ABSTRACT
Thailand’s transport systems are problematic in many aspects, including serious traffic congestion in urban areas, traffic safety issues, and overdependence on unsustainable modes of transport. The lacklustre performance of Thailand’s transport system can be attributed significantly to the Thai government’s policies and the ineffectiveness of and the lack of coordination among its agencies. Unintegrated and imbalanced transport policies have often produced stand-alone and inefficient infrastructure projects that benefit only certain population groups, further widening the economic gap. This chapter provides an overview of Thailand’s transport systems, with analysis of the Thai state’s contributions to the performance of the Thai transport system, and highlights the need for a major reform in its transport governance so that incentives are in place for different agencies to work together to produce better outcomes.
