Samui traffic jams

[Don Chance]

So much traffic. It's worse than Bangkok. Why do they let so many cars on to the island?

[SamuiGeezer]

It definitely is not worse than Bangkok, that is tosh! For sure, there are too many vehicles and too many idiots on the roads of Samui.

For the locals my theory is that Somchai, to have some credibility gets a 4x4 on credit. He lives in a shack but is king (of the road) until the car is reclaimed by the credit company. Then the next family member gets a 4 x 4 on credit and so on .....

[huberthammer]

sounds like the OP has not spent much time in BKK if he thinks it is worse here. Aside from Friday night around fisherman when it can get pretty stuck (still ntg like BKK) and the few weeks over xmas it s bearable. 

[BlackWolf]

There have been lot of traffic jams this month. Exspressly between 18.00 to 20.00 in the evening.  And I wonder when will they repair the surface of the road on Samui.  The roads here must be the worst in Thailand.

[swerve]

Traffic in many parts of Phuket also terrible.

[Don Chance]

What makes it worse is lack of songthaew or public transportation. Walking along the roadway is unpleasant too, lack of sidewalks and dangerous traffic.

 

It's hard to like Samui, i'm Mae nam, when you go to the beach you look out and down the beach and it's nice. But look inwards, you see nothing but endless bungalows and resorts pushed right up to the beach. It's soulless.

[BlackWolf]

I agree that there is a bright side and a dark side of Samui. I was at a party last night at Chong Mon beach and it was so beatiful and quite, then I had to drive home and that was the dark side of the moon

[khunPer]

5 hours ago, BlackWolf said:

The roads here must be the worst in Thailand.

Presume there are many places in Thailand you have not yet been to...????

[SamuiGeezer]

14 hours ago, Don Chance said:

What makes it worse is lack of songthaew or public transportation. Walking along the roadway is unpleasant too, lack of sidewalks and dangerous traffic.

 

It's hard to like Samui, i'm Mae nam, when you go to the beach you look out and down the beach and it's nice. But look inwards, you see nothing but endless bungalows and resorts pushed right up to the beach. It's soulless.

There is dangerous traffic everywhere in Thailand. TIT 

 

I like Samui, it does have its faults but it definitely isn't soulless.

 

If you don't like it why not go somewhere else? Being polite 

[huberthammer]

On 2/23/2019 at 11:41 AM, Don Chance said:

What makes it worse is lack of songthaew

Are you sure you are on the same Samui as us? None of your observations seem to add up.

[Don Chance]

8 hours ago, huberthammer said:

Are you sure you are on the same Samui as us? None of your observations seem to add up.

Yes I noticed MORE SONGTHAEWs today.

I still think the traffic is bad on the road ways in Samui, difficult to cross. It is especially dangerous because tourist are just relaxed and coming out of bars and the beaches and easy to get in trouble crossing the road with the traffic driving so fast. There are no cross walks that i can see. Thai drivers are bad they never even slow down even when pedestrians are obviously trying to cross!  Tourist drivers are also very bad. They should simply limit the number of cars on the island or charge a tax.

 

The beach too is disappointing, too narrow and the hotels are too close. All these ugly resort ever inch of space.

Food seems over priced. There is fake fruit market on the road that sells pineapples for 70 baht. Considering 20 baht is for a half a pineapple prepared by a vendor.

Too many Russian and other fat western tourists who think they are hot stuff.  Samui really is ruined by over development and greed. It doesn't feel natural or relaxing here.  Many locals are very cheating people around here.

I've still got 2 more days here, is there a wide beach anywhere? Maybe i'll go to Chewang tomorrow.... i'm sure that will be uplifting.

 

[khunPer]

30 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

I've still got 2 more days here, is there a wide beach anywhere? Maybe i'll go to Chewang tomorrow....

I'm afraid you'll also be disappointed over Chaweng, when stating about Maenam that "The beach too is disappointing, too narrow and the hotels are too close. All these ugly resort ever inch of space", and "Too many Russian and other fat western tourists who think they are hot stuff."

 

The width of the beaches are depending of the tide water, some times they are relative wide, and other times they are a bit narrow.

 

Presume we view the same things different. When I stay at the middle of Maenam Beach in high season and look west, and east, this is what I see of too close ugly resorts covering every inch of space...????

