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Aung La redesigns the outside of his car every six months. Pic: Thiri Lu
Wheels 2013
Editors: Myo Lwin, Jessica Mudditt Writers: Yu Yu Maw, Shwegu Thitsar, Aye Nyein Win, Shwe Yee Saw Myint, Myo Lwin, Jessica Mudditt, Douglas Long, Maria Danmark, Htar Htar Khin, Cherry Thein, Shwegu Thitsar, Nandar Aung, Nuam Bawi, Myat Nyein Aye Cover photo: Ko Taik. Model: Pyi Phyo
Photographers: Kaung Htet, Ko Taik, Aung Htay Hlaing, Boothee, Maria Danmark, Thiri Lu Cover & Layout Design: Tin Zaw Htway, Ko Pxyo For enquiries and feedback: myolwin@myanmartimes.com.mm jess.mudditt@gmail.com
Our thanks go to the owner of the 1969 Holden Premier, Nyan Minn, who kindly lent us his car for the James Dean-inspired cover shoot.
Beat on the street: Are Yangons traffic jams driving you crazy?
Ma Ohnmar May Maung, 18, resident of Thaketa township
By
I study chemistry at East Yangon University in Tarwa and it normally takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get there from home, and it takes three hours to get downtown from university. I face traffic jams everyday; mostly at Thanlyin Bridge because it is a very narrow road which allows just one car to pass at a time. If a car or bus breaks down on the bridge, passengers have to wait about 15 minutes to get past and no one jumps out to help move the vehicles out of the way. I cant understand it. I see these kinds of things everywhere in Yangon it drives me crazy. Taking the train is also a waste of time. I dont think there are enough bus lines or buses. On my way to and from school I feel so uncomfortable because the buses are so crowded and the roads are rough. I hope the government or private sector will increase the number of buses on the roads as well as introducing more comfortable buses.
Ma Pan Ei Phyu, 18, a chemistry student at East Yangon University and a resident of Thaketa township
I have to take two buses to reach to my university and the roundtrip fares cost K600 a day. I took the ferry in the past but it took longer so I switched to the bus. During university holidays I attend computer classes in Myaynigone, which costs K300 for the round trip. There are constant traffic jams at intersections in Myaynigone. One day, the bus I was on broke down and we werent offered a refund on our tickets. I think that was unusual though. When we got off the bus, it was so crowded that other buses werent stopping and so I had to take a taxi. But I arrived late and missed my practical class. Ill never forget that.
only 10 percent of people who open an account with a foreign currency bank are genuine importers.
complete the formalities necessary to import a 2008 model (or newer) from Japan. Many people prefer to speed up the process by buying from a showroom under the name of the original importer. Despite the risks, many are content to forgo legal documentation proving ownership because it involves an additional cost of K1 million ($1136) to apply for registration. Car companies in Myanmar face many difficulties. Firstly, a company has to deposit US$100,000 with the government and provide a surety of K300 million (US$341,000). Then there are annual fees of $900. Obviously this is all very costly. There are too many restrictions and rules, said U Htay Aung, the chairperson of Myanmar Motor Manufacturers and Traders Association. We can only sell cars that fall within the oldfor-new car substitution scheme. We cant sell any other cars. Some of the old car owners came to us to order a new car from Japan via our office, U HtayAung was quoted as saying in the March edition of B to B Management Magazine. In July 2012 the government announced that anyone 18 years or older with a national identity card could open a foreign exchange account at a bank and import a car made in 2007 or more recently. Entrepreneurial dealers hired locals to act as proxies by opening an account and receiving a payment of K30,000 to K40,000 from the car company. U Htay Aung estimates that only 10 percent of people who open an account with a foreign currency bank are genuine importers. In light of this reality, the government should allow commercial entities to import cars directly so that we can cut out the middle man. Unfortunately, requests for permission continue to be declined, U Htay Aung said. Under the current
regulation, those who submitted their old cars for substitution can import models between 1998 and 2008, but nothing newer. So if a person wants a newer model, they can sell their permit at the black market price and apply to the government to import a more recent model as an individual importer. There shouldnt be such a thing as limiting the models and fixing the price for old car import permits. There will soon be foreign companies entering Myanmar and the regulations should not hurt local traders, U Nyi Nyi Zaw said.
