Midweek rant: Dear Chief – thanks so far, now get tough with car drivers

[webfact]

Midweek rant: Dear Chief – thanks so far, now get tough with car drivers

 

File photo

 

In a week of national mourning it would be unseemly to rant so I’d rather start by praising the new police commissioner in Bangkok for doing away with the scourge of traffic checkpoints.

 

The chief has rightly pointed out that these “dan”, as they are called in Thai, served no purpose but to line the pockets of unscrupulous cops and their station hierarchy.

 

The checkpoints never solved any traffic problems – quite the opposite, they caused them by snarling up the flow at key points even if it was the middle of the day. And it was invariably poor motorcyclists who suffered most.

 

They were easy pickings: no tinted windows to hide behind - unlikely to be people of “influence”.

 

So well done Chief Charnthep for this initiative. On all my various journeys in Bangkok there has been no experience of being stopped on my motorcycle for no reason. That is a welcome change.

 

So far so good.

 

The trouble is the officers under your control seem to have taken it all a bit too far.

 

They have almost completely disappeared from the roads.

 

Thai media have spotted this and I know you have instructed your traffic chief Jiraphat to encourage the metropolitan police to get out of their booths and get to grips with lawbreakers on the roads.

 

Many cops think that because they are not doing roadside fleecing anymore they can just stay in and chat, eat and look at their phones to pass the time.

 

But we need them out doing their jobs – we really do.

 

We need them on the streets especially dealing with two of the most serious problems – people in cars parking illegally and causing the traffic flow to grind to a halt and the thousands of drivers who commit what can only be described as attempted murder at red lights on a daily basis.

 

The latter is especially dangerous for motorcyclists going about their daily life and business in Bangkok. I accept that many bike riders are not angels in this and other regards but….

 

A case in point is at the Ratchayothin intersection. On average at least five cars per light change go through the red light and with large barriers in the area it is impossible for bikers to see what is coming.

 

I do sympathize, chief, with the cops in the congested area in the heat trying to keep the traffic flowing; but they really need to start stopping the car drivers and fining them for this dangerous activity.

 

I know that no biker in their right mind would go through a green light immediately after the change but still – it will only be a matter of time before more of our number die for no reason than that a car driver is unwilling to wait another minute.

 

Secondly, would you please get Jiraphat to give the traffic cops a bit of a talking to stop all the illegal parking of cars especially on the main roads but also in the sois.

 

Forget clamping – just tow them away even if they are BMWs or Benz. You and Jiraphat need to empower your men and back them up so that those with influence don’t force your hand.

 

This anti-social parking behavior is creating problems for other motorists in particular but also for bikers in obscuring entrances and sub-sois causing yet more danger and potential for loss of life and limb.

 

In both red light running and illegal parking, cars get scratched and occasionally a driver gets injured.

 

But bikers get mangled and often die as a result.

 

So thanks chief for a good start to your tenure in reigning in those individuals under your command who let the side down.

 

But please, please, use the chain of command to encourage your men to get busy and deal with the lawbreakers for the sake of all concerned.

 

Cheers.

 

Rooster

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-10-25

 

[Samui Bodoh]

6 minutes ago, webfact said:

In a week of national mourning it would be unseemly to rant

Kudos to Rooster for the respect and good manners!

 

In my little corner of Thailand the traffic checkpoints were always meaningless as they could be seen from far away; I suspect that they are/were designed mainly to ensnare visitors.

 

However, the practice of continuing on, even after the light has turned, is rampant here. As a bike rider, I (in keeping with the solemn week) would respectfully ask drivers to chill a bit. You'll get where you are going, and if you arrive a few minutes later than humanly possible, so be it. We'll all be happier and safer.

 

Cheers

[ezzra]

Traffic check points are the remnant of a bygone era of marshal laws

and curfews and old rabbits sometimes are hard to let go.. all the

while you see very little presence of actually active police on our

roads policing traffic and everyday life.....

[irwinfc]

But bikers get mangled and often die as a result.

 

since saving lives is the main aim of traffic rules and regulations, all the more reason for bikers to abide by the rules more often. not to start a "rider vs driver war", but at the moment riders can do very little wrong on thai streets. not wearing helmets appears the only reason they get pulled over. they park their motorcycles everywhere, ride over the footpath, ride against traffic, overloading, ride through red lights, turn anywhere they want... the list goes on. cars do get penalized for parking illegally, but a simple trick some do is just flash their hazards and park as they wish.

 

to slightly disagree with the OP, the police need to get tough on BOTH car drivers and motorcycle riders (pedestrians, too).

[fullcave]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

Traffic check points are the remnant of a bygone era of marshal laws

and curfews and old rabbits sometimes are hard to let go.. all the

while you see very little presence of actually active police on our

roads policing traffic and everyday life.....

