Video: Japanese student refuses to budge for motorcyclists on the sidewalk

[Macthehat]

Because the cars on the road wont move for motorcycles so you think pedestrians on the footpath should move for them ? 

Walking on a road with traffic flowing is dangerous same as driving on a footpath .

Its logical and common sense,     but then again this is the LOS . 

Common sense does not apply in a lot of S.E. Asia hence the high fatalities on the roads .

[Speedhump]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What is so difficult about live and let live?

I understand if there is a small sidewalk which has only place for one person that the person won't go on the street because a motorcycle is on the sidewalk.

But this is not the case here. Her only purpose for standing there is to block motorcycles. Why? Does she feel better when she demands that other people do what she wants?

I drive motorcycle and often people, mostly tourist, walk in the middle of small sois even if those sois have a sidewalk. Do I run them over because the street is for vehicles and not for pedestrians? No. I drive around them. Problem solved.

I drive very seldom on a sidewalk but it happens, i.e. if I want to stop in front of an ATM for 5 minutes. If I do this I make sure I don't harass pedestrians. If there are pedestrians I make sure they can walk without problem. They can walk, I can drive on the sidewalk for a few meters, no problem for anybody.

Relax, take it easy!

I would accept this 'live and let live' if it wasn't from one of the culprits! 

[OneMoreFarang]

9 minutes ago, DualSportBiker said:

So you propose letting all discretions slide? That is a race to the bottom - no standards, just chaos.

 

It is harder to stop a motorist from using their phone or making them stop at a crossing. Bikes on the sidewalks are low-hanging fruit, as is parking enforcement. Start easy and work up. Doing nothing is not an option.

The police could enforce the existing Thai law that people are not allowed to drive while using their mobile phone. I see every day multiple drivers who use their phone. And I "see" it already when I am behind their cars because many of these drivers move their cars not according to the way people do that if they look at the street. If I see it the police sees it. And they could act - but they don't do it.

And police could make a lot of money on every zebra crossing with all those cars and bikes which don't stop. Why does the police nothing? It would be simple to do it - if they want to.

[Speedhump]

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

And how many of them are of sidewalks?

I don't know how often I saw accidents with injured or dead people in Bangkok but I guess at least twice a year - for the last 20 years. These accidents all happened on streets, not on sidewalks. I don't think I ever personally saw that a pedestrian was injured on a sidewalk. I am sure it happend but relative speaking very seldom.

I know what one person sees it no valid statistic. But if we would make a survey here about accidents which people witnessed in person then I am sure accidents with pedestrians on the sidewalks are comparative seldom. 

 

Just to be entirely clear: It's not my opinion that motorcycle riders should use sidewalks. They shouldn't! But if they do it from time to time for a few meters and they ride slowly and make sure they don't bother pedestrians then I think that is acceptable.

They shouldn't use the sidewalk, but it's acceptable... 

Step away from the Hong Thong.... 

[OneMoreFarang]

3 minutes ago, Macthehat said:

Because the cars on the road wont move for motorcycles so you think pedestrians on the footpath should move for them ? 

Walking on a road with traffic flowing is dangerous same as driving on a footpath .

Its logical and common sense,     but then again this is the LOS . 

Common sense does not apply in a lot of S.E. Asia hence the high fatalities on the roads .

My point was supposed to be the following: If the police would enforce the traffic rules also for cars (i.e. blocking junctions, parking, etc.) then the traffic would flow a lot better and motorcycle riders would use the streets.

I know that is not all there is but it's a big part of the problem.

[killala]

Okay, she proved a point but does anyone think that she’s going to change anything?  The lady is wasting her time. 

[ifmu]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wonder how many of the people who complain about motorcycle drivers follow all the laws all the time.

Do you ever use a mobile phone (not hands free) while you are driving?

Do you always make sure that you don't stop in the middle of a junction you want to drive through?

Do you always stop at zebra crossings?

Do you always strictly follow no parking laws?

How many people follow all the laws all the time? I bet very few people do that - especially in Thailand.

are you making excuses for your driving habits 

[OneMoreFarang]

3 minutes ago, Speedhump said:

They shouldn't use the sidewalk, but it's acceptable... 

Step away from the Hong Thong.... 

Did you ever as a pedestrian walk over a street with a red light for pedestrians or at a sign that you shouldn't cross the street at that place?

If you do it seldom and be careful that does not mean you do it all the time. Sometime a temporary exceptions from the rules is not such a bad thing. And if foreigners in Thailand pretend they always obey all the laws I can only laugh. 555

[jmacken306]

5 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Bloody farangs coming here and imposing their culture on Thais! Oh, she's a fellow Asian. From Japan? Maybe she has a point, then. 

It's called a SIDEWALK Definition of sidewalk: a usually paved walk for pedestrians at the side of a street
Examples of sidewalk in a Sentence: Bicycles Or 2 wheeled motorized vehicles are not allowed on the sidewalk.