 

[huberthammer]

9 hours ago, Don Chance said:

Yes I noticed MORE SONGTHAEWs today.

I still think the traffic is bad on the road ways in Samui, difficult to cross. It is especially dangerous because tourist are just relaxed and coming out of bars and the beaches and easy to get in trouble crossing the road with the traffic driving so fast. There are no cross walks that i can see. Thai drivers are bad they never even slow down even when pedestrians are obviously trying to cross!  Tourist drivers are also very bad. They should simply limit the number of cars on the island or charge a tax.

 

The beach too is disappointing, too narrow and the hotels are too close. All these ugly resort ever inch of space.

Food seems over priced. There is fake fruit market on the road that sells pineapples for 70 baht. Considering 20 baht is for a half a pineapple prepared by a vendor.

Too many Russian and other fat western tourists who think they are hot stuff.  Samui really is ruined by over development and greed. It doesn't feel natural or relaxing here.  Many locals are very cheating people around here.

I've still got 2 more days here, is there a wide beach anywhere? Maybe i'll go to Chewang tomorrow.... i'm sure that will be uplifting.

 

Happy to hear you will leave in 2 days, I really hope there will not be a BBK traffic jam when you head to the airport that could hinder your departure. Sorry you did not like it here, probably best you will not return as you seem to be a really miserable git.

 

 

[Snow Leopard]

The jams I have seen occur are usually caused by a stupid tour bus stopping in the wrong place. 

[Tropicalevo]

10 hours ago, Don Chance said:

Yes I noticed MORE SONGTHAEWs today.

I still think the traffic is bad on the road ways in Samui, difficult to cross. It is especially dangerous because tourist are just relaxed and coming out of bars and the beaches and easy to get in trouble crossing the road with the traffic driving so fast. There are no cross walks that i can see. Thai drivers are bad they never even slow down even when pedestrians are obviously trying to cross!  Tourist drivers are also very bad. They should simply limit the number of cars on the island or charge a tax.

 

The beach too is disappointing, too narrow and the hotels are too close. All these ugly resort ever inch of space.

Food seems over priced. There is fake fruit market on the road that sells pineapples for 70 baht. Considering 20 baht is for a half a pineapple prepared by a vendor.

Too many Russian and other fat western tourists who think they are hot stuff.  Samui really is ruined by over development and greed. It doesn't feel natural or relaxing here.  Many locals are very cheating people around here.

I've still got 2 more days here, is there a wide beach anywhere? Maybe i'll go to Chewang tomorrow.... i'm sure that will be uplifting.

 

It seems to me that you are a tad naive.

 

High tide - narrow beaches. Low tide - wide beaches. On the three beaches near me only three hotels in total.

 

Maybe you do not realise that there are different varieties of pineapples. They are not all the same. Some of the smaller sweeter ones are more expensive (90 baht each). Larger ones may be sold by the kilo.

 

Biggest problem with pedestrians - those from countries where they drive on the right. Those tourists always look the wrong way when crossing the road. Just a reminder about those drivers not slowing down for pedestrians that are crossing the roads - road users have right of way in pretty much every country in the world. I have travelled extensively and I do not know of a country as polite as Thailand where traffic does slow down for people crossing. Try crossing a busy road in the UK!

 

Yes, Samui is overpriced. As is pretty much every major tourist destination in the world. Also, it is an island (in case people forget). Distribution costs of goods to islands are higher than those on the mainland. (Planes and ferries.) Samui is not really Thailand. It is more akin to 'Disneyland in the tropics'. With Disneyland prices.

 

I was not sure how to react to this comment "Too many Russian and other fat western tourists". Maybe we could ask Bangkok Airways and others to price airline tickets by the kilo

 

Good luck in Chaweng. At least you will see many road crossings

[GalaxyMan]

On 2/23/2019 at 11:41 AM, Don Chance said:

It's hard to like Samui, i'm Mae nam, when you go to the beach you look out and down the beach and it's nice. But look inwards, you see nothing but endless bungalows and resorts pushed right up to the beach. It's soulless.

Couldn't disagree more. I live on Walking Street in Maenam. Fantastic Chinese community just reeking of character; some good, some bad. Like everywhere. Traffic always sucks in January and February. Get over it. Ride a scooter; makes the traffic irrelevant, at least for me. Walk the beach all the way to Lom Praia. You could just leave, you know... ???? My guess is that you wouldn't be terribly missed with your negative attitude.