Would you like a fine with that? A courier takes a chance in Yangon. Pic: Boothee
Ko Moe, 24, lives in north Dagon township, which allows motorbikes in specific areas, said the bus is slow, uncomfortable and not worth the money. So he bought a motorcycle and rides it around his locality. He said he considers himself lucky not to have been caught once in the last two years his uncle was and paid a 20,000 kyat fine. The penalty for not wearing a helmet is K10,000. Many motorbike owners are also reluctant to pay registration fees of K50,000 to their local traffic police station, so they opt to risk paying a fine of K50,000 if caught. Only government-related officials may use motorcycles in the Yangon municipal area. They are not allowed to carry passengers and must wear motorbike helmets. Nor may motorcyclists from out of town ride their bikes into Yangon. An editor of a publishing house from East Dagon township said he doesnt want to see motorcycles re-introduced, because he is already concerned about the dangers motorcycles pose to the public. He said that he often sees motorcyclists without helmets and driving unsafely. However he also added that buses are responsible for a large number of injuries and conceded that a motorcycle taxi service would be an affordable and convenient option for many city dwellers. The traffic police official said that two people die every day in motorbike accidents, and that numbers would spike if the ban was lifted. Some may therefore be surprised to see police riding motorbikes around Yangon it is known that 65 motorcycles are used by police to carry out their duties. Other exceptions include post and electricity workers. According to a 2008 Myanmar Times report, Only government-related officials may use motorcycles in the Yangon municipal area. They are not allowed to carry passengers and must wear helmets. The officer conceded that the ban on motorbikes is not being effectively enforced due to a lack of human resources. And despite the recent crackdown, sales of motorbikes continue to rise and they remain the most popular form of transport across the country.
DEVELOPERS are confident that the Hledan flyover can help put an end to traffic woes at the severely congested intersection. A spokesperson for Shwe Taung Development Company, which is building the Hledan flyover, said the flyover will greatly reduce traffic volume. According to a December 2011 traffic survey undertaken by Vertix Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd of Singapore and Shwe Taung Development, the overpass could cut congestion by as much as 40 percent. The building of the overpass has advantages. Were building the overpass
for the purpose of traffic clearance and to ease traffic congestion, the spokesperson said.
We hope that the vehicles passing along Yangon and Pyi Road will benefit from a faster
journey due to flyover access, he added. The 2507 foot long flyover is budgeted to cost
K14.487 billion (US$16.46 million) with a completion date scheduled for the end of March. Daw Yin Yin Tun, 48, who lives on Hledan road and own a monk robe shop, said the completion of the Hledan overpass will be a welcome relief. I see so much traffic at Hledan junction at the moment. The congestion causes lengthy delays, she said. Daw Yin Yin Tun said that she believes the increase in car imports over the past three years is responsible for the increase in traffic, which has in turn hurt her business. Thats why the traffic conditions are quite serious and sometimes accidents occur. There are also fewer parking spaces, which means fewer buyers come to the shop. Sales are down, she said.
Ko Soe Wunna, general manager of Shining Star Real Estate agency in Ahlone township, said that he also believed that the flyover would be a positive for the area. This is a big overpass which will benefit the area as a whole. It will create a commercially vibrant area, he said. I expect that traffic along Yangon-Pyi road will be reduced due to flyover access. Though Ko Soe Wunna is optimistic, he said that more needs to be done once the flyover is complete. To ease traffic there needs to be a car park in the junction area. Hledan Centre will open and the former Pyi Myanmar Department Store building will be refurbished, so parking spaces are needed as well, he said.
standards in Myanmar are as high as Japans, so I can understand why sales have pretty much come to a standstill, he said. U Win Min Naing said that many owners are so familiar with their cars simply structured engine some of which were made in the 1940s that
they can repair them themselves. There are about 25 different Myanmar-made jeeps, the most famous of which is the Shan Jeep, which is made in Taung Gyi and Mongtong. Others include the Dagon Jeep, Myaing Jeep, Tila Jeep and the Honour Jeep.
