Am I In The Wrong, In Regards To Buses changing Lanes.

[JohnGotti]

driving on Sukhumvit road, the buses have the constant, silly and annoying habit of going from the middle lane to the left lane. i don't get why they do not just drive in the left lane. so they are often in a situation where part of their rear end is still in the middle lane while they wait to turn into the left lane. i stop, preparing to wait for them, and its pretty consistent that i get beeped at by those behind me, probably 9/10 times, which suggests to me that I am probably wrong. they want me to drive into the right lane to pass, but you still have right lane traffic. i suppose i can just stick my nose into the right lane and make someone in the right lane stop, but i'd rather just wait the 3 seconds and stay where i am.

[billd766]

driving on Sukhumvit road, the buses have the constant, silly and annoying habit of going from the middle lane to the left lane. i don't get why they do not just drive in the left lane. so they are often in a situation where part of their rear end is still in the middle lane while they wait to turn into the left lane. i stop, preparing to wait for them, and its pretty consistent that i get beeped at by those behind me, probably 9/10 times, which suggests to me that I am probably wrong. they want me to drive into the right lane to pass, but you still have right lane traffic. i suppose i can just stick my nose into the right lane and make someone in the right lane stop, but i'd rather just wait the 3 seconds and stay where i am.

I don't drive much in Bangkok now but when I did and this happened to me I used to open the window, raise the middle finger only and comment loudly on the drivers parentage and soi dogs.

I did mentally apologise to the soi dogs though as it was unfair to them.

My wife won't let me play like that any more for some reason.

[ballbreaker]

driving on Sukhumvit road, the buses have the constant, silly and annoying habit of going from the middle lane to the left lane. i don't get why they do not just drive in the left lane. so they are often in a situation where part of their rear end is still in the middle lane while they wait to turn into the left lane. i stop, preparing to wait for them, and its pretty consistent that i get beeped at by those behind me, probably 9/10 times, which suggests to me that I am probably wrong. they want me to drive into the right lane to pass, but you still have right lane traffic. i suppose i can just stick my nose into the right lane and make someone in the right lane stop, but i'd rather just wait the 3 seconds and stay where i am.

Yes you should slide enough into the right lane to get around.

TIT so you must learn to drive the way Thai's do like it or not.

[longball53098]

Learning the local "techniques" of driving will get you further than giving someone the finger. We all have learned those "techniques" in our home country and you do them unconsciously while we drive. When you visit another area of you're home country you experience new "techniques" and then most of us whine about "where did these people learn to drive?" All is good when we return home again. Here in LOS they have developed their own set of "techniques" and we all complain. I am one of the biggest complainers about the Thai driving style but now after 3+ years of driving here I find myself adapting to their "style" of driving and complaining less. I still cannot change my learned "techniques" of 40 years of driving but I am adapting.

In the OP case? I think moving into the left lane a bit to get around the bus is the choice and the locals know this so when you stop they are urging you to do it as this is the accepted "technique" in Bangkok. The traffic is heavy enough without us making it worse.

[Who, me ?]

driving on Sukhumvit road, the buses have the constant, silly and annoying habit of going from the middle lane to the left lane. i don't get why they do not just drive in the left lane. so they are often in a situation where part of their rear end is still in the middle lane while they wait to turn into the left lane. i stop, preparing to wait for them, and its pretty consistent that i get beeped at by those behind me, probably 9/10 times, which suggests to me that I am probably wrong. they want me to drive into the right lane to pass, but you still have right lane traffic. i suppose i can just stick my nose into the right lane and make someone in the right lane stop, but i'd rather just wait the 3 seconds and stay where i am.

I don't drive much in Bangkok now but when I did and this happened to me I used to open the window, raise the middle finger only and comment loudly on the drivers parentage and soi dogs.

I did mentally apologise to the soi dogs though as it was unfair to them.

My wife won't let me play like that any more for some reason.

a disaster waiting to happen ! May I recommend you to stay away from driving as long as you have this kind of "reflex" ? Once, you will face a nasty "son of a soi dog" and you might not live long enough to tell the story ! Experience tells that keeping a low profile and a straight face is the best answer . My 2 cents.

Edited May 19, 2009 by Who, me ?

[hansnl]

driving on Sukhumvit road, the buses have the constant, silly and annoying habit of going from the middle lane to the left lane. i don't get why they do not just drive in the left lane. so they are often in a situation where part of their rear end is still in the middle lane while they wait to turn into the left lane. i stop, preparing to wait for them, and its pretty consistent that i get beeped at by those behind me, probably 9/10 times, which suggests to me that I am probably wrong. they want me to drive into the right lane to pass, but you still have right lane traffic. i suppose i can just stick my nose into the right lane and make someone in the right lane stop, but i'd rather just wait the 3 seconds and stay where i am.

Of course you are wrong!

[junkofdavid2]

I noticed that the more I try to follow rules strictly, the more I get extremely stressed and angry if someone else breaks them.

Conversely, the more I break rules, the more I feel relaxed and "mai pen rai" when others break them.

Conclusion, I'm much happier in life now, as I've now decided to.... "

.

