Good to know...
Not saying Bangkok has no traffic issues, but I guess living in Beijing, where _I believe_ traffic is even worse, I have found that taking a cab is usually still faster than public transport -- in Beijing this is particularly true if one needs to change subway line, whereas here the more limited network has more friendly interchanges.
And fair point about not using the meter: I'm against such practices in principle, but yes, time/ convenience can often be more valuable than $1-2....
tb