Phuket: Crackdown on tourists riding electric scooters on main roads

[webfact]

Picture: Daily News

 

The police in Phuket are cracking down on tourists and shops on the sandbox island over the use of electric scooters.

 

Provincial police chief Pol Maj-Gen Sermphan Sirikhong has ordered the get tough message, reported Daily News yesterday.

 

Tourists have been riding the scooters on main roads all day and night even though they are not road legal.

 

Shops that rent the scooters are being told that if there are accidents they will be held accountable. 

 

The DLT - department of land transport - has said that they should only be used in places like housing estates not on the main roads. 

 

Patong police have met with business operators to also crack down on the use of the scooters. 

 

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[tonray]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

Patong police have met with business operators to also crack down on the use of the scooters. 

I'm sure that was 'profitable'

[RandiRona]

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

Tourists have been riding the scooters on main roads all day and night even though they are not road legal

Only legal are taxis who are obligated to charge illegal and exorbitant bahts for rides.

[smedly]

Jesus christ, yet another pile of uneducated nonsense 

 

 

never mind madatory masks - how about mandatory IQ tests 

[Geoffggi]

It is simple really, ban them & arrest anyone riding or hiring them out - problem solved.

But realistically this is one of the last countries given their safety record & would want to jostle with traffic on something that provides not scrap of protection.

[Sametboy2019]

4 people on a motorcycle and a whole family in a salang is ok though

[ikke1959]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Tourists have been riding the scooters on main roads all day and night even though they are not road legal.

Why are being sold than??? Or available for hiring?? and why only tourists?? As an expat I am not a tourist so I can do it??

[Benmart]

Ignore the rest of the roadway carnage and focus on this low hanging fruit. It's so much easier than doing proactive traffic patrol to catch unsafe, reckless and unlicensed/impaired drivers. Truly Amazing.

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Patong police have met with business operators to also crack down on the use of the scooters. 

Stop the traders from renting them... end of problem.

Don't blame the tourists who don't know the road regulations and are obviously not given instructions from the renters.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

But realistically this is one of the last countries given their safety record & would want to jostle with traffic on something that provides not scrap of protection.

Agreed, however I do watch with awe every morning a guy going down the road at 6am on a one wheeled electric motorcycle.

He stands bolt-upright and apparently uses balance as a directional feed and  brakes via the foot-rests?

More nerves than me.

[Peterphuket]

8 hours ago, smedly said:

Jesus christ, yet another pile of uneducated nonsense 

 

 

never mind madatory masks - how about mandatory IQ tests 

And what do you think you can achieve with that?

We already know the number....or not?

[Cake Monster]

12 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Stop the traders from renting them... end of problem.

Don't blame the tourists who don't know the road regulations and are obviously not given instructions from the renters.

And those Tourists that got the idea from seeing Thais buzzing about everywhere on one probably.

 

[swm59nj]

One problem is . You have a number of  tourists and expats that come to another country.  And they think they can do whatever they want.  Things they couldn’t   get away with in their own countries.  Not following the rules.  Insulting people.  Rudeness. 

 

[KhunLA]

Just when practical and economical alternatives to the noisy, smelly, polluting ICEs are starting to show up, lets ban them, because of a few idiot tourist & an easy money grab.

 

Great, now the idiots will simply rent a real motorcycle, and be even more of a danger.  Be cruising at 100 kph instead of 25 kph.

[arithai12]

I think they are talking about these. If so, I agree.

[madmitch]

Blimey! Phuket and London with the same traffic violation issue! That must be a first!

[rodknock]

how about helmets!!

[trainman34014]

People are buying them up here in The North from Supermarkets and riding them home up Main Roads.  They are a menace and when they come up silently behind you on a Bike there is no warning.  Just to make matters worse most seem to be ridden by Geriatrics who are probably at least partially Blind and Deaf .    Not having a go at old people as i'm one myself but one with more sense than to ride one of these on Major Roads !

