Too Many Police Checkpoints in Pattaya

[pi2005ni]

If everyone was driving legally then there is no money to be made . If you are 100% legal then you pay Zero . I myself will pay the fine if in the wrong . If not I will not pay , I don’t pay tea money or tips . The problem is too many , when stopped are slipping a couple of hundred baht even though they have done nothing wrong , WHY ? 

Many reports on this forum are simply rubbish,  often posted by members not even in the country at the 

time of the alleged incident. FACT .

[Ks45672]

1 hour ago, pi2005ni said:

If everyone was driving legally then there is no money to be made . If you are 100% legal then you pay Zero . I myself will pay the fine if in the wrong . If not I will not pay , I don’t pay tea money or tips . The problem is too many , when stopped are slipping a couple of hundred baht even though they have done nothing wrong , WHY ? 

Many reports on this forum are simply rubbish,  often posted by members not even in the country at the 

time of the alleged incident. FACT .

That's why they still have lax infrequent enforcement of the traffic laws, it earns a shitton of cash

 

One of many examples i could list is Coming towards the city centre on the ratchada road between phayoyothin and petchbury rd there are 3 underpasses that motorcycles are not suppose to use ( you can go under every traffic lights intersection and avoid a long wait) 

 

About twice a month between 10am and 4pm they have police at the other end of the tunnel to catch bikers who "broke the law" and fine them but on the other ~28 days a month there is no police and everyone uses the shortcut for free ????

 

If they were really serious about it they could man those tunnel checkpoints EVERYDAY and Thai people will learn rapidly not to use them... But then the police at suttisan and huai kwang will make no money ????

 

Sporadic enforcement is much more lucrative and a lot less effort than doing things properly 365 days a year

 

2019 now and anyday you ride around  bkk you will see hundreds of people not wearing helmets yet the police have been cracking down on this "crime" forever lol

[Ulic]

In the last 4 months, I have had 5 license checks and 4 breathalyzer checks. The stops have cost me nothing so far but twice it seemed the police were a little upset because everything was in order so no money changed hands (but there were plenty of others contributing) The breathalizer boys were polite and professional. No banter or joking. They were surprised at the low/no alcohol numbers registering and sent me on my way. No pee testing yet. I don't go out that often so I have been surprised by the number of stops. Anyone who rolls the dice on the drinking and driving will definitely be caught at some point in the not to distant future if this level of enforcement is maintained. 

[moreem]

On 1/9/2019 at 2:31 PM, Pete1980 said:

Most are happy that the police are getting drunks, drugs and weapons off the streets and enforcing road rules saving lives.

 

Ridiculous to even believe that they are doing anything.

I guess that all men are so weak ans scare in life that they would like a cop to follow them everywhere ?!

 

[moreem]

16 hours ago, BestB said:

Can not say i have been bothered by the check points but i normally have my boofhead 45kg pitbull with me and just get waved off.

 

Perhaps you like to rent him? works a charm ????

 

On a more serious note, checkpojnts you are mentioning seem to be aimed at the locals rather than the tourists, as most you have mentioned are on the dark side. 

 

 

And I don't know how people can find them, because driving on the dark side weekly I have never met a checkpoint there !

 

 

[moreem]

On 1/8/2019 at 11:46 PM, darksidedog said:

As many posters know already, I am a prison visitor seeing people in multiple prisons. I don't carry my lawyers business card, I work for a lawyer and have done for many years.

I am well aware of my rights and once when I insisted on them, my boss had to bail me out because a copper didn't want to lose face for his illegal activities.

If you had read my post, you would know my bike is 2 years old, a Yamaha Nuovo FX to provide finer detail. Nothing flash and in perfect condition. I am not sure why you thought that relevant.

I will lob the cops 100 when the need arises, because it is easier than headbutting a wall, even though I am utterly clean and have all my paperwork in order. Occasionally, and I do mean occasionally, it saves drama.

And lastly, my thread simply questioned the number of stops around town and if people thought it excessive. Your input on the central part of the thread, which I stressed in my post which you quoted,  would have been appreciated.

 

 

 

But why you do not carry lawyer namecard ?!

Just want to make your life more difficult ?! You are connected and prefer to look like a cheap tourist on a bike ?!

 

 

[rebbu]

On 1/8/2019 at 4:54 PM, HLover said:

LMFAO...???????????????? 

Why are you laughing your ass off? 

[CNXexpat]

17 hours ago, fruitman said:

They should drive around and stop the misbehaving drivers or unroadworthy vehicles. Not causing traffic jam but only stop the ones who deserve a ticket.

How can they know that somebody deserves a ticket for driving drunk or without license before stopping her/him?

[dabhand]

On ‎1‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 6:31 AM, Guderian said:

Yes, I agree, it's just become silly now, there are way too many. Why on earth should a 5 minute drive from my house to Big C take 15 minutes because of navigating a dumb checkpoint blocking the entire northbound side of Suk? If there'd been a murder or something serious, maybe it's justified, but checking crash helmets and licences is not sufficient justification IMHO to cause so much inconvenience to innocent motorists. A week ago the same thing heading south to Makro, the whole of Suk blocked off as well as the u-turn by Makro, so once you navigated your way through the cops you had to go all the way down to Soi Wat Boon and do a u-turn there. Ridiculous.

 

Mind you, it's not just Pattaya. A mate who lives up near Ubon drove down to Jomtien yesterday and got stopped no less than eight times on the way. He thinks the heightened police activity is due to the impending election, though most of what I read seems to say that it's not necessarily pending at all.

I do believe that, if 'heading south to Makro' on Suk, you have to cross a white line coming out of the 'U-turn by Makro'. That's if you are aiming for the Makro car park?

 

Seen many drivers take this same approach when I use this U-turn coming from East Pattaya and am heading to Lotus. Waiting for all north bound traffic to clear is all very well (still not legal, though), but that can cause a queue of traffic waiting to turn, with this queue occasionally extending into the south bound fast lane. Not good.

 

So, going all the way down to the next set of lights would be the legal and safe way if your destination is Makro. Maybe not so ridiculous after all.

 

Yes, the traffic stops should be better targeted but having any presence on the roads can only be a good thing. A few minutes delay can't kill or maim. That is all down to dodgy drivers who seem to chose which laws they wish to comply with. Both Thais and foreigners.

 

 

[balo]

15 hours ago, Ks45672 said:

2019 now and anyday you ride around  bkk you will see hundreds of people not wearing helmets yet the police have been cracking down on this "crime" forever lol

Yes this is one of the main differences betweem Thailand and Vietnam.

 

Both countries are infested with motorbikes , even more so in Vietnam, still in Vietnam and cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh , almost everyone are riding with helmets. I never checked the fines for not wearing one, but I did spot police check points every day.   

 

So in a country similar to Thailand they managed to do something about it. But will Thailand follow their example ? I doubt it. 

 

 

 

[bbi1]

On 1/9/2019 at 4:54 PM, losworld said:

these stops have been ongoing for many months.  they don't stop cars very often either particularly expensive ones.  i was told by a reliable source that the police get bonuses on every ticket up to a maximum of 10000 baht plus who knows how much they are taking on the sly with dui... ever wonder why you never see english speaking tourist police at dui checkpoints anymore? it's all about the cash...

Is it true if a Merc with tints flashes their lights at a police checkpoint they assume it's someone of power/importance and then they'll just wave them through? I read that on here a while ago.