Is the traffic always this bad?

Question

I'm on a bus coming to Bangkok from Khon Kaen. We've been averaging about 7 km/hr for about an hour, and we're only in Saraburi. I know there's a holiday happening right now, but gee whiz.

else · Answer

the holiday is definitely the main culprit but honestly that stretch between saraburi and bangkok is always a mess even on a normal tuesday. if you can handle a bit of chaos try hopping off at the future park rangsit bus stop and catch the bts from there instead - it'll save you at least an hour sitting in the don muang tollway parking lot. grab some khao man gai from the stalls near the bts entrance too, it's the only good thing about that whole transfer

selmasoellner · Answer

if you think this is bad, wait until you hit the victory monument area around 6pm. the holiday traffic is just making an already slow crawl worse. honestly, the best move next time is to take the overnight VIP bus from khon kaen, leaves around 10pm and you're in bangkok before the morning rush hits. those buses have proper reclining seats and they stop at that good pad thai spot in saraburi around midnight

henriette · Answer

honestly the real problem is that nobody in bangkok knows how to merge onto the highway properly. on a holiday weekend everyone's trying to squeeze in at the last second at every single entrance ramp and it turns a 20 minute delay into an hour. if you're still on that bus and have a window seat just watch the cars cutting in front of trucks near the don muang exit, it's like a sport here.

the other thing nobody mentions is the bus companies themselves. they always take the same route through saraburi even when the alternative via nakhon nayok is way emptier. the detour adds maybe 20km but saves an hour on holiday weekends. too bad the drivers get paid by the trip not the hour so they don't care.

selmaheitmann · Answer

Yeah, the Saraburi bottleneck is brutal especially on a holiday weekend. Once you hit the Rangsit area it'll open up a bit but that stretch around km 32-36 always crawls. If you're not in a rush, getting off at the Muak Lek exit and taking the old highway 2 through the fruit orchards can save you maybe 20 minutes, but it's a gamble with the holiday traffic.

tania · Answer

wait til you hit the bang pa-in intersection, that's where the real fun starts. the bus drivers have a secret code with the tollway guys though, if you see them flash their lights three times at the booth they're skipping the queue somehow. grab some grilled pork skewers from the vendors that walk between the cars near the saraburi bus stop, they're actually decent and it'll kill 10 minutes

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