what with a new bridge over the Mekong and a beauty of a road to Central North coast of Vietnam. On the 23rd of October more than 6,000 Thai visited Hue, however it only has 'nearly 6,000 rooms'.

Chasing Cars Cambodian Style, 5 October 2007

• For those of you on the look-out, all tire deflating robbers have been busted! DPA via KI Media:

  ' ... the men have admitted to four robberies on well-heeled bank customers who had driven to their branches to withdraw cash, which had netted them a total of 97,500 dollars.
  
  [...]
  When we asked them why they pulled so many robberies so quickly, they said they had only been able to obtain a five-day visa and they didn't want to overstay,' [Police lieutenant colonel] Ngy said'.

  Lucky they did not get a two weeks visum or a business visa!

• Kampong Thom province are also adding up, Khmer News reports:
  

  '92 Die, 427 Injured in Kampong Thom in Nine Months'

  Why?

  'They drive motorcycles too fast, drive with drunkenness, or drivers are not tolerant'.
  

• In Koh Kong they are also waking to the deal with the new traffic law. A public meeting with the following message:

  'Ly Sareth, Koh Kong public work chief office said that the new traffic regulation consists of 12 chapters and 95 articles which has taken effect and started since 1 September. He added that 95% of offices has no driving license including taxi drivers'.

  Thanx to Khmer News
  


• More on the thieves: the AK-47 bandits. The ringleader of this notorious gang has been arrested, his accomplices are still on the run. With their guns they rob motorcyclists of their motor's. What for?

  'After the sale of their loot, they would party, drink, and have pleasure with women, until they depleted their income before restarting the robbery cycle again'.

  Did I mention that the weapons have also not been recovered?


• In Vietnam a law on wearing helmets is set to be enforced from the 15th of December.

  'Vietnam has one of the world's highest traffic fatality rates, with nearly 13,000 deaths recorded last year alone - the majority involving the ubiquitous motorbike. Few people bother with helmets, saying they are hot, bulky and unfashionable. But as of Dec. 15, everyone will be required to don the so-called 'rice cookers' as the government enforces a new law intended to save lives.'

  
  The article is much publicized originating from AP. Fines will amount to roughly a dollar.

  'Helmets must also be certified with a stamp verifying they meet Vietnam's safety standard'.

  
  An eye-opener for the Khmer law enforcers?
  


• The cost of enforcing? 57,000 riels or a little more than 14 dollars US. Everyday.com.kh:

  'The ministry of public works and transport has set the price for motorcycle driving lessons at all private driving school and departments of public works in all province and municipalities to 57,000 riels (~$14.25) only'.

  The statistics:

  Currently, in Phnom Penh city, there are about ½ million motorcycles, but only about 10,000 motorcycle drivers have legal driver license.

• Finally, the poor moto drivers ('yes?') get a political treat curiosity of SRP. Sam Rainsy's claims to fame?

  ' ..., if his party were to win the election, and if he were to become the prime minister, he will lower the price of gasoline to about 3,000 riels (~$0.75) per liter. He also recalled that when he was the economy and finance minister, he was able to prevent the rise of the price of the US dollar, and he was able to lower the price of gasoline to 600 riels per liter only'.

  Single handily preventing the rise of the US dollar? On the new traffic law:

  'After criticizing the driver license issue, Sam Rainsy said that in order to let the people know about the traffic law, there is no need for them to attend schools, educational paperwork could be distributed to people so they can learn about the traffic law on their own at home'.

  CPP criticism:

  'The distribution of noodle is an attempt to garner votes for the upcoming 2008 election'.

  The full article from everyday.com.kh is available at KI Media
  

Chasing Cars, 29 September, 2007

• This week Burma is never far away. The played indignation of western nations, which have tolerated for too long an autocratic regime. But now the USA is coming down hard on the regime. Ms. Rice insists Burma give a visa to the UN special rapporteur! Hardly a threat, I would think. The Burma regime will have no rights to a visa for the US, as of now. 'Naughty boys all of you!' Anyway Cambodia's northern neighbour Laos has no such qualms, according to this link:

  'Than Shwe's family is on a visit to Laos, the source added'.

  They just flew there. One thing for sure, they're not there for the shopping!



• Talking about shopping, China (the only 'true' friend of Burma) has saved Cambodia another shopping sortie. For motorbikes. An everyday.com.kh translated article reports that Cambodia is in line to receive 104 motorcycles. Yippee!

  'The Chinese ambassador stressed that, in the future, if Cambodia has other needs, China will provide them further'.