[ncc1701d]

the image in the op are the electric skateboards with the handles (shown above as well). They are controlled by one online company and you rent them via an app (so no idea what “vendors” he’s talking about). I was in Phuket for 4 weeks staying in patong and only ever saw about 4 people riding them. Unlike Mainz, Germany or Adelaide, south Australia  (other cities that have them, but are scattered all over the place), the patong ones are generally all parked in the one location and not an eyesore at all. I didn’t partake in patong because they didn’t have helmets. But they are fun. 

Edited February 22, 2022 by ncc1701d

[Adumbration]

The heading to this article should be:

 

RTP move swiftly to protect their income stream from the taxi mafia.

[spidermike007]

No doubt more corruption by the PTMI (Phuket taxi mafia, Inc.).  They appear to be above the law and seem to be dictating policy to the spineless cops and the rotten army. 

 

Exactly what we need right now. A crackdown on tourists who are discovering an eco friendly alternative to the taxi mob.

 

So many genius minds at work, to restore the vital industry of tourism, and get the people back to work. 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by spidermike007

[sammieuk1]

Two years without being able to do a good tourist crackdown has made them hungry to find one ????

[Meat Pie 47]

They are legal in OZ but have rules and regulations, only kids to a certain age are allowed to ride on the footpath, must wear a helmet and obey a speed limit. Adults can ride on the road and have a speed limit as well and of course must wear helmets. But not allowed on highways. I think the speed limit for kids is 10kh and adults 25kh.

[Mr Meeseeks]

5 hours ago, swm59nj said:

One problem is . You have a number of  tourists and expats that come to another country.  And they think they can do whatever they want.  Things they couldn’t   get away with in their own countries.  Not following the rules.  Insulting people.  Rudeness. 

 

Just following the example of the locals. 

 

When in Rome. 

[arithai12]

It's clear that these scooters (electric kickboards in fact) have no place on the main roads. This is true in Europe as well, where by the way they have often been involved in accidents including with pedestrians. Many are very considerate riders, a few are not and bring the shame on all.

No lights, no braking lights, no turning lights, limited speed, limited braking capability, no identification plates, no helmet requirement. Anyone who drives regularly on a major road in Phuket knows that it's already dangerous as it is for proper motorbikes and cars.

And yet, as soon as the police does the right thing... bash bash bash.

[arithai12]

On 2/22/2022 at 4:42 PM, KhunLA said:

Just when practical and economical alternatives to the noisy, smelly, polluting ICEs are starting to show up, lets ban them, because of a few idiot tourist & an easy money grab.

 

Great, now the idiots will simply rent a real motorcycle, and be even more of a danger.  Be cruising at 100 kph instead of 25 kph.

They are banned only on the main roads. As for easy money grab, can you mention how much? Because I only read that they are cracking down on the rental shops, not the tourists.

When I rent a "real" scooter in Phuket, I rarely exceed 50. Never did 100 even remotely. And I have to say that on a main road I would feel very unsafe with that thingy even at 25kph with my center of gravity over one meter from the ground. Surely fun to drive elsewhere.

 

[KhunLA]

4 minutes ago, arithai12 said:

They are banned only on the main roads. As for easy money grab, can you mention how much? Because I only read that they are cracking down on the rental shops, not the tourists.

When I rent a "real" scooter in Phuket, I rarely exceed 50. Never did 100 even remotely. And I have to say that on a main road I would feel very unsafe with that thingy even at 25kph with my center of gravity over one meter from the ground. Surely fun to drive elsewhere.

 

Roads tourist use.

25 kph is the max speed most of those scooter can go.   If they are going to use the scootes irresponsibly, then a good chance they would do the same with a motorcycle.  The better of 2 evils being the very slow, very light scooters, which at best / worst, might knock someone down.

 

I've owed & driven one of those scooters, and far from a danger to anyone at 25 kph, just a danger to themselves, if they put themselves in harm's way, and get run over.