Bangkok: Limit motorcycles to 50 kmph and start training in the kindergarten

[tifino]

1 hour ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Dad to kids: "see how easy it is, just pretend you are alone on the streets and go!"

yep!    Ignorance is bliss

[Dumbastheycome]

1 hour ago, LennyW said:

This is long overdue, and if done correctly this could make a difference......but it's a big if!

 

Heres a few other pointers to help.......

 

No Thais allowed to drive anything other than a Honda wave 110

Removal of mirrors - 10,000 baht fine

Noisy exhaust - 10,000 baht fine and motorcycle crushed

Talking on the phone while driving - 10,000 baht fine

Texting on the phone while driving - 10,000 baht fine and phone crushed

Having something in the front basket that obscures the headlight - 10,000 baht fine

Having helmet in the front basket instead of on the head - 10,000 baht fine

Having helmet fall out of the front basket and denting the following car - 10,000 baht fine and motorcycle crushed

Carrying TV's, washing machines, fridge freezers on the motorcycle, 6m lengths of plastic pipe - no fine - death penalty

 

Ad infinitum ......

 

 

I suspect  you have shares in a business selling  Honda !

[CGW]

Has whoever that was tasked with sorting out the pollution in CM been moved to a new position after his "win" there  - just about as much chance of success!

[VocalNeal]

32 minutes ago, johng said:

Bikes should be allowed on all the roads,bridges,over and underpasses etc..

They are if there is a shoulder or emergency lane. 

 

Speed difference!!

[Vacuum]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

training in motorcycle usage and awareness should start in the kindergarten

Are they trying to learn 4-5-year-olds how to drive a motorcycle?

[WeekendRaider]

just another example of the same old thing everywhere.  real simple. 

this morning I made the mistake of 'tuning in' (we actually had to do that at one time, literally...right ???? ) CNN.... which had a football player tidying up the sports segment but.... using the words "love" and "great" no less than 20 times in a few sentences about coaches, other players, soccer in general etc.  then some adverts and 10 minutes of some Congress hearing and someone eating KFC......

followed by an advert that sums up the world we live in.  perfectly.  including this latest and greatest solution to how to make simple rules to fix a total lack of thinking...... an advert where a CNN prettie questions a '3rd world' official with a supposedly pointed question.... followed by the prettie talking directly to the viewer: "what do they think we are? stupid?"

yeah, all of us.  it sure seems to explain... well, just about everything now.  not just in Thailand. 

 

so with that view we get that this new rule of 50 kph etc is all a political thing.... and has nothing to do with public safety at all.  just that somebody is doing something.  and it is fake. 

 

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, Wiggy said:

It won't happen. Next.

Well, the law might go in the books. ????????

[mercman24]

will that be a LAW or a RULE, as no one takes a blind bit of notice to anything here, when it comes down to vehicular law, i wont bore you , with all the details, as we all know they never last 5 minutes.

[Prairieboy]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

training in schools about motorcycle use from the kindergarten up.  

So once they are in grade 1 they will know everything, their parents can then give them a motorcycle to drive to school with an immediate return to #1 in the world for road fatalities.  Great plan!

 

[mok199]

Adds on thai TV promote ''motorcycle race classes for kids''.....I doubt any would ever see a track in their lives,so the skills the class encourages are used on the streets...

[tifino]

 

suerly this would be more appropriate setting?

 

 

p.s. I wonder if someoen has ever marketed a motorcycle outfit mirroring a crash test dummy?

It would surely send a message to surrounding traffic to beware of an impending guaranteed accident...

    

 

 

 

 

[briansbiology]

more stupidity. every bike rider knows the safest place is at the front of the traffic. in amongst the cars doing 50 as they speed by is going to make it more dangerous. 

[Deli]

Keep it as it is and everything works well.

[pogal]

5 hours ago, unamazedloso said:

Stupid!!... ALL traffic should hover around the same speed. Its the difference in speed that creates a lot of accidents. Scooters are slow and cars are fast so most people carelessly feel comfortable pulling to the right then darting through lanes to a U-turn spot being an example. I would never do that. Its suicide. If you cant travel the speed of the traffic you shouldn't be on the road. I say better faster bikes and no stupid old careless ladies should be allowed to ride and the same for any stupid teen that likes to take mirrors off and such.

Scooters in Thailand are not seen as vehicles by it users and more like a way to haul a fat ass around super slow with nothing much to do instead of walking. Think about it!

exactly! That was my very first thought, I often see cars very impatient behind motorcycles because they are not going fast enough riding 6 inch away from their bumper. What a crazy idea. 

[ThaiFelix]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

lso training in motorcycle usage and awareness should start in the kindergarten.

I think that is a sound idea.....especially considering most up my way start riding m/cycles when in kindergarten!

[CGW]

5 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

They have boy scouts classes in schools every week. Why not make cycling proficiency a course and a scout badge. 

They have to start young if they wont to make any meaningful difference, to date not convinced they give a s#it?

I did my cycling proficiency 50+ years ago, still remember the basics ???? , lost the little green badge though ???? 

[marquis22]

5 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

Who the hell is going to train the kids?  Thais?  Yep, that'll work for sure....not!

Should work really well, the rider of this bike is one of the teachers

[Cake Monster]

All the speed limiters installed on Motorbikes will not amount to a hill of beans.