One of Bilu Kyun Island's pony and carts. Pic: Maria Danmark
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Thats exactly what the Yangon Traffic Police did on July 5, 2003, when they announced that certain busy roads would be closed to bicycles, namely Pyay Road, Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, U Wisara Road, University Avenue and Kandawgyi Park
Loop Road. The downtown area would be a logical place to encourage people to get out of their cars, but instead the police banned bikes from a big chunk of the grid: from Bogyoke Aung San on the north (inclusive) to Merchant
Street on the south, and from Phone Gyi on the west to Bo Aung Kyaw Street on the east. (Oddly, the downtown restrictions are in effect from 5am to 11pm, while the uptown roads are closed 24 hours a day.) With traffic congestion
A preferable alternative to city cycling. Douglas Long on his bike near Hpa-an. Pic: Aung Htay Hlaing
growing worse in Yangon, has this attitude changed? Not one bit. One YCDC spokesperson told The Myanmar Times earlier this month that there was no special plan to accommodate cyclists in Yangon because Yangon is not a bicycle city like Mandalay. Lets apply this mindblowing logic to another sector: Patient: Doctor, what plan do you have for operating on my cancerous tumor? Doctor: I have no plan to operate on your cancerous tumor because you already have a cancerous tumor! Patient: Whaaaaaaah?!?!?!?!? Another YCDC official, Department of Engineering (Roads and Bridges) deputy director U Myo Min, said there was no plan to include cyclists in the traffic plans for at least the next three years. We are improving the standard of roads in the city but it is not sure for bicycles. We are not sure about including special lanes for bicycles, he said. One gets the distinct impression, upon hearing this supremely wishy-washy response, that bicycles are nowhere close to becoming
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k apocalypse
when used judiciously, but when every fool on the road honks at every shadow that moves, its reduced to annoying background noise that doesnt communicates anything to anyone. Pedestrians are another hazard, and theyre often less predictable than drivers. Ive had people stand on the curb watching me pedal closer, closer, closer, and then when Im 2 metres away they decide its the perfect time to step in front of me and start crossing the road. There are also the human squirrels who step forward, then back, then forward, then freeze, then step back, then forward until you have no idea what theyre going to do next. Another all-too-common oddity are pedestrians who walk across the street while staring intently in the opposite direction from which the traffic is coming, a habit for which I have no reasonable explanation. (Are they time travelers from the past? Do they think its 1961, when Burma was still a left-handdriving country?) One must also expect the unexpected: Two weeks ago a pedestrian who was running for a bus ploughed into me at full speed while I was sitting on my bike waiting for a red light. I saved myself from being knocked over by putting my hand out and propping myself up on a car parked to my right. The pedestrian bounced off me, muttered an apology and continued his blind, thoughtless dash for the bus. As I type this, Im still feeling shoulder pain from the
To buy a bike, helmet, or other accessories, check out Bike World, Yangons only cycling specialist store. Address: 3/2 Kan Road Between Pyay & Insein Road , Hlaing Myint Mo Housing, Hlaing township. Phone: 01525820, 095134190, 095007819 Open daily from 10am to 8pm.
At a busy intersection on the corner of Bo Aung Kyaw Street. Pic: Aung Htay Hlaing
part of Yangons roadplanning equation. In the meantime, we who cycle in Yangon must continue dealing with the situation that has been handed to us. I spend a significant
experience as many close calls with bad drivers as I do in Yangon on a weekly basis. Anyone who mounts a bicycle in Yangon will face crazed drivers who dont seem to know what traffic lanes are for, or swerve
Bicycle riding not only allows individuals to beat congestion, but can also be a means of reducing the congestion itself.
amount of time cycling around the city, usually about seven or eight hours a week. I live in Insein township and work downtown, and my commute (which I usually do five days a week) is about 21 kilometres (13 miles) each way. This takes me 45 to 50 minutes one way, up to twice as fast as I can cover the distance in a taxi. Before moving to Myanmar I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years, and before that spent three years in New York City. In both cities I cycled nearly every day, and throughout that entire 13-year period I didnt without warning, or make abrupt turns without signaling, or think its a good idea to crawl up the opposing traffic lane. The worst are bus drivers, who apparently believe that beating the other driver to the next passenger stop is more important than life itself. And a note to drivers: If a pedestrian is crossing the road 100 metres ahead and theyre already three-quarters of the way to the curb, its not necessary to honk at them. Theyll be long gone by the time you get there. Honking can be a useful means communication collision. Sad to say, but other cyclists also cause plenty of headaches. They can be just as unpredictable as drivers, but without the speed or deadly force. Its especially strange how the slowest among them (including trishaw drivers) are the keenest to place themselves at the front of the queue waiting for the light to change green. A city with dedicated bike lanes, and competent police to enforce their proper use, would not have such a big problem with this.