  Just in case Cambodia goes the Burma way, it's a great reassurance.
  
  The motorbikes will be called upon by the traffic police, to help them beat out the midday sun? Have you not noticed how traffic police in Phnom Penh have problems standing upright, they are always propping themselves up with assistance of a motorcycle.
  Anyway thanks China, how about doing something about the printing of receipts for traffic fines, they still have not surfaced?


• 
  
  
  Fellow blogger Cambodia maps has problems on his shopping sprees, the traffic on 174th-51st is apparently 'interesting'



• Some shoppers are better off, though two Indonesians [?] are now less fortunate. They are the 'puncture car thieves': car goes to bank, draws from expenses account (> 10,000 $US), returns, tries to leave, bummer! Flat tyre! While inspecting, thieves access car and take off with cash, Robin Hood style. Unfortunately, only
  

  'only two of them were caught on Mao Tse Tung Blvd'.

  There were four. So next time you intend to draw a couple of grand from your local bank, beware!



• More awareness required, but now for those unfortunate Lao. As if playing servant for their poor Burmese refugees (see above) is not enough, Lao authorities are drawing up a plan to ban tuk-tuks and jumbo's (a form of tuk-tuk, but with a larger motor, also known as a Skylab). Their offence?

  'Authorities see that these vehicles to some extent cause road accidents in the city, resulting in several deaths and injuries every month'.

  The Laoi authorities seek higher standards apparently:

  'We can all see that these vehicles are in poor condition. Some of them don't even have indicators, or front and back lights, ... '
  

  An expat quips the end is near, well sort of:
  

  'Tuk-tuks provide a form of service for which there is no substitute; it is one of the reasons I enjoy life in Laos, ...'
  

  How come in Cambodia the above practices are commonplace but authorities do not give a hoot?



• From The Mirror a couple of older articles: Survival Priorities for Road Traffic. An editorial. On the (lack of?) of implemention of the new traffic law. It also provides the author with the opportunity to mention:

  'I use a motorcycle-taxi – a “moto” - every day on Street 51. The moto driver and I were almost killed, when a big dark Landcruiser without license plates, but with a driver in uniform, almost knocked us over, high speed, disregarding the STOP sign on a road crossing Street 51 from where he came'.

  A daily occurence. He then adds:

  'Road traffic in Phnom Penh is chaotic. And dangerous'.

  He (or is it a she?) then comes with the same suggestions placed elders on this site.
  Then from a couple days prior to this:
  

  'In Three Days, 9 People Died and 17 Were Injured in Traffic Accidents in Phnom Penh'

  Again it refers to the new traffic law. And the author's observations:

  ' ... and what I have observed myself:

  1. New luxury cars without license plates - if they create an accident and they speed away, nobody can identify them – pass regularly in front of the traffic police without being intercepted, while several police talk down on people – judging from their clothes probably people from the countryside or young women – who came on small motorbikes.
  2. Government vehicles are supposed to be used for official duty; will traffic police be able to stop and report a big Landcruiser with a military number plate on a weekend, in which half a dozen beautifully dressed young ladies are being transported somewhere?'

  Gone shopping probably.

  'Nowadays, police may be afraid to report a “powerful vehicle” belonging to a “powerful institution.” Without a change in this power game, it is difficult to see how the necessary improvement of road traffic in Cambodia can be achieved, and how it will work.'

Next up: motorcycle repair shops and wash places.

From KI Media, a translated article on the ongoing suppression of all activities irrelevant to the rich, high and mighty:

The Phnom Penh municipality plans to close motorcycle repair shops and motorcycle washing shops set up along roadsides in Phnom Penh, because these shops destroy public order, cause traffic jam, plug sewers, and create a lot of noise to the neighborhood. The Koh Santepheap newspaper reported that the plan to close all these activities was concocted during a meeting at the Phnom Penh city hall, presided by Chreang Sophan, the deputy governor of the city of Phnom Penh. During the meeting, the roadside shop owners were accused of destroying public order as described above. An official from the city hall indicated that currently, in the city of Phnom Penh, there are thousands of such motorcycle repair and washing shops, and that most of these shops are set up along roadsides causing daily traffic jams. These shops do not have the city authorization to operate. The city will set up a committee to review and teach the shop owners, if they still persist in their activities after one or two summons, the shop will be closed down.

Have the rulers of the new Khmer Republic ever considered asking the population what they want? Would they support a decree to get motorcycle repair shops to clear off (where to?). Do the haphazardly parked SUV's and Landcruisers outside Lucky's supermarket on Sihanouk Boulevard not result equally in traffic jams? What about the racket produced by passing senior officials complete with sirens? And blocking all transport on major streets of Phnom Penh when the PM needs to use his car for a change?

