Chonbuir Traffic Tonight

[Jonny B]

does anybody know what happened in chonburi tonight, around the exit from tollway into chonburi, we had to turn around and re-route into chonburi, what normally takes about 25 minutes to get home took 3.5 hours today. it must have happened around midday and traffic all around chonburi is still shocking so it must be something big but yet to see anything on the news. All entries and exits into/out of chonburi is terrible including heading to the airport i believe. would love to know what happened?

[sharecropper]

does anybody know what happened in chonburi tonight, around the exit from tollway into chonburi, we had to turn around and re-route into chonburi, what normally takes about 25 minutes to get home took 3.5 hours today. it must have happened around midday and traffic all around chonburi is still shocking so it must be something big but yet to see anything on the news. All entries and exits into/out of chonburi is terrible including heading to the airport i believe. would love to know what happened?

Did this have anything to do with a factory worker protest which closed the Bang Na expressway?

[sriracha john]

does anybody know what happened in chonburi tonight, around the exit from tollway into chonburi, we had to turn around and re-route into chonburi, what normally takes about 25 minutes to get home took 3.5 hours today. it must have happened around midday and traffic all around chonburi is still shocking so it must be something big but yet to see anything on the news. All entries and exits into/out of chonburi is terrible including heading to the airport i believe. would love to know what happened?

Whatever it was, it happened Thursday evening, as well... when a trip from Ban Bo Win to Sriracha took 2.5 hours (normally 20 minutes) of clogged back road after clogged back road when Highway 7 was totally stopped. I had never seen it like that in all my time here. It was the largest congestion over the largest local area I've ever experienced.

Edited December 19, 2008 by sriracha john

[dabhand]

Was returning from Bangkok to Pattaya this afternoon by bus. The traffic on the other side of the motorway, headed towards the airport, was fully backed up (all lanes) for at least 5kms (probably quite a bit more) from about the services area. Anyone headed for a flight had a serious problem. This was at about 5pm

It was also backed up on the Pattaya side, a bit further on, just before the Chonburi turnoff. Huge queue exiting to Chonburi and clear to Pattaya after that.

Didn't notice the reason for the motorway congestion but did see that most of the side roads also had heavy traffic - with a few pickups containing folk with red shirts.

[threelegcowboy]

Was returning from Bangkok to Pattaya this afternoon by bus. The traffic on the other side of the motorway, headed towards the airport, was fully backed up (all lanes) for at least 5kms (probably quite a bit more) from about the services area. Anyone headed for a flight had a serious problem. This was at about 5pm

It was also backed up on the Pattaya side, a bit further on, just before the Chonburi turnoff. Huge queue exiting to Chonburi and clear to Pattaya after that.

Didn't notice the reason for the motorway congestion but did see that most of the side roads also had heavy traffic - with a few pickups containing folk with red shirts.

Chonburi still had this kind of problem 9P Fri night.

[Mobi]

And no one has any idea what's going on?

I can't find anything about it in the the press.

From what you guys are reporting, the problems are both on route 3 through Sri Racha to Chon Buri, and also on route 7 (motorway). This seems very strange.

Edited December 20, 2008 by Mobi

[johng]

Did this have anything to do with a factory worker protest which closed the Bang Na expressway?

Yes it was on Thai news last night at 5pm the Chonburi governer went down to talk to the factory workers and assured the news crew that it would be resolved by 5.30pm

[sriracha john]

And what about Thursday night at 7:30 pm??? Same thing? No, there's something else going on besides a single factory closure. It involved too big an area.

[sriracha john]

And no one has any idea what's going on?

I can't find anything about it in the the press.

From what you guys are reporting, the problems are both on route 3 through Sri Racha to Chon Buri, and also on route 7 (motorway). This seems very strange.

The Laem Chambang spur of Rte. 7 to be precise. Completely blocked across both 2 regular lanes and both inner and outer emergency lanes going into it from main Rte. 7.

Side roads skirting around it were just as jammed as that many vehicles were backed up to even fill the secondary and tertiary roads. We went well out of our way as we kept going further and further out in order to try and get around it.

Edited December 20, 2008 by sriracha john

[Scott]

Tourists returning? High season maybe?

[dumball]

Tourists returning? High season maybe?

This should be voted THE COMMEDY QUOTE TO START THE NEW YEAR OFF .

Maybe we could see less gloom and doom with chins in cupped hands and beer becoming weaker by the minute with all the mixer being added , i.e. crocodile tears !!

[Heng]

What a bunch of babies, pouting because they didn't get their bonuses.

Edited December 20, 2008 by Heng

[EvilDrSomkid]

does anybody know what happened in chonburi tonight, around the exit from tollway into chonburi, we had to turn around and re-route into chonburi, what normally takes about 25 minutes to get home took 3.5 hours today. it must have happened around midday and traffic all around chonburi is still shocking so it must be something big but yet to see anything on the news. All entries and exits into/out of chonburi is terrible including heading to the airport i believe. would love to know what happened?

Did this have anything to do with a factory worker protest which closed the Bang Na expressway?

Yes. I was informed this morning at work in SriRacha that it was industrial action.

I sat in traffic from the bypass entering Chonburi to the elevated Banga Trat expressway entrance for 1.5 hours. At around 5PM to 6PM. Once on the elevated expressway, no probs. However, traffic was directed off the last exit on the expressway on the other side. BIBs everywhere at the end of the expressway. Below all stood still and was in darkness.

Apparently, the strikers were inspired by the PAD...

[Mobi]

I suppose if the Bang Na express way was blocked, then traffic would divert to the route 7 motorway, causing more jams on that road.

The Lam Chabang spur from the motorway is pretty busy at the best of times with huge trucks careering along both lanes, to and from the port. It wouldn't take much, (like traffic diverting from route 3), to cause major gridlock.

Any tourists caught in that mess, either missing planes or trying to get to Pattaya fro Christmas, will not be too impressed with the post airport closure situation.

[dave9988]

What a bunch of babies, pouting because they didn't get their bonuses.

did u post this in the right thread? it went over my head.

[Heng]

The road was blocked by factory workers -of all levels, not just line workers- who were unhappy over a number of things... some being fired, some having shifts reduced, some not getting their bonuses (apparently not understanding what a bonus is for that matter).