Edited June 1, 2009 by junkofdavid2

[bikerman]

driving on Sukhumvit road, the buses have the constant, silly and annoying habit of going from the middle lane to the left lane. i don't get why they do not just drive in the left lane. so they are often in a situation where part of their rear end is still in the middle lane while they wait to turn into the left lane. i stop, preparing to wait for them, and its pretty consistent that i get beeped at by those behind me, probably 9/10 times, which suggests to me that I am probably wrong. they want me to drive into the right lane to pass, but you still have right lane traffic. i suppose i can just stick my nose into the right lane and make someone in the right lane stop, but i'd rather just wait the 3 seconds and stay where i am.

I pulled up in my car at the bottom of a skytrain station this morning to pick up my friends, a group of Thai female University students. There was a farang lugging his mia up the street towards the bus stop and I really cannot express the sense of defeat/hatred in his eyes as he watched these micro-skirted vixens pile themselves into my car. He kept shaking his head as if to say, "Where God did I go wrong?". I had to pull over at the side of the road a little ways down because the emotions this farang poured out towards me were so powerful and they so clearly invoked the humility of humanity, that I was overwhelmed and afraid that I would crash. I was rocked back into reality when I realized what one of these girls was doing in my lap, she called it "practicing changing gears".

Maybe this is the reason you cannot concentrate on your driving (as from your previous post) ….wish I new what color the moon was on the planet you come from?????

[MJo]

Those 300+ one liners you have posted previously suggest that you are better off waiting behind the bus and let others go around it.

[richard_smith237]

IMO Changing lanes in Bangkok is one of the riskiest manoeuvres, simply because you have to do it quickly before some one sees what you are trying to do and blocks you.

So, if there is space to squeeze through you ‘might’ be in the wrong in some peoples opinions.

But in My opinion you are quite right to wait the 5 seconds and not change lanes.

In traffic, people here cannot wait 5 seconds to give way to something. Its my guess that the people behind papping their horn can’t wait the 5 seconds it will take for the bus to drop off and pick up their passengers and desperately feel the need to move that 5-10m forwards.

Bus driver’s road behaviour is generally infuriating and I often see them pulling in from the right most lane blocking middle and left most lane completely.

The busses drive recklessly and position themselves within shocking proximity of my car. Once they bent back my wing mirror and were gone before I could do anything about it.

I am guilty of ‘papping’ the horn, mostly to motorbikes who appear to be pottering along, unaware of other vehicles around them. I also ‘pap’ at cars who are behaving in a similarly unaware character. In fact I ‘pap’ quite a lot and that is because I find that most of the people around me appear semi-conscious.

I find that driving here lacks the need for any sense or knowledge other than the law of an asphalt jungle….

Many drivers…

a) Lack the ability to drive within their lane.

b ) Cover two lanes hedging their bets at which will be the quickest (Taxi’s !).

c) Pull away from the lights in a sleepy daze.

d) Force their way in front of you then drive slowly.

e) This list could be endless….

It amazes me that for what are documented as such a happy, polite and ‘jai-dee’ race of people that driving habits have taken on such a profoundly opposing character where not giving way, being forceful and aggressive but also very slow is considered the normal thing to do.

Edited June 1, 2009 by richard_smith237

[chivo]

i drove for the first time in bkk this weekend. yes it is a physical and mental workout...

i realized:

1)taxi and bus drivers have an extremely tough job, dealing with traffic all day, everyday- a little sympathy to them even if they do drive like animals.

2)it will do you no good to compare to driving methods elsewhere

3)it will do no good to curse, flip the finger, or let your blood boil... nothing will change...

you have the choice of public transportation or extremely cheap taxis... i f u drive, u know what youre getting into... try to be peaceful and go with the flow even if the flow is a turbulent stream...

[Araxav]

Haha yes.

I have been driving myself in Bangkok since 2 weeks now after having been a passenger for a bit over 2 years.

I quickly changed my thoughts which were "hey driver you should not adopt the local uses, they are dangerous" to "yeah... well... better do like them or I'll die of anger and stress".

But one thing I still can't stand / understand / get is a situation I guess most of you experience many times a day :

You drive at "normal" speed on your lane. Some car passes you, often pressing the car in front of them if any, then force its way it front of you.

And then that thing happen : as soon as they are rather certain they are engaged on your lane on front of you.... they brake... for no reason...

Making you having to break too, as they suddenly go slower than you were...

I don't think i'll be able to get used to that

But yeah, the general rule would be "In Rome do as romans do". Dangerous ? Yeah. but given the context driving the same way you were driving home might be even more dangerous, as you have then a weird unexpected behaviour. Maybe a nice calculated mix of both

[Plus]

If you drive slowly and block the right lane people will often get annoyed, overtake, and hit the brakes in front of you just to get even.

Sometimes if you cut someone off in a rather rude way, the guy might chase you for two kilometers and wait for a chance to do exactly the same thing to you. Very often it's a girl, too.

It's not very serious, if you crash into a car cutting in front of you they will be at fault, but they trust you won't do that and brake in time. They don't mean any harm, and they usually try to exact their revenge in exactly the same way, give you the taste of your own behaviour. You could even say it's educational.

Raising left palm up as if saying you are sorry usually settles it.

And you should drive as if you are sorry, Thais are very good judges of driving manners, you won't fool them.

[remil]

BUses dont care there bigger than you. !! Im pretty sure that they have to be at places at certian times or they lose some of there pay.

THe worst are the green buses. THey like to race against each other. Freaking psychos. IM sure the cops are paid off to look the other way especially with the privately owned companies