Super Highway/bicycle ?

[Farangdanny]

Is it permitted to ride a bicycle on the Super highway ring road ?

[donnacha]

I believe Thailand has specific laws against any form of suicide.

[Samuel Smith]

Not sure if permitted in the underpasses.  Also avoid roadworks south of city, towards Lamphun!

[pgrahmm]

OP - have you watched Thai drivers at all?

 

[Farangdanny]

9 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

OP - have you watched Thai drivers at all?

 

Seems nobody knows the answer

[Samuel Smith]

3 hours ago, Farangdanny said:

Seems nobody knows the answer

Yes you can ride it, but look out for no bike signs near the underpasses.  Not sure about that.  Def seen no cycle signs on the underpass on Mae Rim road where it meets the 121.  Just take the frontage road.  Probably safer.  Superhighway is not same as toll roads around BKK.

[donnacha]

From cycling on the third ring road, I recommend you carry a stick, or some hefty stones, to deal with the soi dogs. They like chasing bicycles but will generally back off if you stop and raise your stick or throw a stone at them.
 

[canthai55]

Roads are made for motor vehicles. Ride a bike on one at your peril.

[chingmai331]

Bicycles on roads here much safer than in USA since drivers here, although often reckless, do recognize that the hiways may be infected with all sorts of slow clumsy 2, 3, 4 and more, wheeled vehicles.

It's all a risk here so take care on the roads whatever you drive.

 

5 yrs or so ago i rode my bicycle from MAYA to hiway 1001 hauling my golf clubs, on the Super. Less traffic then and i was not bothered but was exhausted end of day. The bike was old, as am I.

[cerox]

I would not do it because you are too slow compared to motorbikes and cars.

You can not overtake quickly even if you stick left as motorbikes can.

No bikes allowed in some underpasses? This is Thailand, as if anyone cared.

Second reason I would not ride a bicycle is it is difficult to breathe with a pollution mask, not so with a motorbike because you are just sitting still.

[tifino]

now 'this' is down the right alley. for some enterprising Thai to discover and copy:

 

Disclaimer: Not too much cardboard died in the making of this scene...

 

[kingstonkid]

If motorcycles are not allowed I think that would tell you that bicycles are not either

 

Bicycles and fast cars are never a good mix especially when you add in Thai drivers adn road rage.

[canthai55]

6 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

If motorcycles are not allowed I think that would tell you that bicycles are not either

Motorcycles are definitely allowed on the Ring Roads and Superhiway

This is the CNX forum - not the Hiway 7 Expressway

[taotoo]

16 hours ago, donnacha said:

From cycling on the third ring road, I recommend you carry a stick, or some hefty stones, to deal with the soi dogs. They like chasing bicycles but will generally back off if you stop and raise your stick or throw a stone at them.
 

Try carrying dog treats instead - they're lighter and solve the problem rather than compound it.

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

If motorcycles are not allowed I think that would tell you that bicycles are not either

 

Bicycles and fast cars are never a good mix especially when you add in Thai drivers adn road rage.

The majority of Thai drivers have no common sense or road awareness, but I am not so sure about road rage. How often as a pedestrian in any Thai city do you hear horns being blasted? Contrast that with traffic in any UK city.

[moe666]

About 10 years ago met a fella who road his bike from Bangkok to Mae Hong Song. So get over it naysayers it has been done and can be done again.

Edited December 16, 2019 by moe666

[pgrahmm]

17 minutes ago, moe666 said:

About 10 years ago met a fella who road his bike from Bangkok to Mae Hong Song. So get over it naysayers it has been done and can be done again.

Haven't there been 3 very experience international bicyclists mowed down in the last 5 years while trying multiple country long distance runs? 2 last year?

Not to mention the local carnage.....Some brought on by riders themselves with no lights at dawn/dusk......

Motorcycle carnage in the high 80's/low 90% range of road fatalities - and they have throttle speed, braking, & superior maneuverability capability.....

Precious few bicycle lanes....

Drivers & riders, by & large, don't anticipate or look for bicyclists....If anything, on the left, bicyclists pose a danger for motorcycles that have to go around them.....A few will even buzz the tower going by.....

 

[jak2002003]

3 hours ago, taotoo said:

Try carrying dog treats instead - they're lighter and solve the problem rather than compound it.