One country, one people, one set of laws, two ways of interpretation. Those above the law and those oppressed by the law.

The Cambodia Weekly

A new-ish publication in Cambodia is the Cambodia Weekly, which is no relative of the Cambodia Daily. In it's already 12th issue, it delves up quite a few stories on transport in Cambodia. Unfortunately their web-site is under construction which means that Crossing Cambodia has to blatantly copy the articles.

Let's look at the editorial. Someone by the name of Hang 'Sunny' Sunleng writes a 'personal dispatch':

'The rules of the road have changed, let's follow them

I have three rules of driving in Cambodia. The first is compromise. I let people overtaking me in speeding land cruisers or dangerously weaving through the traffic on their motorbikes endangering their lives and others pass me by. The second is to be aggressive. When intersections are clogged with motobikes and big trucks [in general there are no big trucks in Phnom Penh], I have to be aggresssive, otherwise I will never cross. The third is it's anarchy. I figure if I can't beat them, I'll have to join the anarchistic game that passes for driving here'.

So his ingredients: as a traffic participant be a compromising aggressive anarchist!

'This year I celebrate my 10th year of driving in Cambodia.

After traveling on the treacherous roads during Khmer New Year I am still appalled and shocked by the amount of irresponsible drivers.

There were 270 accidents during Khmer New Year - slightly more than last year- 54 people died and another 259 were severely injured, according to the Ministry of Interior figures.

The main cause of these accidents was human error including illegal speeding [is there no legal speeding? CC], drunk driving and dangerous passing, according to Meas Chandy, road safety project officer of the Road Traffic and Victim Information System.

Until last year, no license was even required to drive a motorbike.

On Dec. 20 [2006] the president of the National Assembly H.E. Heng Samrin signed the new traffic law, which contains 12 chapters and 95 articles. Now according to the law, the minimum age to drive a motorbike is 16 years.

While this new traffic law is an important step forward, there is a long way to go to put it into practice.

For instance, article 43 of the Traffic Law determines that a driver loses his licence after receiving 12 demerit points. One point is deducted for a light infraction and eight points for more severe infractions. It sounds great, but like any other law, without strict implementation and enforcement, it is rendered ineffective'.

This surely can not be true. If anything non-bookkeeping and / or book cooking are national past-times. Everyone in the position will ( or already does) rewrite his or her history. And when you lose your license you just buy a new one!

'Every day I hear the radio and newspaper [read the newspaper?] reports on traffic accidents that result in casualties and property damage. Clearly, these high tolls remain unchanged.

But what is most unfortunate is that the majority of casualties are farmers, students and workers [that covers most of Cambodia's citizens, the only exceptions are politicians and business persons] and that the major causes of these accidents are speeding and alcohol, both of which are preventable'.

He then goes on about the difficulties he had in obtaining a driving licence in Canada where he has apparently lived for twenty years, despite already possessing a Cambodian license when entering Canada.

'I think if we followed some basic principles of traffic safety like following the speed limit, not driving under the influence, using turn signals, wearing helmets on motobikes, crossing the street in the crosswalk and limiting the number of passengers in vans, it would be a huge step forward toward safer roadways for everyone'.

Could it really be this simple? Speed limits are non-existent. Driving under the influence: no breath analysis testers. Using turn signals: lights often not work and if they do, this is certainly the last thing a Cambodian Driver would use. Wearing helmets: yeah; simple to control, a large contribution to ensuring safety during accidents. Crosswalks: as mentioned previously in this blog it is perceived by Cambodians a crazy thing to do, walk that is; no need for cross walks, just places for (legal) u-turns. Vans overloaded? What about taxi's? Moto's? Remorques? Tuk=tuks?

Traffic Crime

In the fortnightly update on crime and traffic as reported in Cambodian newspapers Koh Santepheap and Rasmei Kampuchea and translated and (re-) published by the Phnom Penh Post just the two mentions.

A hit, kill, and steal reported on March 28 at 5.30 in the morning on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

Furthermore a student

... was shot and wounded while driving his motorbike ...

At 3.30 in the morning on same date as above. Added to this information was:

... shot in the bottom [Ouch! Was he not sitting on the motorcycle?] with a K-54 handgun by an unknown man who escaped in his car. He [the victims friend] said the man [culprit] was probably angry after Theara [the victim] tried to overtake his car.