People walk on the sidewalks

[4675636b596f75]

2 hours ago, killala said:

Okay, she proved a point but does anyone think that she’s going to change anything?  The lady is wasting her time. 

No she isn't.  Not only did she make a point, but she stood her ground.  I don't move out of the way.  I walk slowly along the curb cuts where the motos want to go.  <deleted> them.  If everyone made it difficult, they would stop.  

[Letseng]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What is so difficult about live and let live?

I understand if there is a small sidewalk which has only place for one person that the person won't go on the street because a motorcycle is on the sidewalk.

But this is not the case here. Her only purpose for standing there is to block motorcycles. Why? Does she feel better when she demands that other people do what she wants?

I drive motorcycle and often people, mostly tourist, walk in the middle of small sois even if those sois have a sidewalk. Do I run them over because the street is for vehicles and not for pedestrians? No. I drive around them. Problem solved.

I drive very seldom on a sidewalk but it happens, i.e. if I want to stop in front of an ATM for 5 minutes. If I do this I make sure I don't harass pedestrians. If there are pedestrians I make sure they can walk without problem. They can walk, I can drive on the sidewalk for a few meters, no problem for anybody.

Relax, take it easy!

At least the motorbikes go slow. I have no problem with them. They are more considerate than any of the cyclists in my home country.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

1 minute ago, ifmu said:

are you making excuses for your driving habits 

No, I know I follow the rules maybe 99% of the time but not 100% of the time.

But I think it's amusing that so many people here pretend that motorcycle riders should follow the rules 100% of the time when likely the people who write these comments are also not following all the rules all the time. 

[jmacken306]

7 minutes ago, killala said:

Okay, she proved a point but does anyone think that she’s going to change anything?  The lady is wasting her time. 

Someone proved a point and a lot of vendors were removed from sidewalks, it's a start!

[JamesBlond]

When I was a kid I was told off by a copper for riding my bike on a pavement. I thought it was absurd. I thought people should be able to bend the rules and cut corners for the sake of efficiency. I thought enforcing the rule was petty and killed something of the human spirit. I have never wanted to live in a nanny state. In Thailand I don't mind bikers occasionally mounting the pavement if they ride slowly. It lubricates the system. The real problem is the traffic congestion on the roads, which is a real danger to bikers' lives.

 

I don't think this Japanese woman should be coming here trying to turn the place into Japan, just to keep herself in her own coddled comfort zone. Have you ever been in Japan? They stand by the roadside waiting for the green man even when the road is completely empty. They are a nation of compliant automata, terrified of putting their toe over the line. In comparison Thailand is rich in human spirit and I prefer it here. Just keep your wits about you when walking around.

[Bangkok Barry]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wonder how many of the people who complain about motorcycle drivers follow all the laws all the time.

Do you ever use a mobile phone (not hands free) while you are driving?

Do you always make sure that you don't stop in the middle of a junction you want to drive through?

Do you always stop at zebra crossings?

Do you always strictly follow no parking laws?

How many people follow all the laws all the time? I bet very few people do that - especially in Thailand.

Some people are happier in Thailand because they know they can break the rules. It saves them having to keep up with the higher standards of their homeland. I'm sure that is Thailand's greatest attraction for many.

[watcharacters]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If that is the case why is she so stupid and block the sidewalk again?

 

OMF   It seems you just won't give up when you're finding your selfish attitude isn't supported.

 

Again, sidewalks are for pedestrians and roads are for cars, trucks and motorbikes.

 

 

[JamesBlond]

1 minute ago, watcharacters said:

Again, sidewalks are for pedestrians and roads are for cars, trucks and motorbikes.

You're imposing your western values on the rest of the world.

It's all about what the local people accept. In Thailand rules can be bent. That's their culture. I think that does more credit to them. Eventually, Thailand will be just as rule-bound (and just as boring) as our own countries. Why the hurry to ruin everything?

[Redline]

5 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What is so difficult about live and let live?

I understand if there is a small sidewalk which has only place for one person that the person won't go on the street because a motorcycle is on the sidewalk.

But this is not the case here. Her only purpose for standing there is to block motorcycles. Why? Does she feel better when she demands that other people do what she wants?

I drive motorcycle and often people, mostly tourist, walk in the middle of small sois even if those sois have a sidewalk. Do I run them over because the street is for vehicles and not for pedestrians? No. I drive around them. Problem solved.

I drive very seldom on a sidewalk but it happens, i.e. if I want to stop in front of an ATM for 5 minutes. If I do this I make sure I don't harass pedestrians. If there are pedestrians I make sure they can walk without problem. They can walk, I can drive on the sidewalk for a few meters, no problem for anybody.

Relax, take it easy!

You are lazy, and part of the problem I would surmise

[OneMoreFarang]

3 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If that is the case why is she so stupid and block the sidewalk again?

 

OMF   It seems you just won't give up when you're finding your selfish attitude isn't supported.

 

Again, sidewalks are for pedestrians and roads are for cars, trucks and motorbikes.

