Thailand's modern "international" standard Zebra crossings: But will drivers actually stop?

[brianthainess]

On 7/9/2022 at 8:01 AM, pokerface1 said:

No it won't work as it's way to complicated. hang the expense build a bridge that will work

No it won't, climbing & descending stairs in the heat people just don't use them, and what about the disabled ?  

[brianthainess]

Why is it that in Thailand they just use cheap paint on crossings that fades really quickly? rhetorical question of course, around my area there are no signs erected at all ! even in the picture here only visible from the left ????

[xylophone]

21 hours ago, ignis said:

f you or a Thai driver stops then the motorbikes will pass on both sides, a few People have been mowed down on a Zebra crossing and some killed from motorbikes

 

21 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Many local drivers still drive straight through them even when the light is red.

Both of these comments are correct and I've had it happen to me on many occasions, so now I'm very wary of slowing down/stopping at pedestrian (zebra) crossings for fear of getting shunted from behind, or seeing a car or motorbike whiz past me and kill somebody.

 

Furthermore, I had to go to Bangkok a couple of months ago and a friend assured me that to cross a busy road I should use the pedestrian crossing which was controlled by the red light, operated by the pedestrian – – so I did, and I also waited until a few cars had stopped to let me cross, then out of the blue a utility truck came blasting through on the outside lane and nearly took me out!

 

No amount of lights, buzzers or similar will work when drivers haven't been taught how to use these things, and many of them don't even have a licence, and when you add sheer stupidity and ignorance to this, the mix is deadly.

[pokerface1]

3 hours ago, brianthainess said:

No it won't, climbing & descending stairs in the heat people just don't use them, and what about the disabled ?  

Better add an escalator then as I said hang the expense lol

[vandeventer]

On 7/9/2022 at 8:52 AM, petermik said:

Many of the locals don`t understand what a red light actually means........

They know, but the way Thai driver see things is the bigger you are the more right of way you have. Example, people yield to motorcycles, motorcycles yield to cars, cars yield to trucks. The bigger you are the less you yield to. After driving here for 20 years this is how I see it. 

[nrasmussen]

5 hours ago, actonion said:

You may find those zig zag lines important if you knew the reason they were there,  ( in most countries), in  the UK they  are  painted  either side of a pedestrian crossing to stop people parking  and  blocking the drivers view of any pedestrian  that attempts to cross, they are painted outside school entrances too, but in Thailand as  you say  a waste of paint

In my home country the law simply specifies that it is illegal to park closer than 5 m to a pedestrian crossing, and we do have proper driver's education, so no need for ugly zig-zag lines.

[Xonax]

I rarely notice a zebra crossing before I am in the middle of it, as the car in front of me covers my view of the painted zebra stripes, which typically are the only warning to motorists. Flashing warning lights placed above the crossing, would be a better help. Here in Bangkok, if a car stops to let pedestrians cross the road, often give the pedestrians a false safety, since motorbikes and even other cars most often will attempt to overtake the stopping car on both sides.

[fondue zoo]

the future....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXYgjcVb5Jg

[Bday Prang]

7 hours ago, actonion said:

Why would they ? because their is a Thai highway code, find it  on the internet .... i presume you dont have a driving licence

I don't need one , I'm well connected    You can presume whatever you want

[Bday Prang]

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

They know, but the way Thai driver see things is the bigger you are the more right of way you have. Example, people yield to motorcycles, motorcycles yield to cars, cars yield to trucks. The bigger you are the less you yield to. After driving here for 20 years this is how I see it. 

Good observation and very true. If only people could understand and remember this simple concept, rather than whingeing that its "not like it is back home"    Its a bit like speaking the language, you need to speak it  like a Thai, or you won't get far  

[richard_smith237]

A lot of the comments on here suggesting ‘Thai’s don’t know the rules, don’t know what a pedestrian crossing is, don’t know what to do etc’... is all rubbish.... 

 

Thai’s know exactly what to...  They know exactly what do do when filtering into traffic (i.e. like a zip, let one go then you go)... the issue is they simply drive selfishly. 

 

Thai’s know exactly what to do at pedestrian crossings. The issue has been publicised enough for decades...  

 

So... the issue is not that Thai’s do not know what to do at a pedestrian crossing, Thai's know very well that they ‘should’ stop....  The simple issue is that ‘many / most Thai’s do not WANT to stop at a pedestrian crossing’......   or anywhere else... 

.... Look at the majority of accidents that occur in Thailand...  a common underlying cause is drivers doing anything other than applying the brakes... they’ll do anything, flash-lights, speed up, drive more assertively or aggressively to impose their road presence... but they won’t slow down or apply their brakes until they absolutely have to. 

