Asian Highway Becomes First New Maximum Speed Road

Subhabhong Rarueysong

BANGKOK (NNT) - People travelling on the Asian Highway along the Bang pa-in - Ang Thong road section will be among the first for driving at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said the maximum speed limit for this particular section of the highway was published in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday.

It said that private car drivers using the outermost lane of the highway will soon be required to drive at no less than 100 kilometers per hour but no more than 120km/h. The speed must be maintained unless the lane is hindered, hampered by poor visibility or obstructed.

Mr Saksayam said sections of the highway with the 120-kilometre per hour speed limit in force will be announced by the Transport Ministry, adding that the ministry is expected to make another announcement on the speed limit on Monday.

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-03-14

 

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So the speed limit increase only applies to this highway ?

5 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

So the speed limit increase only applies to this highway ?

In theory! As in the past, speed limit is open to individual interpretation!

 

 

2 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

In theory! As in the past, speed limit is open to interpretation!

I did not ask about theories or peoples interpretations.

The other thread about this speed limit increase implies that all multi-lane divided highways will be increased, this article suggests otherwise.....hence my question.

The part about "only the outside lane" will be totally ignored.

2 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

I did not ask about theories or peoples interpretations.

The other thread about this speed limit increase implies that all multi-lane divided highways will be increased, this article suggests otherwise.....hence my question.

If you read the thread!

11 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Mr Saksayam said sections of the highway with the 120-kilometre per hour speed limit in force will be announced by the Transport Ministry, adding that the ministry is expected to make another announcement on the speed limit on Monday.

 

16 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

It said that private car drivers using the outermost lane of the highway will soon be required to drive at no less than 100 kilometers per hour but no more than 120km/h.

Good luck with this as personally I don't think most drivers are going to slow down to those speeds...

Did the original suggestion a couple of weeks ago say that the 120kph would be OK unless there were U turns on that particular road. And I asked 'Where is that road?'

So does that rule still apply. The OP does say '120kph UNLESS HINDERED'....by what, the prospect of a stationary truck wanting to make a U turn?

won't deter many others from clogging up the road by doing just 80-90 in the middle lanes, while leaving the left lanes free.

That road is a racetrack at the best of times.

At least all the U turns are now bridge type.

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Did the original suggestion a couple of weeks ago say that the 120kph would be OK unless there were U turns on that particular road. And I asked 'Where is that road?'

So does that rule still apply. The OP does say '120kph UNLESS HINDERED'....by what, the prospect of a stationary truck wanting to make a U turn?

The U-turns on that stretch of road are either underpasses or bridges.

1 minute ago, Blue Muton said:

The U-turns on that stretch of road are either underpasses or bridges.

I appreciate that, but where on many other highways are there NO U turns....very few. So is it back to 90kph if there ARE the dreaded U turns or what?

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

It said that private car drivers using the outermost lane of the highway will soon be required to drive at no less than 100 kilometers per hour but no more than 120km/h.

Note the term "private car drivers". Does this mean that buses, trucks and high sided pick-ups with their load covered in a blue and white striped plastic tarpaulin can drive as they always have with no ramifications?

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

So the speed limit increase only applies to this highway ?

No, it's just the first to be officially announced. According to the officially published information, other stretches of road will also qualify for the new higher speed limit and should therefore be announced in due course.

2 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

So the speed limit increase only applies to this highway ?

It will difficult to find other areas it applies to. As stated in a number of sources, the law reads "The 120 km/h is where a highway has two lanes in the same direction with a specific central island, a median barrier and without u-turns. "

12 minutes ago, silverhawk_usa said:

It will difficult to find other areas it applies to. As stated in a number of sources, the law reads "The 120 km/h is where a highway has two lanes in the same direction with a specific central island, a median barrier and without u-turns. "

Yeah that was covered in the other thread about speed limits, What if the road has a median barrier but no central island ?

3 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

I did not ask about theories or peoples interpretations.

The other thread about this speed limit increase implies that all multi-lane divided highways will be increased, this article suggests otherwise.....hence my question.

Well instead of being snotty in your reply why did you not firstly catch up on what was posted in earlier reports that stated exactly the conditions in which a 120 kph limit would be applicable.. 

31 minutes ago, Excel said:

Well instead of being snotty in your reply why did you not firstly catch up on what was posted in earlier reports that stated exactly the conditions in which a 120 kph limit would be applicable.. 

My question involves the article posted in this thread which contradicts the other thread.

Sorry for asking for clarity on the matter.

Kids coming home from the local school have been riding their motorcycles at 120kph through our moo baan for years.

