Most residents of Bangkok are against the proposed traffic congestion charge but favour the new garbage collection fee, which aims to encourage waste separation, according to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA Poll).
The NIDA Poll interviewed 1,310 individuals from Bangkok over the phone between November 27 and 29. These individuals varied in age, education level, income, and occupation, providing a broad view of opinions on the city’s latest proposals.
The Transport Ministry is considering a congestion charge of 40-50 baht for drivers entering central Bangkok. This charge would help fund a flat 20-baht fare for all electric rail lines across Greater Bangkok.
Starting next June, Bangkok will adopt a new waste fee system. Households that produce less than four kilograms of waste daily and sort their trash will be charged 20 baht per month; those that do not will pay 60 baht.
In response to the congestion fee proposal, 49.92% of the survey participants strongly objected, 18.24% somewhat objected, 17.10% fully supported it, 13.98% somewhat supported it, and 0.76% either did not respond or showed no interest.
Concerning the fee’s potential success, 55.50% predicted it would definitely not succeed, 28.47% felt it might not succeed, 12.29% believed it could be moderately successful, 2.44% were sure it would succeed, and 1.30% were unsure or uninterested.
Regarding the garbage collection fee, 50.31% of respondents strongly supported it, 23.66% moderately supported it, 15.73% strongly opposed it, and 10.30% moderately opposed it.
When asked about their willingness to cooperate with the waste fee implementation next June, 44.81% of respondents indicated they would not fully cooperate, 28.93% said they would be moderately cooperative, 15.65% stated they would not cooperate at all, 9.69% planned to fully cooperate, and 0.92% were unsure or uninterested.