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Company Name
Pyay Rd, near Nar Nat Taw Street Cherry Garden City,14/3 Ward
Address
Township
KMYT SOKA PBDN Dagon KMYT MTNT MYGN MYGN SCHG SCHG SOKA SCHG BTHG BTHG S/OKKA HLG TGGN PZDG BTHG YKN DGN BHN KTDA TMWE AHLN KTDA KMYT TGGN MYG SCHG, KMYT HLG Hlaing PZDG MTNT MTNT SCHG AHLN Dagon KTDA HLTY TKA MYGN PZDG TGGN MTNT Yankin KTDA YKN BHN TMWE MYGN BHN YKN BHN HLG KMYT MYGN YKN HLG YKN MYGN MYGN HLG TMWE HLTA TMWE HLTA 43050098 5072650
Phone
43, 3rd floor, 27th Street (Lower block) 36/38, Alan Pya Pagoda rd, Infront of La Pyayt Wun Plaza 451-E, Pyay Road No76/80, Banyar Dala Street Bayint Naung Market No.29/30, Bayint Naung Zay Corner of Kyuntaw and Narnataw streets B1,2,3 Hantharwaddy Street No.52,Waizeyantar Road 33 Ma Po Street, Myaynigone No 9, Botataung Lanethwe No 9,Botataung Lanethwe 10 Waizayantar Rd No.1/B, Pyay Rd, 6 Mile Rm-5,Build-3,Yadanar Rd, Malikha Zay Tan No.198,Ground Floor, Bomyathtun Street No.87,Ground Floor, 44th Street Rm (1), Building (233),Yan Shin Street, (6) Quarter No.38(A/1), Alan Pya Pagoda Road, at the front of La Pyay Winn Plaza Rm.902, Building (B), Peal Condo No.251,1st flr,Bo Aung Kyaw St (Middle Block) Aung Mingalar Street, Kyauk Myung No.166/B,Rm (1),First Thiri Avenue, Lower Kyee Myint Dine Rd No.255, First Floor,Bogyoke Aung San Market New University Avenue No.12/B,43, Shwekeinnayi Housing, Narnattaw Street No.21, Pearl Street,Thuwana 69, Bayint Naung Rd No. 303, Uwisara Rd, No. 16/2, Inya Rd, (Inya Day Spa) 1/A, Bayint Naung Rd, Aye Yeik Mon Housing, Block 4 5/C, Yuzana Street, 4th Qt, Ayeyeikmon Housing No.162-164,Maha Bandoola Rd, A-1,2,3,second floor, Myanmagonyi housing No.76-80, B-1, Theinphyu Tannis 327 U Wizara Road 423 Lower Kyinmindine Street 42/A Pantra Street Number 104, 37th Street 589-598 New Tha Ka Ta ( 1), Bo Aung Kyaw Street 15 Mya Mar Lar Lane, Industrial Zone 001/101, Zayar Mon Housing, Bayint Naung Street 50/52 Bogyoke Aung San St. 887 Lay Daung Kan St. 156 Twin Thin Tike Wun, U Tun Nyo Street, Zone 3, Shwe Pyi Thar township 138 Upper Pansodan Street 27/A Kabar Aye Pagoda Road Sakura Tower (or) TharKayTa No.23 Baug SunLwanGuKyaung Str: 2Str: Yuzana Tower A(230)Myanma Gone Youn Str: Nat Chaung 87 Pyay Road 407, Building C, 4th Floor,Pearl Condo 5 Kabar Aye Pagoda Road Rm-G-1-9,Build C, Pearl Condo, Kabar Aye Pagoda Road Bayint Naung No.89, Yangon Insein Rd Near 8 Mile .27 Thukhawaddy Street, (6) Qtr W-23,Mya Khan Thar Street 19-21 Station Road, Bauk Htaw J-73 Yuzana Street, Bayint Naung Warehouse No.47/Flr,7 1/2 Miles, Pyay Road No (3), Insein Rd.Ward (12), Near Themin Junction 40(A) Phoe Sein Road, Tamwe No.70, corner of U Tun Nyo St and U Chaint Street, Zone 2 40/A Poe Sein Road No.174(B),Seik Kan Thar Street, Industrial Zone (4)
374257, 095129699 5159884, 255622, 255623 43050098 200250 682554 681694 95188095 98033523 565522 536617 297721, 297243 297721, 297243 95052457 524249 095118184 95101263 095066527 550812 Ext 2624 255622 559560 385949 0973081696 229565 377004 543139, 547266 706644 570283 682160 536272, 500060 502597, 537907, 503375 09-5020414, 681660 681424, 09-511-8681 299183 393344 09-8630552 95132777 95147828 95410699 398304 645,181.00 09 5402047, 09 5195002 682990 09-5011990 , 296605 , 297214 0949233403 / 398332 618142 / 09-49322323 393202 667498 255460,450541,450907-9 09-43162446,400838 09-5099043 09-47072073 09-5129699 558675 09 5149007 3001182, 09-73144588, 09 5103107 680878,680868 535479 0949324010 579863 681629 8603505 680803 095009532 095003861 8603919 687933 8603919 685320