" Thai modify for good use, these bikes no goodwill die too slowly "

[glennb6]

not sure if 'limiting' to 50 is going to work, but education sure will. Nothing wrong with using gory pictures of sch-mushed skulls from lack of helmet on skull. Nothing wrong with teaching THE RULES OF THE ROAD and that patience is a very good idea.

[terminatorchiangmai]

Kinder garden is to early .

Elementary school for road safety rules and safe cycling like they do in Europe would be a good start.

[KhaoYai]

6 hours ago, shady86 said:

Don't need to waste funds to educate brainless idiots and no sympathy at all for those killed because of their own stupidity.

Yes, stupidity indeed.  One of my 'pet hates' in Thailand is the way motorcyclits just pull out of a side road without looking. Its as if they have a bracket attached to their head which is bolted to the handlebars and prevents them from turning their head.

 

No amount of training or speed limits is going change that - I can't work it out.  I'm a biker in Thailand and my basic survival instincts tell me to look right before pulling out - I don't need any training to tell me that.  Maybe Thai bikers think Buddha will protect them - whatever, its just crazy.

 

I'd suggest that relatively few are killed by pure speed - its often difficult to get up to 50kph in Bagkok traffic. Yes the illegal street racers ride a breakneck speeds but they won't be bothered about any speed limits.  If the police can't even stop the racing, how are they going to enforce any new speed limits?

 

As for running red lights - well not just bikers but in general, if they stopped these bloody crazy 5+ minute red light holds they might see less people jumping the lights. Also, actually fining people (and making sure they pay) for running red lights might make a difference.

[Chrisswe]

That was one of the best advice I heard during my 22 years in this country !!!!!

[thailand49]

When it comes to the speed limit that is a good idea!  But the kindergarten thing is a terrible one because first, you need to clarify all the rules and have everyone on the same page as to their definition and execution.

You already are teaching them from Kindergarten, since the factory of death I call it and the major problem there are so many death among motorbikes is the current practice of making an exception of allowing kids to go to and from school with their motorbike this exception allows them to do everything an adult does training coming from another family member who hasn't yet killed themselves pasting on all those bad habits. Take that with the maturity level of these kids which are equal to Kindergarten?

[xtrnuno41]

I dont think the cams will be used for traffic. Its just a controlling device to see everybody and with 

face recognition software, to find harmful people. To see what you do in the streets and making a record.

NOT specially for traffic, that is a minor. Its all about controlling and spying everything.

Thai dont bother about rules, they are just doing what ever they please, as there is no law enforcement.

THey will not be held for driving without (good) helmet, or with 3 or more people on same bike or operating your phone while driving etc etc. But the same, in driving, you can say from the car drivers.

It is the culture of Thailand and the Thai, there are rules but no one cares. even police doesnt.

Only when they need some extra money and you are alien.

I remember my last almost heart attack experience in jan. Going up hill and in the last light of really getting dark, i saw a shadow move from right to left without not a real reason, so i moved to left just in case.

Good decision from me, it was a car without no lights at all, not even with a reflector on it.

Yup TIT.

[Lupatria]

Why not start with the real thing?

[richard_smith237]

There are always idiotic announcements as if someone in a position who's announcement is worth of press is some genius who's developed this astonishing new method / technique / idea...  

 

The idea of a speed difference is daft - speed differential is a potential cause of additional accidents as cars try to pass the slower motorcycles. 

 

Additionally, if existing laws aren't enforced what makes these clowns think new ones will?

 

Enforce existing laws, make motorcyclists accountable for their accidents with cars (when at fault) instead of blaming the car by default... 

 

 

[travelling wilbury]

7 hours ago, LennyW said:

This is long overdue, and if done correctly this could make a difference......but it's a big if!

 

Heres a few other pointers to help.......

 

No Thais allowed to drive anything other than a Honda wave 110

Removal of mirrors - 10,000 baht fine

Noisy exhaust - 10,000 baht fine and motorcycle crushed

Talking on the phone while driving - 10,000 baht fine

Texting on the phone while driving - 10,000 baht fine and phone crushed

Having something in the front basket that obscures the headlight - 10,000 baht fine

Having helmet in the front basket instead of on the head - 10,000 baht fine

Having helmet fall out of the front basket and denting the following car - 10,000 baht fine and motorcycle crushed

Carrying TV's, washing machines, fridge freezers on the motorcycle, 6m lengths of plastic pipe - no fine - death penalty

 

Ad infinitum ......

 

 

Bravo  but if police were put on commision of say 10% on all fines they handed out 

1 they would have an incentive to enforce existing laws

2 they would not need to accept "pocket money" to live

3 some laws would be inforced and the death toll would drop

 

But how about proper driver training ?

1  It would raise money for the government far more than the cost 

2  less people would die on the roads

My comments come the day after meeting a very overloadad truck driving the wrong way down the main road without any lights in samut songran at 10.30 last night bu  someone who was so drunk he could not stand up  (normal in thailand )

 

[connda]

I see that going over like a lead balloon in some circles.

[mrfill]

Why not 50kph for ALL traffic?

 

A bike getting hit by an 50kph missile is bad enough but at 80kph it is fatal.

[berybert]

Probably start them off using real motorcycles and kill the kids before they even get to big school