Where have we heard THIS before . . . ?

[Gaybutton]

That seems to be a great way to solve Pattaya's traffic problems - have discussions about it and in the end, do essentially nothing. That has been going on for many years. And each new set of officials tells us all about how they are going to do something effective that will solve the problems, but the problems get continually worse.

And why are they talking about the problems as if they occur only weekends and holidays? Seems to me traffic is bad enough on weekdays and every day.

Things that never worked have been tried - odd and even parking days on Pattaya Tai. That didn't take long to fizzle out. City buses were tried, but very few people ever rode them and their times were unreliable. My favorite is the Sukhumvit traffic tunnel at Pattaya Klang, which took the better part of two years to build and was built at an intersection that was not a big problem in the first place.

If anything, there should have been two tunnels - one at the Sukhumvit-Pattaya Tai intersection and one at the Sukhumvit-Thepprasit Rd intersection. You know what has been done to relieve traffic congestion at those intersections? Nothing. Anyone surprised?

The traffic congestion problems are currently the worst I've seen in Pattaya. During the latest holiday I had to make a drive that normally takes 5 to 10 minutes. That day the same trip took 45 minutes. And the hordes of Chinese tour buses haven't even arrived this year yet. I've seen a few tour buses, but not enough to cause major problems. I shudder to think what it's going to be like if Pattaya ever succeeds in getting back throngs of Chinese tourists.

About two years ago there were serious discussions about building a tram in Pattaya. Anyone heard so much as a word about it lately?

But the powers-that-be are holding discussions. Isn't that just stimulating?
__________________________________________

Pattaya takes action against weekend traffic woes

By Pattaya Mail

March 4, 2024

Deputy Mayor Wuthisak Rermkijakarn led a discussion at City Hall on March 1 to tackle the mounting traffic issues plaguing Pattaya during weekends and public holidays. Citing a surge in congestion attributed to both local residents and tourists, Deputy Mayor Wuthisak emphasized the urgent need for intervention to alleviate gridlock across various parts of the city.

In response, Pattaya has initiated collaborative efforts with local law enforcement, building upon successful partnerships with the Nongprue and Banglamung Police Stations. Despite past achievements, on-going challenges necessitate the development of additional strategies.

Deputy Mayor Wuthisak acknowledged the complexities in enforcing traffic regulations directly and stressed the importance of enhanced cooperation with the Pattaya Police Station and other relevant authorities to ensure the safety of residents and visitors alike.

As an immediate measure, the traffic control unit has been activated to work alongside law enforcement, beginning March 2. This joint endeavour aims to improve traffic flow and ease congestion in 16 critical areas during peak periods, including major intersections and commercial hubs.

Deputy Mayor Wuthisak has urged close collaboration between the traffic control unit and the Pattaya Police, with an initial evaluation phase scheduled for two weeks. Subsequent meetings will refine strategies and address emerging challenges, with a focus on maintaining Pattaya’s reputation as a welcoming and secure destination for all road users.

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattay ... oes-454143

[Jun]

They could start by looking at what works elsewhere, including in ASEAN.

As a clue, the answer is NOT to build more roads, build more car parks and subsidize diesel.
Other obvious problems include having no proper public transport and having no enforcement of parking regulations.

Also, I should pay more attention, but where are the charges for parking in Pattaya?

Of course this is a city where the planners have several zebra crossings that only go half way across the road, which tells you all you need to know about their skills. Why would we expect them to be capable of fixing anything?

[Gaybutton]

They could start by looking at what works elsewhere, including in ASEAN.

They could also modernize. How about actually synchronizing the traffic signals and maybe even using modern technology to control how long they stay red or green depending on traffic conditions.?

Also, baht buses were just the right thing - 20 years ago. But now I think they should be replaced with more modern modes of transportation - making sure alternative work is made available to the baht bus drivers.

And if done properly, the tram idea could work wonders, but even the talk about it seems have fizzled out and largely either ignored or simply forgotten. In any case, we're not going to see trams in Pattaya any time soon, if ever.

Especially on holidays and often merely weekends the traffic is at a standstill. And it's a standstill again when all the out of town traffic is trying to return home at the same time. People end up stuck in traffic for hours.

I don't know what the answer is, but I certainly know doing virtually nothing is not it.

[Jun]

I agree on replacing the baht buses. These just create congestion, particularly when they loiter near places where they might get customers.

