skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The Ubiquitous Tuk-Tuk
The three-wheeled, vehicles with coughing motors called tuk-tuks are useful and sometimes convenient for short distances although much of the time they are idling polluting machines.
The most common around Bangkok are the smaller ones with a small compartment for the driver and a bench in back for two to three passengers, depending on their size. Thailand’s first tuk-tuks came on the scene in the late 1950’s. Imported from Japan, the vehicles replaced the samlors (three-wheeled bicycles with a pedaling driver’s seat and a covered passenger seat behind) of bygone days.
Performing an analogous job to the taxicab, the ubiquitous tuk-tuks (aptly named because of the clattering, monotonous sound of their engines) are virtually power-driven rickshaws of olden Chinese notoriety.
Noise and environmental polluters, the tuk-tuks of Thailand are in effect, three-wheeled motorcycles, sometimes sporting handlebars instead of steering wheels. Their two-stroke engines much like chain saws, leaf blowers, dirt bikes, mopeds or jet skis run on gas just like cars. The advantages of a two-stroke engine are significant because they don’t have valves, which simplify their construction and lower their weight.
Very picturesque and popular among the tourist population, their powerful motors can go faster in heavy traffic than a regular car as they weave in and out of lanes in crowded city streets; however, they are hazardous because they offer almost no protection in case of an accident; they can tip over if going too fast, and since they are open on all sides, passengers are exposed to the polluting exhaust fumes of other cars.
In spite of all this, tuk-tuks continuously zoom by packed with 2 or 3 large-sized tourists in search of a quaint, thrilling experience. Some expatriates here call tuk-tuks, the Chariots of smoke; nonetheless, many of our visitors don’t want to miss this absolutely captivating way of traveling around Bangkok.
For some unknown reason, many tuk-tuk drivers hail from the rural areas of Thailand and have a reputation for not knowing Bangkok very well, as a result getting people lost in this enormous, crowded metropolis. Drivers aren’t required to undergo any training; in fact, some have never taken a driving test
Because tuk-tuks don’t have meters, it is essential for people to bargain with the driver for a fare price that’s acceptable to both parties, taking into account the fact that taxi fares start at 35 Baht for the first 3 KM. If the fare is not agreed to in advance, drivers may stray from the most direct route making the trip longer, hence more expensive and no doubt ending in an unpleasant situation.
As urban transportation, tuk-tuks are thought to solve some of the notorious Bangkok traffic congestion; on the other hand, the spewing contamination of their engines, I feel, makes them a threat to the environment.
Built of sheet metal roofing with water-proof canvas, a flimsy frame, three small wheels and, ornamental carvings for decoration, tuk-tuks actually look like versions of high-speed three-wheeled golf carts. They are able to make u -turns in one small lane of traffic - with room to spare - making them convenient three-wheeler motorcycles with the ability to carry passengers or cargo on the rear seat.
Presently, Bangkok’s municipality is trying to get rid of them by placing a ban on new tuk-tuks as they are loud and contribute considerably to air pollution, not to mention the many accidents in which tuk-tuks are involved; however, it may take years for the present ones to die out. As with many other regulations, I have no idea if this policy is being enforced. Many local residents can't bear the tuk-tuk, and were it not for their attractiveness with tourists, their days on Bangkok roads would undeniably be numbered.
At times, during rush-hour, it’s easier to hire a tuk-tuk for a short distance because even though slowly, they keep moving when cars and buses cannot; tuk-tuk’s can maneuver in and out of traffic and partly onto the sidewalk (if there is one) without any shame or guilt -- much to the acquiescence of pedestrians who also have to share and contend with the commotion of vendors hawking their commodities, rivaling for very limited space. Add 95% humidity, a temperature of 98F, a headache from the noise and a sore throat from the pollution and you may get an idea of a typical Bangkok rush-hour.
If riding in a tuk-tuk in heavy traffic, a great part of the time may be spent sitting on the road at 
a standstill, locked up by hundreds of other cars, motorbikes, buses and fellow tuk- tuks all in pursuit of the endless, unnamed back streets and passageways that navigate the one and two-way winding corkscrews around the canals of Bangkok.
Once Tuk-tuks finally abandon the street scene and are relegated to a museum of transportation or a metal junk heap somewhere in the city, their symbolic allure remains much like Thailand’s inhabitants: sluggish yet hasty, deafening, and indifferent polluters of the environment; there are multitudes of them; they are charming, slight of frame and they smoke a great deal.