4 hours ago, KannikaP said:

I appreciate that, but where on many other highways are there NO U turns....very few. So is it back to 90kph if there ARE the dreaded U turns or what?

Yes, this ruling only applies to highways without open U-turns. Those with U-turns will remain at 90kph or less. It was all very clearly laid out in the original announcement.

And I, like most folk on TVF, I suspect, do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of where those highways are, but I'm sure most of them are down south.

2 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Yes, this ruling only applies to highways without open U-turns. Those with U-turns will remain at 90kph or less. It was all very clearly laid out in the original announcement.

And I, like most folk on TVF, I suspect, do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of where those highways are, but I'm sure most of them are down south.

Would it not make sense (no Thai word for that! ) to have 120 limit, with signs, say 1km from any U turn, saying 90?

2 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Yeah that was covered in the other thread about speed limits, What if the road has a median barrier but no central island ?

The photograph accompanying the OP shows a median barrier (sporting a 120 speed sign) and no central island

 I hope that helps.

 

6 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

The photograph accompanying the OP shows a median barrier (sporting a 120 speed sign) and no central island

 I hope that helps.

It is however an obviously and badly Photoshopped image.

 

5 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

So the speed limit increase only applies to this highway ?

ROFL

Travelling up the motorway sometimes you see speed cameras over each lane - I remember seeing them flashing and my wife explaining that both the minimum and maximum speeds are different on this part of the road (only this part) and for every lane different too.

No need to say 'drive left unless you're overtaking' right?

40 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Would it not make sense (no Thai word for that! ) to have 120 limit, with signs, say 1km from any U turn, saying 90?

I don't know what the word is, but I live with a Thai women (my wife) has plenty of common sense! 

And no, I disagree. Folks pay little heed to speed limit signs anyway. Why plant yet more of them for motorists to ignore?

20 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I don't know what the word is, but I live with a Thai women (my wife) has plenty of common sense! 

And no, I disagree. Folks pay little heed to speed limit signs anyway. Why plant yet more of them for motorists to ignore?

I find it amusing (and massively dangerous) the 7 motorway is 120km/h but it has 90km/h illuminated signage every other kilometer.

Often see people hurtling along at 120km/h go past one of the 90km/h sign and just after is an overhead speed readout, they dive on the brakes to slow to 90.

6 hours ago, KannikaP said:

6 hours ago, Blue Muton said:

The U-turns on that stretch of road are either underpasses or bridges.

I appreciate that, but where on many other highways are there NO U turns....very few. So is it back to 90kph if there ARE the dreaded U turns or what?

Circular road signs with a red border, such as speed limit signs, are classed as Prohibitory or Restrictive. The sign saying 120 doesn't mean that's the speed that you have to drive at. For example, if there was a 120 sign just before some u-turns, a tight bend, a built-up area, road works or a roadside market, what speed would you choose?

For example, on Highway 2 to the northeast, there's plenty of places where 120 kph is allowed but it's still mainly a 2-lane dual-carriageway with loads of u-turns. Ten years ago, I would cruise along at the maximum allowed but more recently, with the increased amount of traffic, light-controlled intersections and road works, I'm happy enough with 95 kph and keeping left.

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

People travelling on the Asian Highway along the Bang pa-in - Ang Thong road section will be among the first for driving at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.

No, they won't. Like anywhere else in the kingdom, the only motor vehicles that negotiate highways at 120kpm or slower are either Ford T's or dangerously overloaded 8-wheelers. Even pick-ups with half the population of Burma huddled together in the back gun it.

4 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Circular road signs with a red border, such as speed limit signs, are classed as Prohibitory or Restrictive signs. The sign saying 120 doesn't mean that's the speed that you have to drive at. For example, if there was a 120 sign just before some u-turns, a tight bend, a built-up area, road works or a roadside market, what speed would you choose?

I would choose a speed appropriate to the road, traffic and weather conditions based on my 53 years of accident free driving.

47 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

I don't know what the word is, but I live with a Thai women (my wife) has plenty of common sense! 

And no, I disagree. Folks pay little heed to speed limit signs anyway. Why plant yet more of them for motorists to ignore?

I find it amusing (and massively dangerous) the 7 motorway is 120km/h but it has 90km/h illuminated signage every other kilometer.

Often see people hurtling along at 120km/h go past one of the 90km/h sign and just after is an overhead speed readout, they dive on the brakes to slow to 90.

Those must be farang drivers, no? Thai drivers don't pay attention to flashing signage as it's outside their tunnel vision and confounded by their lack of spatial awareness.