Are you joking?

 

In the course of cycling for a few hours the OP might pass hundreds of street dogs.  Do you think its practical to stop for each one and feed it treats before getting on you bike of moving on a few meters to the next one?  

 

Or, offering a treat to a dog that is attacking you.... some are not afraid to 'bite the hand that feeds it' you know.  

[LawrenceN]

I ride 5,000 to 6,000 km per year in Chiang Mai Province. Lots of folks ride a lot more than that. I avoid all of the fast four-lane roads like the plague. There's ALWAYS another way to get anywhere without cycling on the big roads. The last time I went to Sankampaeng Hot Springs, my companions thanked me for showing them the scenic, safe, pleasant, shorter route on quiet country roads. Riding the ring road is stuckin foopid. I agree with those above who said bicycles don't belong in those underpasses.

 

Explore, and find rural roads that go where you're going. You'll see much more interesting countryside, birds, wildlife, friendly people.

[cnx355]

On 12/15/2019 at 1:11 PM, donnacha said:

I believe Thailand has specific laws against any form of suicide.

I saw one 2 days ago. Real bad to have a bicycle doing about 30 KPH on the highway and blocking cars doing 100 KPH.  He was not even using the service road. Vehicles had to brake for him. He was leisurely slow.

[donnacha]

5 hours ago, taotoo said:

Try carrying dog treats instead - they're lighter and solve the problem rather than compound it.

Clearly someone who has never had to cycle past the large groups of stray dogs that swarm around the outer ring roads.

The purpose of the stick is not to hit the dogs but to raise it, presenting a threat to make them back off before they are within biting distance. Stones can also be used for dramatic effect, you bounce them off the ground in front of the lead aggressor, creating a nice plume of dust. It works every time and I have never been bitten.

If someone was dumb enough to get close to enough aggressive dogs to feed them, they absolutely will get bitten in the resulting melee as other dogs in the area rush to join the party. The dogs who are not lucky enough to get one of your tasty treats before you run out are not going to be Buddhist about it.

It always amazes me how clueless about animals some "animal lovers" are. Frankly, some idiots deserve to get bitten and have to go for rabies shots.

[taotoo]

2 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Are you joking?

 

In the course of cycling for a few hours the OP might pass hundreds of street dogs.  Do you think its practical to stop for each one and feed it treats before getting on you bike of moving on a few meters to the next one?  

 

Or, offering a treat to a dog that is attacking you.... some are not afraid to 'bite the hand that feeds it' you know.  

You can throw the treats, same as you would a stone.

 

If you're worried about getting bitten see above.

 

[donnacha]

5 minutes ago, taotoo said:

You can throw the treats, same as you would a stone.

One of the least elegant climb-downs from an untenable position that I have seen here on TVF ????

[taotoo]

1 hour ago, donnacha said:

Clearly someone who has never had to cycle past the large groups of stray dogs that swarm around the outer ring roads.

The purpose of the stick is not to hit the dogs but to raise it, presenting a threat to make them back off before they are within biting distance. Stones can also be used for dramatic effect, you bounce them off the ground in front of the lead aggressor, creating a nice plume of dust. It works every time and I have never been bitten.

If someone was dumb enough to get close to enough aggressive dogs to feed them, they absolutely will get bitten in the resulting melee as other dogs in the area rush to join the party. The dogs who are not lucky enough to get one of your tasty treats before you run out are not going to be Buddhist about it.

It always amazes me how clueless about animals some "animal lovers" are. Frankly, some idiots deserve to get bitten and have to go for rabies shots.

I sometimes walk past groups of stray dogs at night and apart from a bit of barking they pose no risk, because I'm not scared of them. I've yet to get bit. You'll see the same with locals.

 

I know what the stick is for.

 

All you're doing is creating a problem for the next cyclist as you've taught them that cyclists are a threat.

 

I've never been scared of a dog I've fed - few animals want to start a fight if they can avoid one - but these dogs aren't overly-aggressive anyway, they're just scared.

 

"Absolutely will get bitten" is obviously false.

 

Which idiot got bitten and needed the shot?

 

Meanwhile it's the cyclists that have the recurring problem while I don't live in fear and throw rocks at things.