 

The same applies for pedestrian crossings... many (not all) Thai’s simply do not want to apply their brakes for a pedestrian...  this underlying ’selfishness’ is at the route of nearly all pedestrian accidents on crossings and is a horrible blight on the mentality of Thai road users. 

 

Is this a Thai Bash.... YES.... one which is deserved and not to be taken out of context - it's heartbreaking to see a country we care about drag itself down with such carelessness on the roads. 

 

 

[actonion]

19 hours ago, nrasmussen said:

In my home country the law simply specifies that it is illegal to park closer than 5 m to a pedestrian crossing, and we do have proper driver's education, so no need for ugly zig-zag lines.

Ugly yes, but  it doesnt hurt to give a reminder by leaving the zigzag lines there

[Henryford]

Do they think some hi-so in his Merc is going to stop for a pleb ?

[ignis]

23 hours ago, brianthainess said:

No it won't, climbing & descending stairs in the heat people just don't use them, and what about the disabled ?  

Some people just want to dice with death/ use shortest route.....  BKK  Rama 4 = Red Cross Hospital = Stairs + Moving Stairs + Lift to walkway over a number of roads ALL under cover to all sides of each road + to Metro + to BTS + to Central Mall...  about 30 meters west is a foot bridge, goes over all 8 lanes to the row of Pharmacies..........   have sat many times outside waiting for Dr appointment [Blood work 07:30 wait for Dr 10:30]   simply 100's of people try to dodge the traffic to cross all 8 lanes + seen a lot of near miss over the years,,,,,,,,,,,  also most of these people have come out of the Hospital gates !!!

[superal]

17 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

A lot of the comments on here suggesting ‘Thai’s don’t know the rules, don’t know what a pedestrian crossing is, don’t know what to do etc’... is all rubbish.... 

 

Thai’s know exactly what to...  They know exactly what do do when filtering into traffic (i.e. like a zip, let one go then you go)... the issue is they simply drive selfishly. 

 

Thai’s know exactly what to do at pedestrian crossings. The issue has been publicised enough for decades...  

 

So... the issue is not that Thai’s do not know what to do at a pedestrian crossing, Thai's know very well that they ‘should’ stop....  The simple issue is that ‘many / most Thai’s do not WANT to stop at a pedestrian crossing’......   or anywhere else... 

.... Look at the majority of accidents that occur in Thailand...  a common underlying cause is drivers doing anything other than applying the brakes... they’ll do anything, flash-lights, speed up, drive more assertively or aggressively to impose their road presence... but they won’t slow down or apply their brakes until they absolutely have to. 

 

The same applies for pedestrian crossings... many (not all) Thai’s simply do not want to apply their brakes for a pedestrian...  this underlying ’selfishness’ is at the route of nearly all pedestrian accidents on crossings and is a horrible blight on the mentality of Thai road users. 

 

Is this a Thai Bash.... YES.... one which is deserved and not to be taken out of context - it's heartbreaking to see a country we care about drag itself down with such carelessness on the roads. 

 

 

I agree with you when you say Thais are selfish drivers , they are Jekyll and Hyde . I disagree when you say they " they know the rules " .  Only yesterday there were cars parked on both sides of a pedestrian crossing , in my town . They do not take into account driving conditions , e.g. pouring with rain , yet many of them driving fast on a water logged road with limited visibility . Emerging from a side road into a main road , many motor bike riders do not look right , they just swing straight out and expect other users to avoid them . Many do not understand road markings , especially in the smaller towns .  

[paulbrow]

It will never work, but the good news is inside of a year the paint will be gone, never to be repainted again.... Up to now the only time anyone was punished for violating the crosswalk was when somebody got run over and that will not change.

[DJ54]

Everyone should stop when people are in the crosswalk and hope that others will follow. Not only is it courteous it’s safety of pedestrian. Yes I stop because was taught in drivers training in Senior year of high school and I found a lot of other things to buy in lieu of paying @ $250.00 USD if stopped by police.

[Eaglekott]

No It will not work. Not too far away where I live they recently put up traffic lights by a zebra crossing. Motor bikes does not stop for the red light. Many cars also. And many of those that actually stopped for the red light  after you have started to cross, they drive as soon as the pedestrian has passed, even if the light is still red.

 

 

[brianthainess]

On 7/10/2022 at 2:41 PM, Xonax said:

I rarely notice a zebra crossing before I am in the middle of it, as the car in front of me covers my view of the painted zebra stripes, which typically are the only warning to motorists. Flashing warning lights placed above the crossing, would be a better help. Here in Bangkok, if a car stops to let pedestrians cross the road, often give the pedestrians a false safety, since motorbikes and even other cars most often will attempt to overtake the stopping car on both sides.

Maybe in BKK or Pattaya they may have 'one' sign on left of road, but mostly no signs at all in the rest of the country let alone on the right side.