Showing 1 - 7 of 7
It's a bit on the warm side in the UK
Roger Crutchley, Published on 06/07/2025
» It seems a trifle strange to be sitting in Bangkok and reading about a heatwave in London, but at times last week it's been hotter in Britain than Thailand, while the rest of Europe has also been sizzling. You know something is wrong when at Wimbledon the umbrellas have been going up not for the rain but to protect spectators from the sun.
It was the Year of the Happy Hippo
Roger Crutchley, Published on 29/12/2024
» Well, we've just about scraped through 2024 although there have been dodgy moments. Most of us will probably be happy to see the back of the Year of the Dragon.
It was not exactly life in the fast lane
Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/11/2024
» It appears the bicycle lane launch on Sukhumvit 39 last Tuesday didn't get off to the most auspicious of starts. In fact it had to be hastily abandoned after one day. All it succeeded in doing was to create a massive traffic jam leading to gridlock on 17 major roads along with a communal sigh across the city.
Glimmer of hope for foot soldiers
Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/07/2023
» There was encouraging news for Bangkok's pedestrians last week when the city governor announced that during the coming year there would be a major upgrade of pavements in the Big Mango. It was promised that some pavements might even become "walkable". Well, best of luck with that.
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/12/2020
» In the mid-1970s, while travelling on the slowest train in the world from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, I recall reading a substantial chunk of John Le Carre's espionage novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Though not a fast-paced book, it still had more momentum than the wretched train.
A ray of hope for Bangkok's foot soldiers
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 17/11/2019
» It was recently reported that the authorities plan to make life safer for Bangkok's pedestrians by introducing traffic light buttons at 14 zebra crossings. Fair enough. But the worrying thing is that it was presented as some kind of major breakthrough, a ''eureka moment'' for pedestrian safety. Cities around the world have been using this system since the 1960s. Still, it's a start.
2018: The rescue that gripped the world
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/12/2018
» It ended up as a truly inspiring feel-good story, but could so easily have been a heart-breaking tragedy. That was why the tale of the Wild Boars football team -- 12 young Thai boys and their coach trapped in a flooded cave system in Chiang Rai -- held the attention of the world for more than a fortnight.