[taotoo]

2 minutes ago, donnacha said:

One of the least elegant climb-downs from an untenable position that I have seen here on TVF ????

Not a climb down, just an answer to the question (an elegantly simple one).

 

How is my position untenable?

[donnacha]

23 minutes ago, taotoo said:

How is my position untenable?

Because you've magically jumped from feeding them treats as an alternative to my suggestions for scaring them off, to actually throwing the treats at them!

Do you genuinely not see how laughable that shift is?
 

 

25 minutes ago, taotoo said:

I sometimes walk past groups of stray dogs at night and apart from a bit of barking they pose no risk, because I'm not scared of them.

No offense Taotoo but, when it comes to dogs, walking is completely different from cycling. You simply do not understand what you are talking about.

Some dogs are driven nuts by the sight of a moving object which, unlike a motorbike, is slow enough for them to actually chase. As a cyclist, you need to maintain control of your bike because there is a real possibility of getting knocked into traffic if a dog successfully lunges into your side.
 

 

25 minutes ago, taotoo said:

All you're doing is creating a problem for the next cyclist as you've taught them that cyclists are a threat.

Apart from the fact that this is utter nonsense, your priority as a cyclist is to deal with the immediate threat to your safety and the safety of others. Wild animals are responsible for a significant portion of vehicular accidents.

By actually stopping and facing them down, you are in fact introducing a cost for the pack leader who, in backing down, loses some authority. Stopping to give them treats only reinforces the behavior of chasing traffic.

Again, it astonishes me that someone who understands neither cycling nor animals has chosen to hold forth on this.

 

Edited December 16, 2019 by donnacha

[nglodnig]

I did it once but probably never agai. And yes avoid the underpasses, as you crossing the offramps. Go up each offramp and back down again.

[daveAustin]

 

10 hours ago, moe666 said:

About 10 years ago met a fella who road his bike from Bangkok to Mae Hong Song. So get over it naysayers it has been done and can be done again.

Done many thousands of miles on Thai roads, big and small (including Super underpasses), CM-Pai, crazy Phuket Town-Patong etc etc, without event. All this talk of how dodgy it is to ride in CM/Thailand has me cringing a bit and wondering if all you old duffers ever did anything remotely 'risky' ????

 

Yep, they are among the world's most dangerous, but are also big and have that vast space on the left... after Thailand I no longer ride in my own country as - ironically enough, though it is purported to be one of the 'safest' - consider it too dangerous. Go for it, op, it'll put lead in your little pencil; just avoid rush hours and night riding.

[canthai55]

9 hours ago, taotoo said:

"Absolutely will get bitten" is obviously false.

 

Which idiot got bitten and needed the shot?

Come and tell that to the 4 year old girl near us who had well over 100 stitches from a pack of dogs.

 

[MrBrad]

Since this topic has shifted from riding on the Superhighway (which I've done on occasion) to fending off dogs, I'll add my two cents' worth.

 

Dogs can be a problem sometimes and in some places, but in some 13 years of bicycling--usually around 5,000 kilometers annually--in and around Chiang Mai as well as biking from Bangkok to Saigon I have never been seriously threatened by dogs.  When they do actually decide to chase after me I've found that a couple maneuvers will change their minds.

• Rather than speeding up, slow down.  Sensing something uncommon to the usual biker's behavior, they immediately back off. 
• Stop and reach down to the ground to pick up a couple stones (or carry some with you), and make like you're going to throw one at the dog...or actually do it.  Picking up an invisible stone will often work just as well.  Apparently dogs get stoned often, and naturally they don't like it.  [Not that kind of stoned.]
• If a dog gets near enough to your pedals, prepare yourself to give it a solid kick in the head.  In my experience, that has surprised the heck out of an occasional dog and brought it to its senses.
• Carry a package of some kind of doggie treat in your backpack.  I've heard that giving the dog something other than your leg to chew on is a good way to turn a threatening cur into a lifelong friend.  For a couple years I've had a small package of treats in my panniers, but I've never had the occasion to see if this actually works.
• Temple dogs are the most protective and threatening.  The monks generally do little to curb the dogs there.  Move on.  There are lots of other temples to explore.

If anyone looks at you with disapproval, tell them that the dog has no manners, i.e., ma mai mee mariyaht, and ride on.