Bangkok Jaywalkers Subject Of Police Blitz

[pedro01]

I don't like throwing litter on the street but finding a trashcan is "litterally" impossible. You can walk for miles without finding one. Same thing goes for pedestrian crossing.

You can use anyone else's bin, bag or box of garbage. My fiance does it all the time, and I've done it before in front of a cop. If it's on the edge of the road, then it's out there waiting for the truck. The cops just don't want to see you throw something on the ground. Like most things, I guess it helps if you have a Thai walking next to you.

I honestly don't have a problem finding crosswalks, especially in the Silom and Victory Monument area. The problem is the rules for using them are unclear. I generally get into one, make myself as big and visible as possible, and then cross. You can also use the jellyfish approach, wait until the amount of people waiting hits critical mass, and then blob your way across altogether.

Just one more thing, I think from the low amount of this fine, it's probably going to be targeted at Thais as well, I mean how many farang do you see around Victory Monument or worse yet Ratchaprasong? They are definitely Thai areas.

Ratchaprasong - Central World, Gaysorn Plaza, Amarin, Four Seasons etc. etc - one of the areas of Bangkok with the most tourists IMO.

[Chaiyadan]

I really think it's great that the police will now start to enforce the laws on the books. Perhaps they will also enforce the traffic laws that require vehicles to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk as well. Let's face it, enforcing traffic laws has to start somewhere. Next we will actually see police officers, writing tickets and not worrying about collecting money for all those commanders and higher ups that get most of the money that is collected now. Last I heard, the officer on the beat only gets to keep 10 %, and the rest flows upward.

Until Law Enforcement starts to enforce the laws on the books, Thailand will always be a nation of," Lawlessness". It would create another level of government, but if the Thai government would only allow tickets to be paid at the 7-Eleven, like my water and electric bills, then we would see real improvements in the enforcement of all traffic laws. yes, I am a former police officer and it makes me sick to see the officers being under paid, overworked and having to ask for their wages from the drivers they stop. ( Now, pedestrians too)

[IanForbes]

Of course I jay-walk in Thailand. How else are you supposed to cross a road without doing so? Traffic lights are only a general suggestion to most Thai drivers. Cross walks are seldom if ever paid any attention to by Thai drivers. The quick and agile pedestrians survive and the slow and stumbly pedestrians go to the hospital if they live.

[tomartoh]

you guys are so cynical about our friends the bib,

but yeah, the beauty of this crackdown along with all the recent announcements, is whilst the police are doing this and the airport taxis and baggage handlers and fake dvd sellers and looking for porn sites and checking out kids in internet cafes and girls sitting with guys in karaoke places and conducting a war on drugs and removing business competitors, not to mention their battle against crime and corruption [not there own of course] they will be spread a bit more thinly and might not pull in so many easy target motorcyclists.

as the song went 'lets look on the bright side of life"

[monoli87]

well.... it's only apply throughout BKK..... is't???? is't this new enforcement apply for the whole city of Thailand.... i think it's not...

then how about the period of the new rules come.... did it notice earlier to the public.....

i think it's much like "fast income" for government to collect money as soon as they can from their own citizens or farangs..... i think this is a main motives behind this new rules come...

neither cleanliness nor public safety.....

if Thai government wanna learn about cleanliness and safety better find Singapore..... a good country, hygiene and safety is almost the best quality.....

[monoli87]

glad to realizes that such a strict and crazy enforcement didn't apply in Hatyai / Songkhla yet...

[reaper]

I don't think it is fair to target jaywalkers... why don't the police start cracking down on thier own and other motorcyclist who use the sidewalk as their own personal road? If you want people to stop jaywalking, show them that the police, as an authoritative figure, can also follow the law. Don't say that jaywalkers "blindly" walk in front of traffic and buses... if that were the case, the number of jaywalkers killed per day would number in the hundreds. The police should be more concern about people driving without a driving license, expired road tax, bald tires, bad exhaust systems, bad brakes, reckless driving, exceeding the speed limit (... wait a minute, I just described the majority of buses and song taews in Bangkok) before they go after jaywalkers. Just because we cannot out run them doesn't mean that we are fair game... it just means that they can catch more per day

[pattaya_girl]

I think it is more dangerous in Thailand to use a crossing to cross the Road, the traffic does not stop unless you walk and keep going, so they literally have do break hard. I recently returned from a Trip to Singapore, the Crossroads crossings were excellent and everyone used them because they were very safe, a lot safer than Thailand's.

