En route to work one morning, I gaze out the window to enjoy the many familiar sights of a typical Phuket morning. Crowds of locals enjoying soups and rotis at assorted stalls, and joggers making their healthy way home.

Driving past the Thai Hua school on Withchit Songkran road, my shocked vision encounters another sight that is becoming all too familiar on the streets of Phuket. Policemen are guarding the side of the road where tell-tale white markings on the road spell yet another accident. While there is no longer a body, blood is splattered all over and ...I'll spare you the details.

Suffice to say, they were deeply disturbing. Instinct is to turn away and pretend this is a one-off occurrence. Reality is that it is no longer possible to turn away and make-believe.

Anyone who has been out on Phuket roads lately can attest to the escalating crisis. Traffic congestion is an everyday occurrence, and run-ins are commonplace.

With prosperity has come the price. More tourists have spelled more jobs and every week hundreds of job-seekers from other provinces head to Phuket in search of better prospects.

Those already on Phuket have seen a rise in their incomes, manifested by the increase in cars and other vehicles on the roads. Contributing to the crisis is the lack of adequate public transportation, which means employees around the state have to find their own means of getting to their work place.

Phuket Post spoke with Phuket's Deputy Chief of Police Paween Pongsirin. Khun Paween observes that, “More and more tourists are leading to more staff in the service industries, pushing the Phuket's congestion inwards. It’s a seemingly no-win situation; the workers find lodgings in Phuket city and its suburbs, due to the high rental rates for accommodation- where there is any available at all- in Patong and other tourist areas.
“Without any real viable public transport system, these employees are forced to buy their own cars or motorbikes. There are 200,000 registered motor bikes on Phuket. But hundreds more are brought in from other provinces, creating a traffic nightmare.
Each month, the numbers increase by 2000. If this trend continues, and I don't see it abating, it’s imperative that Phuket have new roads and an effective public transport system. The increase in road traffic accidents, and resulting fatalities is causing much concern and the environmental impact of the number of vehicles on the roads is also of great concern.

A new plan for the whole island for a new transport system must be found, with attractive fares and a guarantee of efficiency,” he declares. “There is no time to lose, the transport departments must present plans to the province as soon as possible.”

A number of reasons have contributed to lack of progress on alternative means of transport on the the island. Tuk-tuk monopolies have ensured that whatever attempts have been made to introduce bus services on routes like Karon-Patong have been quashed in their infancy. Allegations of local authorities being in cahoots with the local taxi-tuk-tuk unions have been rife.

The new taxi service at the airport has sent out some tentative positive signals. To improve the situation on Phuket, old ways will have to go. Soon.

Khun Paween has a number of suggestions to make, including incorporating tuk-tuk drivers and other members of the prevalent transport system into a larger plan for the the future. “The services of the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers can be channelized into a mass transportation network, by creating employment in these sectors, which would help alleviate concerns over loss of jobs and income,” he reasons.

Things have reached a point where local authorities can no longer shrug off the traffic problems on the island. Aside from better roads and public transport, there is a need for traffic rules to be enforced more strictly. “A large proportion of the accidents and injuries are caused due to rash and negligent driving, and failure to follow basic safety procedures,”says Khun Paween.

Traffic cops need to be more vigilant about broken rules, clamping down immediately and heavily on offenders. Use of helmets, seat-belts need to be enforced without exception.

Authorities in the past have claimed, that tourists from developed countries do not want to face the same, tight restrictions that they have back home. They come to Phuket to relax and enjoy themselves, authorities point out.

That may well be, but it would be foolish to imagine that any tourist would enjoy the grisly scene I witnessed that morning. And as much as tourists like to be 'relaxed' and 'carefree', going back to their home countries on crutches...or worse, in coffins is hardly an advertisement for a beautiful holiday.

Statistics for accident cases on Phuket

Phuket
Year Accidents Injured Fatalities

2002 1,799 1,472 116
2003 2,171 1,970 136
2004 2,065 1,471 118
2005 2,931 1,323 108
2006 1,136 936 99
2007 931 659 95
**(2007 between January-September )

Vehicular statistics on Phuket

Year Motorbikes Cars
2000 155,578 40,602
2005 208,183 81,509
2007 213,075 89,920