They are busy controlling traffic manually from inside a box at the side of the road in between playing on smart phone. It's the latest technology. It's called "monkey in a box" traffic management system. Soon to be exported to the rest of the civilized world. 

[mikebell]

My favourite rant is about lights; bikes or cars driving on Thailand's ill-lit roads are easily spotted if Thai police ever went out after dark. Taxis/baht buses in particular needing a licence to ply their trade should all be clamped down on.

[TKDfella]

I was at a major traffic junction where there was and still is, a lot of road works going on. Two policeman were sitting under their sun shade with their communication device on a small table. First, in full view of the police, the two motorbikes directly in front of me jumped the red light. Two pickup trucks on my 90⁰ right on the road going out of town also decided to jump their red light and merged with the traffic directly opposite to me started to move,  again, in the view of the police. Okay stopping the pickups would have been dangerous but it showed how much regard the drivers have for police. The two motorbikes however, turned into the road where I knew there was a check point. I didn't see either policeman pick up their radio..

[Surasak]

3 hours ago, fullcave said:

They are busy controlling traffic manually from inside a box at the side of the road in between playing on smart phone. It's the latest technology. It's called "monkey in a box" traffic management system. Soon to be exported to the rest of the civilized world. 

The traffic management by the monkey in the box causes more of a problem than they solve. Always have done and ways will.

[masuk]

Just think of all the money the government could make, apart from saving numerous lives, if Red Light CCTV cameras are fitted.

The cameras photograph any vehicle, be it bike, car or truck, that crosses the white line once the lights change.

In Australia, the standard fine for running a red light is around $350.00, plus 3 demerit points.

A 2000baht fine might have the needed effect once drivers start receiving their fines in the mail, plus knowing that when they lose a total of 9 demerit points, it's tuk-tuks or song taews for the next 12 months  (first offence).

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Briefly, I completely agree the police should start doing what they get paid for, not using their time and authority to make money by extortion. I have never gone through a red light (early yellow [amber] on a rare occasion), and drivers should be punished very severely.

However, the manual light control by the cops in the booths needs to be ended. I know how long the wait can be, and the junctions with a countdown clock are excellent, so let's get the computers working again and see the cops doing what they ought to.

 

 

 

 

[metisdead]

A post in ALL CAPS has been removed, please turn off your Caps Lock when posting. 

[madmitch]

12 hours ago, masuk said:

Just think of all the money the government could make, apart from saving numerous lives, if Red Light CCTV cameras are fitted.

The cameras photograph any vehicle, be it bike, car or truck, that crosses the white line once the lights change.

In Australia, the standard fine for running a red light is around $350.00, plus 3 demerit points.

A 2000baht fine might have the needed effect once drivers start receiving their fines in the mail, plus knowing that when they lose a total of 9 demerit points, it's tuk-tuks or song taews for the next 12 months  (first offence).

They have them at a few places in Phuket but it appears that as so many people run red lights the system can't cope! https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-intelligent-traffic-cameras-too-efficient-for-printing-tickets-63464.php#MTOdSIkBYtPlfZEp.97

[Jonmarleesco]

On 10/25/2017 at 4:59 AM, webfact said:

Many cops think that because they are not doing roadside fleecing anymore they can just stay in and chat, eat and look at their phones to pass the time.

They did that, anyway - in between sleeping. A few weeks ago, there was a complete blockage at a traffic-light controlled junction on Ramkhamhaeng. Lo and behold, they continued to manually operate lights in all directions, despite the snarl up. One eventually got off his a___e and came outside, but his only action was to direct traffic straight on through the lights. Having walked my son across the gridlock and on to school, my wife came back to my still static position and we elected to drive straight on, find a coffee shop, and wait.

[Jonmarleesco]

3 hours ago, madmitch said:

They have them at a few places in Phuket but it appears that as so many people run red lights the system can't cope! https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-intelligent-traffic-cameras-too-efficient-for-printing-tickets-63464.php#MTOdSIkBYtPlfZEp.97

Running red lights is stupid in the extreme. But so many dipsticks run them to then simply to sit on the junction and obstruct other traffic - who in turn might run the lights to make up lost time ... One of the few places where a green light invites one to  negotiate a zig zag route.

[wow64]

Getting tough on the illegal check points is working well. Each night this week therd has been one between Soi 85 and 87.. shaking down the bikes.

 

The guy at the top is getting tough he just brought some radar detector for almost 1 million b each.

[Stargeezr]

Good Rant. I suspect with all the extra people in Bangkok attending the Kings ceremony , the traffic has

been extra heavy. The crowds on TV all over the place, looks ike  a lot of people from all over  Thailand, are in the

city until everything is finished . I am glad to see the end to the check stops.

Geezer