Bangkok Street Cyclists

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ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Bangkok Street Cyclists Project began with one mission: to showcase what cycling-commutes look like in Bangkok and other Thai cities. The initial goal was to capture an extensive catalogue of authentic 4K ‘hotline’ style videos, documenting the daily experiences of cyclists on various types of bicycles and demonstrating that urban cycling in Bangkok and other Thai cities is not as dangerous as commonly perceived and is indeed possible with the right techniques.

Our mission is embedded in the Project name:

BANGKOK

Bangkok and its vicinity have over 10 million inhabitants and is considered a mega city in Asia. Yet, barely 5% of us walk or cycle to commute (OTP, 2018). Ironically, this leads to massive traffic jams and slow-moving traffic in the city, which paradoxically is safer than rural and suburban areas where people drive far beyond 30 km/h. This Project is therefore intended for Bangkok and other larger cities in Thailand to promote urban cycling.

STREET

Not to be confused with the street culture known among fixed-gear communities, "Street" here simply implies the streets and road network in Bangkok city where bicyclists ride alongside cars. Let’s face the harsh truth: cities like Bangkok won't be getting proper bike lanes in the next 30 years. So our only option is to ride on the streets.

CYCLISTS

This encompasses all who choose bicycles over cars for commuting. Whether be it a folding bike, cargo bike, road bike or fixed-gear bike, our focus is on showcasing and supporting any bike commuters in their daily urban journeys.

As the project evolved, we began expanding into sharing tips and tricks and filming documentaries. And now Bangkok Street Cyclists has a growing following on social media, from pro-cyclists to everyday-commuters and a growing environmental and urbanist movement in response to unsustainable car use, air pollution and climate change.

Let’s also face the hard reality: We probably won’t have high-quality cycling paths and infrastructure in Bangkok and other Thai cities anytime soon, but that does not mean the streets of Bangkok are entirely unusable to cyclists—far from it. Ultimately, we hope our project will be an essential resource for others looking to transition to bicycles instead of environmentally-unsustainable cars of urban commute, promoting a message that in cities like Bangkok, cycling is not only cheaper and healthier but can also be way faster than cars stuck in massive traffic jams.

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I believe that if the people of Bangkok see what cycling-commuting in the city really looks like, they’ll realize it’s not as dangerous as it seems. If done correctly, knowing the right techniques and routes, you can often reach your destination faster by bicycle than by car stuck in trafficAs a cyclist-commuter for six years, I believe that if the people of Bangkok see what cycling in the city really looks like, they’ll realize it’s not as dangerous as it seems. If done correctly, knowing the right techniques and routes, you can often reach your destination faster by bicycle than by car stuck in traffic while saving money and gaining significant health benefits.