By Edie Wilcox@ May 2006
The three-wheeled, vehicles with coughing motors called tuk-tuks are useful and sometimes convenient for short distances although much of the time they are idling polluting machines.
The most common around Bangkok are the smaller ones with a small compartment for the driver and a bench in back for two to three passengers, depending on their size. Thailand’s first tuk-tuks came on the scene in the late 1950’s. Imported from Japan, the vehicles replaced the samlors (three-wheeled bicycles with a pedaling driver’s seat and a covered passenger seat behind) of bygone days.
Performing an analogous job to the taxicab, the ubiquitous tuk-tuks (aptly named because of the clattering, monotonous sound of their engines) are virtually power-driven rickshaws of olden Chinese notoriety.
Noise and environmental polluters, the tuk-tuks of Thailand are in effect, three-wheeled motorcycles, sometimes sporting handlebars instead of steering wheels. Their two-stroke engines much like chain saws, leaf blowers, dirt bikes, mopeds or jet skis run on gas just like cars. The advantages of a two-stroke engine are significant because they don’t have valves, which simplify their construction and lower their weight.
Very picturesque and popular among the tourist population, their powerful motors can go faster in heavy traffic than a regular car as they weave in and out of lanes in crowded city streets; however, they are hazardous because they offer almost no protection in case of an accident; they can tip over if going too fast, and since they are open on all sides, passengers are exposed to the polluting exhaust fumes of other cars.
In spite of all this, tuk-tuks continuously zoom by packed with 2 or 3 large-sized tourists in search of a quaint, thrilling experience. Some expatriates here call tuk-tuks, the Chariots of smoke; nonetheless, many of our visitors don’t want to miss this absolutely captivating way of traveling around Bangkok.
For some unknown reason, many tuk-tuk drivers hail from the rural areas of Thailand and have a reputation for not knowing Bangkok very well, as a result getting people lost in this enormous, crowded metropolis. Drivers aren’t required to undergo any training; in fact, some have never taken a driving test
Because tuk-tuks don’t have meters, it is essential for people to bargain with the driver for a fare price that’s acceptable to both parties, taking into account the fact that taxi fares start at 35 Baht for the first 3 KM. If the fare is not agreed to in advance, drivers may stray from the most direct route making the trip longer, hence more expensive and no doubt ending in an unpleasant situation.
As urban transportation, tuk-tuks are thought to solve some of the notorious Bangkok traffic congestion; on the other hand, the spewing contamination of their engines, I feel, makes them a threat to the environment.
Built of sheet metal roofing with water-proof canvas, a flimsy frame, three small wheels and, ornamental carvings for decoration, tuk-tuks actually look like versions of high-speed three-wheeled golf carts. They are able to make u -turns in one small lane of traffic - with room to spare - making them convenient three-wheeler motorcycles with the ability to carry passengers or cargo on the rear seat.
Presently, Bangkok’s municipality is trying to get rid of them by placing a ban on new tuk-tuks as they are loud and contribute considerably to air pollution, not to mention the many accidents in which tuk-tuks are involved; however, it may take years for the present ones to die out. As with many other regulations, I have no idea if this policy is being enforced. Many local residents can't bear the tuk-tuk, and were it not for their attractiveness with tourists, their days on Bangkok roads would undeniably be numbered.
At times, during rush-hour, it’s easier to hire a tuk-tuk for a short distance because even though slowly, they keep moving when cars and buses cannot; tuk-tuk’s can maneuver in and out of traffic and partly onto the sidewalk (if there is one) without any shame or guilt -- much to the acquiescence of pedestrians who also have to share and contend with the commotion of vendors hawking their commodities, rivaling for very limited space. Add 95% humidity, a temperature of 98F, a headache from the noise and a sore throat from the pollution and you may get an idea of a typical Bangkok rush-hour.
If riding in a tuk-tuk in heavy traffic, a great part of the time may be spent sitting on the road at 
a standstill, locked up by hundreds of other cars, motorbikes, buses and fellow tuk- tuks all in pursuit of the endless, unnamed back streets and passageways that navigate the one and two-way winding corkscrews around the canals of Bangkok.
Once Tuk-tuks finally abandon the street scene and are relegated to a museum of transportation or a metal junk heap somewhere in the city, their symbolic allure remains much like Thailand’s inhabitants: sluggish yet hasty, deafening, and indifferent polluters of the environment; there are multitudes of them; they are charming, slight of frame and they smoke a great deal.
By Edie Wilcox@ May 2006
No comments:
Post a Comment