Chiang Mai public transport van drivers petition against GPS speed detectors, for higher speed limit

By The Nation

 

 

Some 50 representatives of Chiang Mai’s public transport van association on Monday showed up at the provincial transport office, calling for sympathy and help by either cancelling the requirement for public transport vans to be installed with speed-detecting GPS devices or increasing the current 90 kilometres/hour speed limit to 110km/h.

 

Association president Soros Phromrak, on behalf of several thousand members, submitted the petition to the office’s acting director, Pannee Phumpan. 

 

The move comes after many of the association’s members have been hit with traffic tickets – resulting in them paying thousands of baht in fines per month – for exceeding the speed limit, while some have also had their vehicle-tax renewal rights suspended due to the offence, Soros said. 

 

The group also called for the cancellation of the suspension of drivers’ tax-renewal rights in these circumstances

 

Soros explained that with many of the northern region’s roads mountainous, many uphill sections required the use of a higher speed of about 100-110km/h for about one or two minutes, in order to overtake other vehicles, and that such instances occurred several times a day during a driver’s journeys. 

 

As the provincial transport office combined the times that a van accelerated beyond the speed limit, and issued tickets demanding that the driver pay a Bt1,000 penalty for each occasion, this resulted in some of them having to come up with at least Bt4,000 a month, the association chief explained. 

 

Van drivers were continuing to shoulder the fine for driving beyond 90km/h, as they still had to violate the speed limit to get past slower-moving vehicles, he said. 

 

“Please be sympathetic with public transport van drivers, as we’re also part of the tourism business providing services to tourists as well as the general public. With such a speed limit imposed, we have to carry this traffic-fine burden every month, meaning we might be [put ] out of business,” he said, adding that driving at less than 90km/h added to travelling time, and made the drivers exhausted and sleepy due to the longer period that they had to spend behind the wheel.

 

Pannee said she would table the association’s petition to the Land Transport Department with a view to discussing appropriate solutions at a later date.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30364739

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-25

too stupid to learn and brazenly insisting  on stupidity

 

"they still had to violate the speed limit"  - have they?

 

just keep to the rules and don't overtake  - unbelievable

Unbelievable.

The whole article could be from a stand-up comedian.

 

We need to overtake on up hill sections with 110 (plus xx bonus)

Since we have GPS monitoring we are fined for speeding

New to them.

 

Lock them all up at a military camp for the well known "attitude correction".

Next they're gonna assert their right to still be allowed to pass on blind corners...

10 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

as we’re also part of the tourism business providing services to tourists as well as the general public.

The main priority should be providing safety to tourists with the services they offer.

Every proposal guarantees less safety, and possible disaster !

and we must be able to play facebook while driving otherwise we might miss something important

They just don't realise they're shooting themselves in the foot.

When this news report circulates more, that's when tourists will see how dangerous and uninterested in any sort of safety these drivers are.

 

,” he said, adding that driving at less than 90km/h added to travelling time, and made the drivers exhausted and sleepy due to the longer period that they had to spend behind the wheel.

 

This is the stupidest thing I've heard today 

Yet another example of Amazing Thailand, they want to change the laws,

as too many of them are breaking the law .and have been fined,not paid

the fines so cannot renew the vehicle tax.

 

" many uphill sections required the use of a higher speed of about 100-110km/h for about one or two minutes, in order to overtake other vehicles, and that such instances occurred several times a day during a driver’s journeys." so they want to 

overtake other vehicles (especially on bends ) that are going at the correct speed. .........just keep fining them ,they are

never going to learn.

regards worgeordie

In fairness how would they know they are speeding when on facebook or line especially on race days or Monday to Sundays   

Unbelievable. How about the cops just wave some accident statistics in their face, proving they already can't drive safely at speed? And yet they want to go faster? And let people off for breaking the law? Should revoke the licence of all the drivers who supported this, on the grounds of complete insanity, and denial of reality. Getting these speed freaks off the roads, thus making them safer, would be one of the biggest boosts for tourism imaginable.

