Highway clarifies 105 baht toll on safer 126-kilometre Bangkok-Pattaya motorway reasonable

[rooster59]

Highway clarifies 105 baht toll on safer 126-kilometre Bangkok-Pattaya motorway reasonable

 

 

The Department of Highways yesterday (Jan 5) clarified that the collection of 105 baht toll on Highway 7 from Bangkok to Pattaya was not an increase of toll.

 

Instead the toll is collected in according to the distance which is about one baht for a kilometre which has been approved by the previous cabinet since 1989.

 

Clarification from the department’s director-general Mr Thanin Somboon came after the department was strongly criticised for raising the motorway toll to almost double, from 60 baht to 105 baht for cars, effective April 19.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/highway-clarifies-105-baht-toll-safer-126-kilometre-bangkok-pattaya-motorway-reasonable/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-01-06

[keith101]

There is so much traffic on the highway i don't see any need to increase the toll by so much and 1989 is nearly 30 years ago when the amount of vehicle's using this highway would have been seriously lighter and maybe 1 bht per kilometer may have been justified . My opinion for what its worth .  

[55Jay]

I feel a hasty reversal coming on.....

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Price of a bus ticket to patts. Take the bus.

[robblok]

4 minutes ago, 55Jay said:

I feel a hasty reversal coming on.....

Or a lot less traffic there and then I am certainly willing to pay. That is why people drive on tollways to safe time. Why pay if its still real full and slow.

[leeneeds]

Don't go on the Toll way if you don't want to pay

very simple,

[55Jay]

3 minutes ago, robblok said:

Or a lot less traffic there and then I am certainly willing to pay. That is why people drive on tollways to safe time. Why pay if its still real full and slow.

Indeed.  First thought I had the other day when seeing orig article, apart from the fast track lanes, was why not make it an even increment instead of one party or the other digging around for change?  100 Baht slips right off the old palm, and fer fark's sake, quit wasting time and money on all those bloody paper receipts most just crumple up and toss into the bin straight away. 

[glasswort]

I cannot really understand how people regard the THB105 as an increase. Up until now the road from Pattaya to the first toll gate has been free. This road has now been upgraded and as far as I am concerned the increase is totally justified. I certainly do not object to paying. Maybe we will get less visitors from Bangkok cluttering up the roads in Pattaya.

[robblok]

1 hour ago, 55Jay said:

Indeed.  First thought I had the other day when seeing orig article, apart from the fast track lanes, was why not make it an even increment instead of one party or the other digging around for change?  100 Baht slips right off the old palm, and fer fark's sake, quit wasting time and money on all those bloody paper receipts most just crumple up and toss into the bin straight away. 

I always use easypass.. never those paper receipts.. though it seems some Thais go to the easy pass even when they dont have money. Because there always seem to be cars that have to turn back (annoying) could also be a temporarily technical problem, but usually after car is gone it works again. Real strange. But still the easy pass saves time.

[bkk6060]

With all the complaints about this place give some credit.

The road has been much improved so now the additional toll.

3 bucks...

And yes the bus is still the most economical way I assume the price may now increase slightly.

[topt]

From the article -

Quote

For the remaining 48-kilometre section from Chonburi to Pattaya, he explained that the department has just completely installed safety facilities and built toll booths along the section to meet the closed system standards, and just put it on trial recently.

The trial proved successful with no heavy traffic clogged the toll booths on this 48-kilometre section, he said.

Really not sure how he can say that as people did not have to stop to go through the toll booths..........

My third hand understanding was that on the first day yesterday at some booths it was a little chaotic. Anybody have any first hand experience?

 

Closing all the "gaps" will certainly make it safer all be it less convenient.

[BuaBS]

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Highway clarifies 105 baht toll on safer 126-kilometre Bangkok-Pattaya motorway reasonable

No it's not safer and no it's not reasonable.

[natway09]

Sorry, but a 75% increase is unexplainable under any conditions.

They must have mates in high places 

[Sir Dude]

The squeeze is on for motorists, drinkers, smokers and tourists plus expats...every last baht will be squeezed out of them at every turn.  

[bkk6060]

1 hour ago, BuaBS said:

No it's not safer and no it's not reasonable.

I guess if one is so scared and thinks it is a rip off they can walk.

How long will it take??

[dinsdale]

Every little bit helps.

[Seismic]

9 hours ago, keith101 said:

There is so much traffic on the highway i don't see any need to increase the toll by so much and 1989 is nearly 30 years ago when the amount of vehicle's using this highway would have been seriously lighter and maybe 1 bht per kilometer may have been justified . My opinion for what its worth .  

Motorway 7 was not under construction 30 years ago.......

[Just Weird]

9 hours ago, keith101 said:

There is so much traffic on the highway i don't see any need to increase the toll by so much and 1989 is nearly 30 years ago when the amount of vehicle's using this highway would have been seriously lighter and maybe 1 bht per kilometer may have been justified . My opinion for what its worth .  

