Thailand is widely acknowledged as having the
most extensive road transportation network of more than 390,026
kilometers, of which 384,176, or 98.5%, is concrete or asphalt paved,
and 51,776 km forming a national highway network connecting each region
of the country.
Source: World Bank
The Department of Highways continues
to improve and expand the nations roadways. Furthermore,
the Department of Highways has been constructing
intercity motorways since 1994. These intercity
motorways will make road travel convenient and
quick, reducing the driving time to one third
of the current time and encouraging more road
transport over longer distances.
New highways throughout the country
will eventually become part of the East-West Economic
Corridor (EWEC) which will link the South China
Sea with the Bay of Bengal, and the North-South
Corridor which will link Singapore with Kunming.
The signing of the Asian Highway Agreement on
April 26, 2004 strengthened Thailand’s connection to the rest of the
world for land-based trade and transportation, linking it to 32
countries in Europe and Asia. The importance of these interconnections
will increase dramatically with the implementation of the ASEAN Freee Trade Area (AFTA), China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) and as free trade agreements with
India and the BIMSTEC countries kick in, making
Thailand a crucial hub for international production and trade.
The Greater Mekong area road network already
includes a southern economic corridor inclusive of Thailand, Cambodia
and Vietnam; the east-west economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand,
Laos and Vietnam; the north-south economic corridor which runs from
southern China through Laos, and Myanmar and Thailand; and the southern
coastal economic corridor also connecting Thailand, Cambodia and
Vietnam.All major cities in Thailand
are accessible by land, with all-weather highways
and intercity roads linking them to the road
network covering the whole country, as well as
the Asian Highway and the road networks of neighboring
countries over the border crossings.
Bus
The mass transit system includes both buses and
trains. Bangkok has approximately 250 bus lines
providing service for a total of 5,000 kilometers
in every area of Bangkok and its suburbs. In
the provinces, hundreds of entrepreneurs operate
Bangkok-suburb routes and other routes nationwide.
There are three main bus terminals: the Northern
and Northeastern Terminal, the Southern Terminal,
and the Eastern Terminal.
Travel by bus is inexpensive
and convenient, especially if using the VIP buses.
There are also regular air conditioned buses
and non-air conditioned buses. The latter make
frequent stops, thus extending travel times.
Highway Basics
The Thai highway network follows the left-hand
traffic
A single digit number indicates one of the
major highways connecting Bangkok to outlying
regions.
A two-digit number indicates a main highway
for a particular region.
A three-digit number indicates a secondary highway.
A four-digit number indicates an intra-province
highway connecting the provincial capital to
the districts, or to important sites in the province.
Sources: Ministry of Transportation,
Department of Highways, Public Relations Department
and Tourism Authority of Thailand
Updated 29 May 2010 |