[GalaxyMan]

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

Maybe we could ask Bangkok Airways and others to price airline tickets by the kilo.

Most sensible pricing plan they could come up with; totally egalitarian. No more bullshit about how much a bag weighs.

[robertson468]

On 2/24/2019 at 2:01 AM, SamuiGeezer said:

There is dangerous traffic everywhere in Thailand. TIT 

 

I like Samui, it does have its faults but it definitely isn't soulless.

 

If you don't like it why not go somewhere else? Being polite 

Maybe he should get a job as a Reporter who are inclined to over report issues just to get attention.  Clearly the Op does not know Koh Samui, where there are many lovely quiet roads (especially down South of the Island) and is no where near as bad as Bangkok where it can take you hours and hours to get across Town.  I know both areas well and have lived on Samui now for 14 years.  It is by far one of the best Island to live on, but yes there are the inevitiable ongoing developments.  There are road repairs going on, which is disrupting traffic flow which does not help on Friday and Monday nights when walking street is on at Fisherman's Village.  As the previous Op said, "if you don't like it, move on".  Not a difficult decision to make I would have thought?

[Samui Bodoh]

13 hours ago, Don Chance said:

Yes I noticed MORE SONGTHAEWs today.

I still think the traffic is bad on the road ways in Samui, difficult to cross. It is especially dangerous because tourist are just relaxed and coming out of bars and the beaches and easy to get in trouble crossing the road with the traffic driving so fast. There are no cross walks that i can see. Thai drivers are bad they never even slow down even when pedestrians are obviously trying to cross!  Tourist drivers are also very bad. They should simply limit the number of cars on the island or charge a tax.

 

The beach too is disappointing, too narrow and the hotels are too close. All these ugly resort ever inch of space.

Food seems over priced. There is fake fruit market on the road that sells pineapples for 70 baht. Considering 20 baht is for a half a pineapple prepared by a vendor.

Too many Russian and other fat western tourists who think they are hot stuff.  Samui really is ruined by over development and greed. It doesn't feel natural or relaxing here.  Many locals are very cheating people around here.

I've still got 2 more days here, is there a wide beach anywhere? Maybe i'll go to Chewang tomorrow.... i'm sure that will be uplifting.

 

Two more days?

 

Oh no.

 

Please don't go.

 

We just love having you here.

 

You are a ray of sunshine.

 

You brighten the whole island.

 

Fortunately, the other 99.8% of visitors aren't whiny little whingers!

 

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

I have travelled extensively and I do not know of a country as polite as Thailand where traffic does slow down for people crossing. Try crossing a busy road in the UK!

 

 

Are you for real????..... I know I’m wrong but this makes it look like you have been to neither country... Your observations are polar opposite of what I and most people (on this forum too) complain about when trying to cross the road in Thailand. 

 

People stop at Padestrian (zebra) Crossings in the UK - its law. Here they speed up to impose their presence on you so they don’t have to stop. Crossing the road here can be a nightmare.... 

[Huckenfell]

On 2/23/2019 at 8:13 AM, huberthammer said:

sounds like the OP has not spent much time in BKK if he thinks it is worse here. Aside from Friday night around fisherman when it can get pretty stuck (still ntg like BKK) and the few weeks over xmas it s bearable. 

Every afternoon the traffic is a stop go crawl from the Lompraya arches Maenam right through to Fisherman Village lights

[huberthammer]

7 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

Every afternoon the traffic is a stop go crawl from the Lompraya arches Maenam right through to Fisherman Village lights

at times it might be a crawl but not a standstill like BKK and it does not last that long, as I say, bearable 

 

[GalaxyMan]

3 hours ago, huberthammer said:

at times it might be a crawl but not a standstill like BKK and it does not last that long, as I say, bearable 

 

Exactly, and only January-March. The rest of the year is nothing.

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, Huckenfell said:

Every afternoon the traffic is a stop go crawl from the Lompraya arches Maenam right through to Fisherman Village lights

In high season there is more traffic, and this year there has also been road work between Maenam and the Fisherman Village intersection.

