40km-long traffic jam on Mittraphap Road

[Lancelot01]

15 hours ago, ParkerN said:

It;s hard to see what is particularly news-worthy in this, it happens at least twice every year (New Year and Sonkran).

 

It's Thailand for gawd's sake, what did you expect - sensible?

It keeps the accident numbers down.

[richard_smith237]

17 hours ago, AhFarangJa said:

It is a good job there is the concrete barrier dividing the road, or else who knows how many would pull onto the opposite carriageway and drive the wrong way to beat the queue....

On a far smaller scale exactly that happened in Thonglor a few years back. 

Thonglor is road with 3 lanes in each direction in central Bangkok. The left most lane is useless as cars just park there, so effectively its a 2 lane road in each directly. 

 

Friday night, gridlocked traffic, a few special cases obviously couldn’t wait - one car went around the outside of the two lanes of queueing traffic, followed by another, followed by another... 3 lanes of traffic then, soon also full of stationary cars, with just one lane in the opposite direction, until, yes, someone decided to overtake the 3 lanes and meet oncoming traffic... that’s where it all stopped. For hours Thonglor was a parking lot, total chaos and lots of pished off hi-so’s wanting to get to their wine-bar and lots of pished off commuters who’s right of way was blocked by complete tools. 

[mok199]

BAN DIESEL....sorted

[Orton Rd]

22 hours ago, AhFarangJa said:

It is a good job there is the concrete barrier dividing the road, or else who knows how many would pull onto the opposite carriageway and drive the wrong way to beat the queue....

That actually happened in a car I was coming back in once, when I protested the driver said ok we can get back in lane if something is coming the other way- it was night time and the left lane was blacked as far as I could see. I took a sleeping pill and thought i'd either wake up dead or at home!

[spidermike007]

20 hours ago, USMC RETIRED 2015 said:

I drive from Khon Kaen to Bangkok often and 95% of the time I leave at 8pm or later.  Daytime driving is ridiculous...the heavy trucks in the day or night are the most dangerous, plus they are the ones that cause all the traffic as they cannot get up even the smallest hill without slowing to a crawl and they always cover all the lanes....Solution...the elevated highway is nearly complete....supposedly, heavy trucks are not allowed on the elevated highway so hopefully when it opens in 2021 the drive will be much better.  I will pay the Toll no matter what it costs just to get away from the heavy trucks.

An elevated highway to KK? I thought they were only working on an elevated train platform? That would be major progress. I too would pay the tolls. It is about quality of life. Getting away from those nasty, old, slow trucks is worth nearly any price!

 

[DennisE]

I’m on route 304 out of Nakhon Ratchasima right now and the traffic really is moving along pretty well right now heading down south towards Khao Yai. 

[DennisE]

We’re actually making great time today. 

[Orton Rd]

Mrs did not go until 6.30 got to Korat just before 10 AM so normal not rot tit at all so far

[Metropolitian]

On 12/30/2019 at 8:39 AM, AhFarangJa said:

It is a good job there is the concrete barrier dividing the road, or else who knows how many would pull onto the opposite carriageway and drive the wrong way to beat the queue....

On the way back to Bangkok, they will.

Both allowed and disallowed.

 

Going out to the provinces with a pace spread over the days before new year or Christmas for a few.

Going back all on the same day to be in time next day for the job.

[DennisE]

We drove through a few busy areas in Wang Nam Khiao but overall it’s pretty chill out here I hope it’s just as safe throughout the rest of the country. Stay safe happy New Year. 

[Isaanbiker]

On 12/30/2019 at 7:42 AM, blazes said:

yeah, I've often thought, what would it be like if you desperately wanted to do #2 while immobile for hours in a traffic jam.....

Having a quiet pee should not be too difficult, but the other?????

 

Anyone had experience they could share with us?

 

Well, ok, maybe not....

 

 

Just let go and deal with the consequences later. 

 

     

[Metropolitian]

1 minute ago, Isaanbiker said:

Just let go and deal with the consequences later. 

 

     

Just after the comfortance of riding the car,

fitted with aircon and a good music playing.

Enjoying the nature and mature roads.

And letting it go.

Mai pen rai.

 

Just..

 

... to realize the next day that it was a rental.

[DennisE]

Well out here in these mountains there’s no traffic in fact I’m not sure if I’m getting very good reception out here. Last time we stayed at a cabin down here in this area I wasn’t getting a signal either. 

[Artisi]

On 12/30/2019 at 3:51 AM, JimmyTheMook said:

Good Lord!