What do you think will happend to her is she does this for a couple of days?

No, I don't support the idea that someone hits her. But I think it's likely that one of the riders won't like her attitude.

And then people will say: Why did he do that?

And part of the answer is: Nobody would do anything if she wouldn't deliberately block that place.

Maybe she should go home, drink a coup of tea and relax.

[Sumarianson]

She has more courage than the Police Comissioner or his force ( or should we call them that) they do nothing about this dangerous menace. There is no safe place for pedestrians. In Europe pedestrians take it for granted that they have the right of way over any vehicle (as it should be), in Thailand even though I give way to pedestrians, they seem unsure and hesitant to avail of the right of way. Why should people cowtow to vehicles. Well done lass. Japanese were brought up to show respect. It shows here that wherever they are they demand and get respect.

[OneMoreFarang]

11 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Some people are happier in Thailand because they know they can break the rules. It saves them having to keep up with the higher standards of their homeland. I'm sure that is Thailand's greatest attraction for many.

I remember I spoke with a couple of people who lived in Singapore. Everybody agreed it is clean. And everybody agreed they didn't enjoy living there because laws are all the time strictly enforced.

And the people I talked to were not criminals who want to break the law all the time. They were "normal" people who live according to the laws most of the time. But they still want a little bit of freedom to sometime ignore one of those minor laws for a moment or two.

[BobbyL]

Well played. Had that been a man I reckon we would have seen the real face saving attitude from the bikers. 

 

I saw recently Richard Barrow posted that info again on his Facebook page about receiving 1000b if you report bikes on the pavement. I decided to count the last few days how many I have seen walking to and from Phetchaburi MRT each day. From Tuesday - today the number is 28 ????. 

[newnative]

5 hours ago, keith101 said:

There talking about 3,000 baht fine for continual breaches by the same person maybe 1,000 first offence , 2,000 second offence , 3,000 for third offence and 90 suspension after that which might just stop most of the habitual offenders in their tracks but TIT so certainly no guarantee .

Add a zero on the end of all those fines.   Let the police ticket writer keep a percentage of the fines collected.  Might better enforcement and better compliance.

[DD13]

5 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wonder how many of the people who complain about motorcycle drivers follow all the laws all the time.

Do you ever use a mobile phone (not hands free) while you are driving?

Do you always make sure that you don't stop in the middle of a junction you want to drive through?

Do you always stop at zebra crossings?

Do you always strictly follow no parking laws?

How many people follow all the laws all the time? I bet very few people do that - especially in Thailand.

I don't do any of that, not on my bike nor in my pickup

I wouldn't do those things in England

So why is it OK here

[Too young to be old]

If everyone did this, they would soon stop. But Thais hate confrontation, unless they are in a large gang, preferably armed with machetes.

[sawadee1947]

Very brave! 

I wouldn't dare it ????

[DannyCarlton]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Just to be entirely clear: It's not my opinion that motorcycle riders should use sidewalks. They shouldn't! But if they do it from time to time for a few meters and they ride slowly and make sure they don't bother pedestrians then I think that is acceptable.

I understand what you are saying but you can't have a law/rule that you only observe when it's convenient for you to observe it. No scooters on sidewalks, not usually...always.

 

It'd be like saying, "I never drink and drive unless I have no othe way of getting home".

 

And yes, I have been hit by scooters on sidewalks at least twice and have had to jump out of the way of them to avoid serious injury. Just because you have never seen anyone killed by a scooter on a sidewalk doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. As scooters don't cover the same mileage on a sidewalk as they do on the road, it goes to follow that it happens less often but not never.

[oldhippy]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It would be interesting to see a statistic in which kind of accidents people die on Thai streets.

Obviously it would be perfect if everybody would follow all the rules all the time. But I guess we agree that won't happen. So what are the biggest risks?

I am pretty sure one BIG risk are all those zebra crossings. Many cars completely ignore them and it does not matter if people are on that zebra crossing or waiting at the side or if there is a red light. I would love to see police and cameras on all zebra crossings and people get heavy fines for ignoring them. I bet a lot more people die on zebra crossings in Thailand then on footpath.

Does that mean motorcycles should use sidewalks? No! But lets look at the priorities here. What would be the higher priority to safe lives? 

I usually appreciate your posts.

However, from now on I will no longer be able to like or dislike them.

Bye.

 

 

[kensisaket]

That stuff doesn't happen in Issan; because, there's not enough room on the "sidewalks" for motorcycles. The shop owners consider that to be part of their property.

[Thaifriends]

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I wonder how many of the people who complain about motorcycle drivers follow all the laws all the time.

Do you ever use a mobile phone (not hands free) while you are driving?

Do you always make sure that you don't stop in the middle of a junction you want to drive through?

Do you always stop at zebra crossings?

Do you always strictly follow no parking laws?

How many people follow all the laws all the time? I bet very few people do that - especially in Thailand.

 

Quality visitor of Thailand as most expats want ????