Traffic flow in Pattaya continues to degrade. The worst is at weekends, when mass muppets from Bangkok descend upon our city and clog up everything; but even during the week it is becoming more common to be stuck in a jam.
Key to the degradation has been the installation of more and more sets of traffic lights at junctions where everyone had been quite happy muddling along by using the usual technique of driving through at high speed and hoping everyone else gets out of the way. Sure there were a few major accidents and it takes a while for the blood to wash away, but not enough carnage to warrant bringing everything to a controlled stop by the use of lights.
Still, there was a small compensation for those wishing to turn left at the lights; you could do so provided the traffic was clear, even if the lights were on red. Very useful, and although some junctions prohibited the practice because you were likely to pull out into an eight-wheeled truck doing 140kph, you could happily turn left almost everywhere.
Not any more. Most junctions now have a sign prohibiting a left turn:
The purpose of these signs is not to improve road safety; they are to improve revenue. Arrive at the junction and it is clearly OK to turn left. And the cars behind you, who can’t see the sign, are sounding their horns telling you to get on with it. So you do, and out pops a policeman with a little pad and an empty purse. You’re nicked!
This being Thailand, I am ignoring the signs along with everyone else; but it’s only a matter of time before I am contributing to the coffers of the boys in brown.
Comments 🔗
2012-07-25| Kwan saysi’ve already fallen victim to this BULLSHIT…i would say ’excuse my language’ but…it is…in reality…BULLSHIT.
2012-07-25| Da Bunny saysSmall consolation, but at least you get to meet the people who are ripping you off.
Compare this with the UK, where recent estimates believe that the super-wealthy are hiding £21 Trillion in off-the-books tax havens so that they can avoid paying taxes that the rest of us poor schmucks have to pick up.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18947576
Maybe you could have a word with the next mayoral candidate for Pattaya to see if it’s possible to get something like a book of coupons for contributions to the relevant “Benevolent Fund?” If you buy a book of 10 tickets you get a discount, that sort of thing.
2012-07-26| Pete saysI first saw one of these signs back in January at the junction of Chaiyapreuk 2 and Sukhumwit. The Thai wasn’t even spelt right so I figured it wasn’t an official sign. They seem to have been breeding since then, and have cropped up everywhere - but they still don’t look official. The Thai writing just says “stop and wait here”; no mention of light colour! The graphic only shows a car as well - so I will continue to ignore them on my motorbike and wait to see what happens.
Once upon a time the only place you couldn’t turn left on a red light was at the junction of 2nd and Central heading north, right by the police box. The single sign prohibiting this left turn was written only in Thai - which trapped many tourists.