 

I certainly hope everyone is wearing their seatbelts...

And if drunk, driving very slowly

[DennisE]

Oh but yeah there sure is traffic today!!! Good thing we’re arriving back in Korat now. 

[DennisE]

Well it’s breaking up now it’s still not too horrible. But I’m sure if you’re driving into Bangkok about now it’s probably really bad. 

[NanLaew]

On 12/30/2019 at 11:22 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

On 12/30/2019 at 10:07 AM, spidermike007 said:

Lately, when going in and out of Bangkok, I have been doing it either late at night, after 10pm, or early in the morning, around 5am. During the day it can be utter madness, especially on Highway 9 or 1. Bangkok toward Saraburi. Wow. Public transport desperately needs to be improved, as there are more cars, and more trucks every year. Also, they need to figure out a more efficient way to move freight, as a large portion of this problem is due to slow moving trucks clogging the highways. Maybe carpool lanes? Or more freight trains. That would be some progress!

 

You touch on the real problem - a lack of means of getting from A to B except by road. Very limited = massive traffic on the roads. On the positive side, with cars going so slowly there are likely to be less serious accidents than if the cars were speeding along at 120+.

I am with spidermike and was a night driver on my commutes from the beach to Isaan since 15 years already. Back then, the Pattaya to Udon shot was an easy 7 hour drive. However, the more traffic light controlled intersections on Highway 2 has resulted in maybe a 12% to 15% increase in overnight journey times. Daytime driving is just too busy these days and one would need to break the journey but TBH, there's nothing too alluring near the mid-way point is there?

 

The New Year and Songkran holiday gridlock is just an anomaly. Udon itself has around 23 flights/day to Bangkok alone and during the holidays, extra buses and minivans are available. The flights fill up rapidly in the 10 days before the holidays and the trains are fully booked around the same time. However, most of those doing it by road tend to be hauling all sorts of life-support systems in the back of their pickups like large flat screens, fridges and loads of plastic patio furniture so the road trip, although long and tedious is the best logistically.

 

I drove from Pattaya to Udon last Sunday via route 304 through the 'mountains' in Kabinburi on the 29th and it was a full-on 14 hour trek. The worst bit was the ~50 km logjam between Nong Ki and the border with Korat province. That added probably ~4 hours to the trip alone and was caused by the highway upgrades in Kabinburi still being incomplete over the last, short 5 km just before the provincial border! Luckily, the Korat Highways had completed their upgrade through their bit of the mountains several years back so it was quite fast getting to Korat. Then maybe add another hour as the traffic from Bangkok/Sarabri congealed with the southern stuff but it pretty much all thinned out and was back to normal about 50 km south of Kohn Kaen once those heading east and west had veered off.

 

I only saw one accident on that trip and it was on the feeder on the opposite, southbound side just before the big traffic jam. It looked like a guy on a crotch rocket misjudged the gap from a car turning into a temple and went up its ass. Otherwise, I didn't witness any overt hoonery, dipsh!tery, shenanigans, drunkenness and death and everyone seemed to want to arrive alive.

[KhaoYai]

I once took advantage of the cheaper flight price avaiable to those prepared to arrive in Thailand on New Year's Eve. The drive home to Khao Yai convinced me this was not a good idea. The usual 2.5 hour drive turned in to a 9.5 hour nightmare. Now I still often arrive on NYE but stay in Bangkok for the night.

 

Hoepfully the opening of the new Bang Pa In to Nakhon Ratchasima motorway will put an end to the chaos that is Mitraphap at holiday times. However, its a little unfortunate that the road has been designated the title of M6 - if its anything like its UK counterpart with the same name, it will be a 'car park'.

 

Thankfully I live half way along the route - I'd hate to be at either end of it at holiday times............ bottleneck central!

 

Probably the best part of the new motorway will be not having to go up the 'cement works' section toawards Muak Lek with slow trucks in 3 out of the 4 lanes!

[steve187]

On 12/30/2019 at 10:07 AM, spidermike007 said:

Lately, when going in and out of Bangkok, I have been doing it either late at night, after 10pm, or early in the morning, around 5am. During the day it can be utter madness, especially on Highway 9 or 1. Bangkok toward Saraburi. Wow. Public transport desperately needs to be improved, as there are more cars, and more trucks every year. Also, they need to figure out a more efficient way to move freight, as a large portion of this problem is due to slow moving trucks clogging the highways. Maybe carpool lanes? Or more freight trains. That would be some progress!

dream on

but there are new roads being built