Jaywalkers ignore Pattaya traffic lights, for good reason

[Rimmer]

Jaywalkers ignore Pattaya traffic lights, for good reason

PATTAYA:--With most of the city’s pedestrian-crossing lights broken for the past decade, Pattaya’s tourists can be forgiven for jaywalking.

 

That hasn’t stopped some locals from complaining about those crossing against the light on North Road by the Terminal 21 shopping mall. They say it slows down traffic and risks accidents.

 

The signal – which allows people to cross the busy thoroughfare to catch baht buses headed to Sukhumvit Road and the Pattaya Bus Station – actually does work. But the 15-second delay before the light changes to green apparently is too long for many visitors.

 

Of course, frequent visitors to Pattaya probably just assume the light is broken, as so many are. A random check on Beach Road found one of two lights broken with a police officer doing the work of a mechanical light outside the Soi 9 police station and Central Festival Pattaya Beach.

 

Read more: http://www.pattayamail.com/news/jaywalkers-ignore-pattaya-traffic-lights-for-good-reason-246269

-- PATTAYA MAIL 2019-15-02--

[Pedrogaz]

It might be an idea to get these working and have the military or police occasionally check whether drivers are respecting the lights. On Beach Road they will run you down rather than stop at a red light for pedestrians.

[hotchilli]

Guess they blew the budget on the right kind of sand for the beach ?

[Assurancetourix]

 

[buffallobill]

The ones on beach road, near the police station work, but traffic just ignores the red light, maybe one day one of the police officers could fine someone while they are waiting to stop tourists without a international driving licence 

[zoza]

• Not sure how many are broken or just shut down, as within weeks of them being deployed most were not working and people said they got shut off as they caused to many accidents ? 

[wpcoe]

 

 

[scubascuba3]

Why bother using lights if vehicles don't stop, i don't blame people for jaywalking

[DefaultName]

12 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Why bother using lights if vehicles don't stop, i don't blame people for jaywalking

On a bike, I DAREN'T stop unless the road is clear, because I know the traffic behind me won't.

[paulikens]

it will never be a concern for thais as they dont walk anywhere so they dont care one iota about pedestrians

[scubascuba3]

On a bike, I DAREN'T stop unless the road is clear, because I know the traffic behind me won't.

I agree i always look behind before stopping and ideally i go next to a vehicle inbetween two lanes

[CGW]

56 minutes ago, DefaultName said:

On a bike, I DAREN'T stop unless the road is clear, because I know the traffic behind me won't.

Its no different driving a car, if I stop, nobody else does, especially bikes, just makes it even more dangerous for pedestrians! 

[Henrik Andersen]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Why bother using lights if vehicles don't stop, i don't blame people for jaywalking

Here in jomtien they only work sometimes and when work thai people not stop for red light 

thai people is so double moral 

[CeeGee]

I no longer stop when the lights are changing to Red(If they are red already,I stop)twice I have stopped when the lights changed to red,twice someone went into the back of me.My partner(Thai) explained that they expect me to run the red light,so they were not prepared for me to stop. 

[watcharacters]

 

 

When I drive I do my best to show  courtesy and patience to both pedestrians and other drivers on the road.

 

Not always easy to do but in the long run I think it's the best approach for me.

 

[Cake Monster]

Some time ago, a little while after the pedestrian crossings were installed along Beach Road, it was found that Thai drivers totally ignored the RED stop light.

The high tech answer to this issue was to have people standing at the crossings waving a red f lag when the drivers were supposed to stop on the RED.

However, after a period of time, these gainfully employed people were removed from this duty and the lights were left to fall into a state of disrepair through lack of Maintainance / lack of funds etc

If you are going to stop at the pedestrian crossings first slow down and put on hazard warning lights before stopping . This seems to work for me.

[CliffH]

11 sets of pedestrian crossing lights between soi 6 and Walking Street, 7 of them malfunctioning.  I've just counted them.

Why can't the authorities get a few of their staff/contractors trained on fixing them? The electronics are probably modular, and hardly rocket science.

[RotBenz8888]

4 hours ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

Strike!

[JayBird]

Given that cars don't stop, it's all fair?

I was on beach road:
Pressed button
Waited for light.
Watched the cars go thorough the red light until one stopped
I started to cross
Peeked behind the car and pulled head back in time to avoid being hit by Speedy Gonzales on his motorbike.

It's safer to cross when there is no light. Moving cars are less of a blind spot.

[Gandtee]

It's dangerous for pedestrians for a car to stop at the lights. It gives them a false sense of security. They walk across and get hit by vehicles that don't.

[Crossy]

Yup, many moons ago I was crossing Asoke in BKK at the light near Rutnin hospital (they were working back then). Two lanes of cars in both directions had stopped.

 

Safe to cross? Of course not I just got to the middle of the road when a bike taxi (with passenger) buzzed up the middle. He just clipped me leaving a nice bruise, however the resulting direction change made him hit the front of a taxi waiting at the light.

 

I fled the scene just as the taxi driver had the moto chap in a headlock.