8 minutes ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

Getting these speed freaks off the roads, thus making them safer, would be one of the biggest boosts for tourism imaginable.

I think you forgot to also mention the waterways, whose average driver/captain, along with owner/operator has similar disregard for safety and assumes laws can be routinely broken, to save five minutes or five bucks. Their record, if thrust in their face is none too bright either.

Have some random drug tests and see where the chips fall..

Take  thumb prints  of  every  driver who registers an objection..remove  any license..........then convict and compel them to be eternal passengers in one of these  vans mounted on a special seating attachment on the  front  bumper !

 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

“Please be sympathetic with public transport van drivers, as we’re also part of the tourism business providing services to tourists as well as the general public. With such a speed limit imposed, we have to carry this traffic-fine burden every month, meaning we might be [put ] out of business,”

1) no

2) I hope so

 

 

 

Uneducated imbeciles.

Shut up..

Max 90 km and left lane only.

These drugged up drunken, can't drive imbeciles who drive these coffins on wheels don't deserve to be on the road and should be sent to do a proper driver training course in driving technic, see how many of them pass. NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tell this to the families of the six marine officers killed yesterday, as that van was surely doing more than 90 kph. 

Moronic imbeciles, the lot of them. Just another case of me,me,me, 

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

increasing the current 90 kilometres/hour speed limit to 110km/h.

Speeding at 90/110km/h in town is a little bit dangerous.

The arrogance of these drivers is unbelievable, clearly they dont give a rats a++e about passenger safety.

There must be a special 120kph amulet made somewhere that they could be issued with instead of all these silly GPS things that seem to cost them money.

6 minutes ago, overherebc said:

There must be a special 120kph amulet made somewhere that they could be issued with instead of all these silly GPS things that seem to cost them money.

Do those amulets come with a car charger as standard, or are they only AA batteries?

4 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Do those amulets come with a car charger as standard, or are they only AA batteries?

At the moment hybrid but soon going for full eco-friendly solar powered.

Edit.

I know this is a serious point as these idiots have real peoples lives in their hands, but, I do find it difficult to answer those kind of idiots seriously.

Only once I travelled in a mini-van/bus here and swore it was my last time. That one day I felt put years on me.

I recommend to tourists to avoid their "services" at any cost.

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Please be sympathetic with public transport van drivers, as we’re also part of the tourism business providing services to tourists as well as the general public.

providing service by intimidating, endangering and killing passengers while on drugs...  

As usual they are completely clueless. Did anyone really expect anything else. They honestly cannot see the dangers of overtaking at speed in a packed minibus in mountainous terrain (or anywhere else). I’m pretty sure all of them know of many of their fellow drivers who have been involved in accidents with many of those being fatal to either them, their passengers or to those in another vehicle and yet they still come up with this request with a straight face. There is simply no hope and it should be plastered all over social media warning everyone that the likely hood is very very high that the person behind the wheel of your taxi or transportation is a complete imbecile!

My friends who regularly take the vans from Bangkok to Hua Hin, say that the drivers are much safer lately and do drive slower. A big improvement!

I do have a little sympathy for them if they get tickets for briefly exceeding the limit while passing. Are there any of us who have not done that?

This just shows how backward, uneducated, law-breaking, reckless and stupid you have to be to drive a van in this country. 

They've been caught speeding; not once apparently, but on numerous occasions every day. They slip in their little bit of "compromise" by alledging that these are only short bursts of speed to pass others. Absolute garbage! We all know how these pratts drive and just how erratic and how dangerous they are to everyone. Now, they want their fines cancelled - or, the speed limit increased. Priceless!

They justify their speeding, (up-hill and overtaking mind you), by accusing other drivers of making their life difficult by driving within the speed limit, (maybe).

They want to go faster - because they get tired when driving a reasonable speeds. The department is doing tourism a favour by fining these cretins.

Double, even treble the fines and get them off the roads - now!