Replacing them with proper buses is the obvious move, at least on the popular routes.
Some baht buses could then be redeployed to serve the parts of Pattaya that don't have public transport and feed into the network.
The other baht bus drivers can just change career. Thailand allegedly has a labour shortage, so scrapping a few low productivity jobs is one way to fix this.

Bus lanes would be a very good idea, if only Pattaya had a police force that would enforce the rules and keep the lanes for authorized public transport buses. When the buses are faster than the cars, there's an incentive to use the buses.

Thailand doesn't do trams. It does botched elevated railways. Big construction projects are more important than efficient public transport.

[Montree]

A couple of months ago my progress along the side walk on Beach Road was blocked by a crowd all watching the painting of a new red and white crossing accompanied by a horrible chemical smell. The next day there were working crossing lights and an enthusiastic Police Officer complete with a whistle waving traffic to stop or continue. The following day the lights had stopped working and there was no sign of the Police Officer.

Exactly the same thing happened previously on Pattaya Tai Road with a new crossing opposite Wat Chaimongkol which was briefly working and patrolled before it to became basically ignored.

I prefer to walk but getting across the road is often the hardest bit. I’m happy to walk from Central Pattaya to Jomtien which my boyfriend regards as totally mad as he says “OK for Farang legs not for Thai legs”.

[Gaybutton]

I prefer to walk but getting across the road is often the hardest bit.

Also the most dangerous bit. Virtually every day there are news stories about drunk drivers crashing into things, and those "things" include pushcart vendors and pedestrians simply trying to cross the road. Many times if someone is hit by one of these drunks, it's a hit-and-run with the driver trying to flee. Often even when the vehicle is too damaged to be able to move, the driver gets out and tries to flee on foot.

Only two days ago exactly that happened to a Chinese pedestrian crossing just where he was supposed to, but a hit-and-run drunk driver smashed into him at high speed. The victim had just arrived in Thailand that morning and was dead by afternoon. At the time of this post, the driver has not yet been found.

A few years ago it damned near happened to me. I was walking down a soi when, from behind, a speeding motorbike struck my wrist and nearly broke it. A few inches different might have killed me. Three guesses whether the driver stopped . . .

[Dodger]

These hit-and-run drivers don't have it so easy anymore.

With all the cameras perched along private and commercial areas they very often get caught. Ay least this is what they show almost every night on Thai news stations.

Jai and I watched a hit-and-run accident on the news a few nights ago and the driver who was obviously speeding and driving recklessly stopped after hitting his victim - but not until after driving about 100 meters as if he was thinking about doing a dash. Jai said that the driver probably saw a camera somewhere, otherwise he would have continued driving. I tend to agree.

Cameras, smartphones, and social media platforms can be credited for a lot when it comes to catching the bad guys and hopefully will put a dent in Corruption as well. Understanding that in Thailand there is a very thin line between the good guys and the bad guys.

[Jun]

I prefer to walk but getting across the road is often the hardest bit. I’m happy to walk from Central Pattaya to Jomtien which my boyfriend regards as totally mad as he says “OK for Farang legs not for Thai legs”.

I also like walking and will happily walk similar distances. However, I need to get a bit smarter with my daily schedule. In December and January, it's easy enough to visit a couple of coffee shops, then go for a walk later in the morning and again in the afternoon.
However, now the sun is much higher in the sky, so it's hard to find shade in the middle of the day. I probably need to do more walking early in the morning or in the evening.

Thais rarely seem to walk anywhere. The worst example was reported on another forum, where a farang offed a lad from Nice Boys and he refused the sub 10 minute walk to the hotel in Boyztown.
I do know of one Lao lad who seems to walk everywhere, but he's the exception.

Fixing up the pavements properly would also be a good idea. Widen them and surface them properly.

[Gaybutton]

Fixing up the pavements properly would also be a good idea. Widen them and surface them properly.

I'm guessing you know what "fat chance" means . . .

In Pattaya, depending on where you're doing it, walking can be quite a dangerous activity, especially if it involves simply crossing a street. I understand many enjoy walking, long walks, but be very careful where you're doing the walking.

[Jun]

In Pattaya, depending on where you're doing it, walking can be quite a dangerous activity, especially if it involves simply crossing a street. I understand many enjoy walking, long walks, but be very careful where you're doing the walking.

The alternative of choosing to be inactive is also dangerous. One day that might be forced on me, but until then I will try to remain active. This seems to get the best results with my older relatives.