First ‘smart crosswalk’ not so smart: Highway Department red-faced

By The Nation

 

HUA HIN: -- The first night test of the “smart crosswalk” at Hua Hin Market was a failure as 32 solar lamps embedded at the zebra cross-walk failed to emit enough light to make the crosswalk easily visible, a senior highway official said on Thursday.

The solar lamps, which cost Bt100,000 each, were embedded in the road in the heart of Hua Hin on Tuesday night to enable them to store energy for their first operational test the following night.

 

However, Apichart Charnthanyakorn, director of the Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Highways Office, said the yellow solar lamps were insufficiently bright to illuminate the crosswalk on Wednesday night.

 

Apichart said the cause could be reflected light from large LED billboards nearby drowning out the solar lamps.

 

Moreover, rains throughout most of the day in Hua Hin might have prevented the lamps from storing sufficient energy, he said.

 

Apichart said his office would experiment for a few more nights before deciding whether utilise other safety devices.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30328530

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-10-05

Another 'brainwave' gone tits up, back to the drawing board. 

Rule 1 with solar panels: Must be plugged into the rear of a highway official and see if it emits enough light "inside".

Give it time.

 

seems that the only smart part was the company selling the gadgets

Another Hua Hin kindergarten design project....which as usual, failed..so far!

Thb100,000 for small solar lights.....that don't work?.....

 This caught on around the world before........maybe............Naaaah !!

The first, and most necessary, step in troubleshooting this problem should be to demolish every single LED billboard in the entire country. Those things are absolutely obscene.

Here's an idea. Place a light switch and a shotgun on the traffic light pole with plenty of rounds to be used against the driver that does not stop.

19 hours ago, taichiplanet said:

seems that the only smart part was the company selling the gadgets

As usual...

 

20 hours ago, webfact said:

reflected light from large LED billboards nearby drowning out the solar lamps.

So lamps were not needed to illuminate the crosswalk at this location and their cost wasteful.

It's an odd thing here. I ride a motorbike and have a a few occasions stopped to let someone cross. One time I stopped to let a pregnant woman cross on the zebra turning onto Ratchada pisek road opposite Major cineplex on Prahonyoutin road. 2 girls managed to fall off their motorbike and some Thai bloke came running up and BLAMED ME! I just told him to sod off in English. Girls were ok so I went. It's bloody dangerous stopping at all for someone to cross.

Illuminate the crosswalk all you like , the motorists still wont stop unless they are forced to.

"The solar lamps, which cost Bt100,000 each", somebody has paid too much,

wonder why?, bought a PIR LED light off Aliexpress,320 THB and it's working

unlike the ones in Hua Hin.

32 solar lights @ 100,000 each, nice little earner for someone. Thailand 4.00 !

regards worgeordie

On 10/7/2017 at 7:59 AM, joecoolfrog said:

Illuminate the crosswalk all you like , the motorists still wont stop unless they are forced to.

totally agree; puzzling that the thais do not know this; thais dont even understand thais

100,000 THB per Light? I think we need a criminal investigation.

On 08/10/2017 at 9:45 AM, worgeordie said:

"The solar lamps, which cost Bt100,000 each", somebody has paid too much,

wonder why?, bought a PIR LED light off Aliexpress,320 THB and it's working

unlike the ones in Hua Hin.

32 solar lights @ 100,000 each, nice little earner for someone. Thailand 4.00 !

regards worgeordie

Bt 100,000 seems about par for the course Bt99,500 to grease the palms and Bt500 to buy the light. Ali Baba has them available for Bt183.

Hey, here's an idea. Why not do an on-site test with a few lights (not 32) before actually embedding the lights into the road. Then they would have discovered that the lights aren't bright enough

 

Oh, I forgot. That would actually require some common sense.

 

As to 100,000 baht per light. I'm optimistically hoping that's a typo and the 100K cost was for all 32 lights. Hey, a man can dream, can't he? . But, even so, 100K for 32 lights is still way more than the actual price.