 

Also the last bad surface on the Ring Road in front of the hotels up to The Wharf's entrance slows down the traffic, until they have finished the sewer work and probably will apply new tarmac on top of uneven cement surface. It's especially Fridays, and sometimes also Mondays, when there are "walking street" from The Wharf into Fisherman Village. Around 4.30 pm on week-days the high school exit by W Resort also makes halts to the traffic, when lots of kids and school busses are leaving.

[SamuiGeezer]

12 hours ago, robertson468 said:

Maybe he should get a job as a Reporter who are inclined to over report issues just to get attention.  Clearly the Op does not know Koh Samui, where there are many lovely quiet roads (especially down South of the Island) and is no where near as bad as Bangkok where it can take you hours and hours to get across Town.  I know both areas well and have lived on Samui now for 14 years.  It is by far one of the best Island to live on, but yes there are the inevitiable ongoing developments.  There are road repairs going on, which is disrupting traffic flow which does not help on Friday and Monday nights when walking street is on at Fisherman's Village.  As the previous Op said, "if you don't like it, move on".  Not a difficult decision to make I would have thought?

Just driven round the south today, the roads are much better and quieter, quite relaxing really. If I lived in the south I would get a decent bike to ride around on. Access to the beaches is still frustrating in some places but still I think the south is a perfect retreat for a 'chill out' holiday. If you want more action it is Lamai and the northern half of the island.

[GalaxyMan]

Drove from Maenam to the airport yesterday at 2pm in the car. There was traffic, but it was moving decently. Nothing to complain about, even with the road works in Bophut. Went out at 4pm on the scooter to Chaweng and it was a breeze, traffic moving decently, no frustration due to the conditions, though the idiot farangs on scooters for the first time in their lives were a real hazzard. Seems like the 'season' is already winding down. Bad year for local businesses from what I'm hearing.

[Tropicalevo]

On 2/26/2019 at 11:08 AM, richard_smith237 said:

People stop at Padestrian (zebra) Crossings in the UK - its law. Here they speed up to impose their presence on you so they don’t have to stop. Crossing the road here can be a nightmare.... 

I am for real and I have read the highway code. It seems that you missed a couple of pages.

 

It is NOT the law that drivers have to stop at pedestrian crossings. The Highway Code states that a driver must stop once a pedestrian steps onto the crossing, BUT the pedestrian MUST NOT step onto the crossing unless the road is clear OR the driver stops. If the drivers do not stop - tough!

 

By the way - most of the crossings on Samui are not legal. They are just painted white lines put there by hotels who are too lazy to build footbridges and the guys with the whistles and flags are breaking the law by stopping the traffic. Their job is to tell the pedestrians when it is safe to cross.

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

By the way - most of the crossings on Samui are not legal. They are just painted white lines put there by hotels who are too lazy to build footbridges and the guys with the whistles and flags are breaking the law by stopping the traffic.

However, the zebra crossings by schools are extremely legal, so please do respect those.

[evadgib]

On 2/26/2019 at 1:22 PM, Huckenfell said:

Every afternoon the traffic is a stop go crawl from the Lompraya arches Maenam right through to Fisherman Village lights

If it's chokka take Soi 7 and stay left past the frizby golf onto Soi 5 & from there cross and swing round the temple (Soi 4) & take the first left which brings you out @ Soi 3 or Soi 2 where you can rejoin the ringroad.

HTH

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by evadgib

[bangrak]

More heavy traffic, on 'Ring Road', p.m. when school's out, and after construction workers finish their day. Annoying? A bit, but same or worse around the, populated, World I guess.

More of a nuisance is the daily slow to standing traffic on 'Ring Road' at some specific spots, like around Bophut traffic lights, ...which are out-of-order for so many months, around 'Soi Lake', traffic lights 'out' too..., 'Soi Laem Din', ...traffic lights 'out', 'Soi Thai Inter', and generally around all the public markets. Why are the traffic lights not kept working, and have a BiB, with brains(!) to regulate things when/where needed? TiT...

But what is, to me, really irritating are the traffic jams, from about 2.30 to 9 p.m. or later, caused by those 'walking streets', ki-lo-me-ters long cues, thousands of vehicles, ...and tens of thousands of people of all kind, time after time, blocked for an hour or two, for whose sake may I ask? A couple of hunderd 'visiting' tourists (spending very little), the keepers of a hunderd stalls or so...?