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such as a hospital. Do those situations hurt his business? Definitely not, he said. He earns around K12,000 a day, K1,200 of which he must pay for renting his trishaw. His single life gives him a chance to save and he also provides for his parents. Though Ko Kyar Si is respected amongst the customers that know him, he admitted that trishaw drivers are often looked down on in Myanmar society for being uneducated and lacking a polished appearance. My job has a low stature in society but I always try to keep my chin up. I wont cheat and steal. I make my living in an honest way, he said. Other drivers agreed with Ko Kyar Si that they are respected within their local communities and by those who use their services.
U Than Win of Hlaing Tharyar township on Yangons outskirts has been driving a trishaw for 20 years. People near my station are friendly to me and give some odds jobs when I have no passengers or meagre earnings, he said. He finds himself painting, fixing basins or pipes and taking on small carpentry and electrical jobs for his customers when business slows down. The father of four with another on the way U Than Win, like other drivers, professed a love of driving that keep him on the roads. I love trishaw-driving. It is my benefactor of a happy-life and I wont depart it. If I won the lottery, I would buy a taxi and hire a driver but I would keep driving my trishaw as long as I could pedal, he said.
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Passengers waiting for a circle line train to arrive. Pic: Kaung Htet
A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. Its where
Just two percent of Yangons population rely on trains as a form of public transport each day, whereas 3.14 million passengers take the bus.
Mr Diettler taught the steamlocomotive drivers how to drive the diesel trains. He wrote that, Later on less powerful diesel locos were put into service on the circle line... That is still the situation today. In addition to the worn out carriages, the daily schedule of 10 circle line trains (the last of which leaves at 2:25pm) is not preferable for the passengers, as trains often run not as scheduled. The uncertain schedule refrains potential passengers from using railways and encourages them to use less-uncertain modes such as bus, private car, or taxi. Although the station manager told The Myanmar Times that 90pc of outbound trains leave on time, 67-year-old U Thant Zin, who has run a betel shop at Dadarkalay Station station since 1986, doesnt agree. He said that trains are usually late and it gets worse on weekends maybe because there are fewer passengers and the staff dont care. Last year U Thant Zin opened a second-hand electronics shop next to the betel shop, but said that business is slow and was unwilling to divulge his profits. Hes noticed a huge decline in passenger numbers its a quarter of what it was in 1986. U Thant Zin believes one cause could be the increase in ticket prices people now prefer to travel in buses because the price isnt much different, he said. However Yangons palpably overcrowded buses account for just 6pc of the total number of vehicles on the road, according to the universitys data from 2008. This means that a huge number of taxis and private cars dominate, with obvious consequences for air quality as well as economic impacts, such as slowing the delivery of goods and services and increasing the length of time commuters spend in traffic each day. According to the academic L. Santucci, even a city such as Bangkok, which has a popular skytrain and metro, lost 6pc of its gross domestic product due to traffic congestion in 2011. Although the need for an upgrade is apparent, the report states that the infrastructure cannot support a faster or more frequent train service unless the lightweight railway foundations and tracks are completely overhauled. For decades, the circle line has been used almost exclusively by tourists and low income Yangonites, who put up with the
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