The toll hasn't been increased, motorists are  now paying for the extra section that they use and were not being charged for that previously.

Edited January 6, 2018 by Just Weird

[Just Weird]

9 hours ago, 55Jay said:

Indeed.  First thought I had the other day when seeing orig article, apart from the fast track lanes, was why not make it an even increment instead of one party or the other digging around for change?  100 Baht slips right off the old palm, and fer fark's sake, quit wasting time and money on all those bloody paper receipts most just crumple up and toss into the bin straight away. 

Millions of baht going through the booths each day and you think that not having to give receipts is a good idea!  How many extra milliseconds does it take to pass a receipt with the change?

[Just Weird]

5 hours ago, natway09 said:

Sorry, but a 75% increase is unexplainable under any conditions.

They must have mates in high places 

There hasn't been a 75% increase, there hasn't been any increase, motorists weren't being charged the full amount that was permitted previously

[Basil B]

13 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Millions of baht going through the booths each day and you think that not having to give receipts is a good idea!  How many extra milliseconds does it take to pass a receipt with the change?

The answer is to have the option to pay with a contactless card... probably could even speed things.

[55Jay]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

Millions of baht going through the booths each day and you think that not having to give receipts is a good idea!  How many extra milliseconds does it take to pass a receipt with the change?

It's the quantity of cars passing through the booths, and what that process of slowing, stopping and re-accelerating does to traffic flow.

 

The impressive sums of red herring money you bring up, isn't relevant.

 

Not giving receipts was not referring to booth to driver receipt issuance, although there is a few milliseconds there, agreed.   Rather, why produce something we don't need only to have the end-user throw it away instantly, and so casually.

[bkk6060]

6 hours ago, Just Weird said:

Millions of baht going through the booths each day and you think that not having to give receipts is a good idea!  How many   Dropping change just like dropping a receipt holds up the linextra milliseconds does it take to pass a receipt with the change?

A great idea.  Why have them?  You writing it off your taxes or something?

 

PS: Dropping change just like dropping the receipt holds up the lines.  The less the better.

[Sydebolle]

Never got this endless discussion. Take the Swiss system = they charge you a flat fee for a sticker, presently just below THB 1'500 - flat, per calendar year. Obtainable at any kiosque, post office, petrol stations. 

The client puts this sticker onto the wind screen (cannot be taken off without ripping it apart), the vendor keeps a commission and transfers the money back to the state's coffers at the end of the month/quarter. 

This results in a juicy profit, not thousands of toll gate operators, funny Easypass/M-pass tags which dont work half the time nor include the entire grid (Din Daeng-Don Meouang is all cash still) and no endless traffic gridlocks because Somchai has an empty toll tag, no small change or no money at all.

Go figure = inefficiency at its very best! The THB 105 are a a cheap sneeze, if it would be a motorway without those dredge tollgates.

Another example is Japan with tag readers across the highway while you race underneath at 80-100kmh. It's all about money so, for Christ's sake, try to make money and dont screw the paying customers further ...... 

[quandow]

I have a friend who commutes from Pattaya to Chonburi round trip 5 days a week. That's going to cost him over ฿4,000 per month. The other option for drivers is to use the parallel Frontage road and he says that's now PACKED with cars. The only real winners are those who receive the money.

[newnative]

    Totally ridiculous to make the fare 105 baht.  Imagine all the fumbling around looking for that 5 baht!  "Honey, check under your seat. I think I dropped 5 baht the other day."   Brainless.  And, yes, I have an Easy Pass but doing things like this 5 baht nonsense means the traffic will likely often be so backed up (as it always is in Bangkok) that you can't even get to the easy pass booth.

[volsfan]

I took the tollway from Pattaya towards the airport yesterday enroute north. One thing I noticed is that a lot of people are going to need to adjust their thinking about things like food and fuel, and another is that businesses along the southern part of the route are sure to start failing in droves.

 

For example, when you enter the motorway now, the first fuel without exiting is the 48km service plaza. No more exiting just after Laem Chabang and re-entering easily. In fact, after that 7-11 on the northbound side on the frontage road, there were massive backups at the next two traffic lights spanning about 10 km. Also, there is no where to re-enter for more than 20 km if you do exit there.

 

Of course, that also led to the 48km plaza being backed up onto the roadway it was so busy. 

 

They have already pulled the booths from the 68km pay area, and hopefully will rip all of that down now to expedite passage thru instead of having to slow to pass thru the unused plaza.

[KhunMhee]

I gotta say I like it. There will likely be less traffic then so better travel times to the golf courses

[Ulic]

Call a spade a spade, its just a money grab. 

[manarak]

On 1/6/2018 at 11:17 PM, Just Weird said:

The toll hasn't been increased, motorists are  now paying for the extra section that they use and were not being charged for that previously.

 

maybe, but the placement of the toll is abusive.

they should have placed it after the junction with highway 36 and not before, the new toll placement makes traffic around Pattaya more difficult and will put even more pressure on roads that are already overburdened with traffic.