As for the Cigarette butts, where really are we supposed to put them? are we supposed to put them in our pocket until we see a bin or ash tray? I am scared of even putting one in the gutter now. I always give mine to my Thai partner as i doubt they are out to fine him.

Are Cigarette butts allowed to be thrown into the gutter? does anyone know?

[k1w1]

Can't catch the motorists ignoring cross walks so target to slow moving pedrestrian trying to cross the road the best and safest way he/she can. That's great logic and keeps the tea pot warm.

Edit: Have you ever NOT jaywalked in Bangkok? Probably only when using a bridge or sky train station.

Until Thais learn the basic common courtesy of stopping for a pedestrian at a zebra crossing there will be jay walkers in Thailand.

I actually find it is safer to not use pedestrian crossing. What I find weird is that the only people who can be trusted to occasionally stop are taxi drivers. Must be because they are on the road all day so don't have issues with letting pedestrians have some access too.

If I wait at a pedestrian crossing until a driver stops I can be there for days. Even with a child in tow or in a push chair. If I cross 10 meters down the road I find most people will actually slow down and allow me to cross safely.

Often I find that Thais drivers will speed up if they see someone at a pedestrian crossing. I guess this is so they don't have to be the one stopping. But this only makes true hero status in the realms of Thai logic when combined with the point above.

Would be fitting if they spend all the money they receive from the jaywalking crackdown on a public media campaign to teach Thais that the international norm is to stop *at* the pedestrian crossing.

[thaibkk]

funny for a country where when you use zebra crossing, you can be sure somebody might run you over as they don't have the politeness or manners to let you cross normally or give priority...

[Just1Voice]

Humm, comming up with a new law, huh? Why don't they try actually enforcing the EXISTING laws in regards to people wearing helmets while riding, and underaged kids zipping around like they have Lord Buddha sitting on their lap to protect them. Wow, if they really did that, they might actually save a few lives!!!

[bluedog]

I agree with the Cigarette Butts / rubbish fine, but do not agree with fining someone for not using the crossing.

I wonder if they will fine the poorer Thai people as well lol....

or maybe is just for us 'richer' farang....

Jeez, what will it be next.. 'excuse me officer, am I allowed to breath'

You can almost be guaranteed that they will target farangs where they can, you could almost see this coming when they announced that drivers would be fined 1,000 baht and the pedestrian 200 baht. They will never educate thai drivers to slow down or stop at crossings. As for the litter fines, anyone familiar with Sukhumvit will know that there are 2 points where they put out a portable sign regarding littering. Then they wait for a tourist to come along and drop litter or a cigarette butt, I have yet to see them stop a Thai. And of course not a bin anywhere in sight. At night or when nobody there the portable sign goes away, if this is not a scam I do not know. The rest of the entire length of Sukhumvit you will not see any signs, portable or otherwise, to say that littering is a crime. What a bloody joke when the locals with their food stalls throw their crap everywhere, even block the drains when they throw food and used oil into them. More double standards here I'm afraid. Ah well TIT, got to love it. Makes for good entertainment don't you think.

[realitymanagement]

Don't forget to ask for a receipt when you're fined.

[neverdie]

If you are worried about copping a 200B fine for crossing the road, take a tuk tuk or motorbike taxi to the other side for 20B!

Now that would be a DANGEROUS thing to do.....everybody knows how much the tuk tuk drivers look before diverging right or left, thats why so many of them end up on their sides. Som Nom Na

[webfact]

Don't forget to ask for a receipt when you're fined.

looking for more trouble... ?

[featography]

I think it is more dangerous in Thailand to use a crossing to cross the Road, the traffic does not stop unless you walk and keep going, so they literally have do break hard. I recently returned from a Trip to Singapore, the Crossroads crossings were excellent and everyone used them because they were very safe, a lot safer than Thailand's.

As for the Cigarette butts, where really are we supposed to put them? are we supposed to put them in our pocket until we see a bin or ash tray? I am scared of even putting one in the gutter now. I always give mine to my Thai partner as i doubt they are out to fine him.

Are Cigarette butts allowed to be thrown into the gutter? does anyone know?

One solution I invented, living here for 3 years now, is I flick the burning end, off of cigs. when done, step on it to put it out, and then put my cig.butts between the cig pack and the celophane the pack comes in. When I come to a trash can, I remove them and discard in can.

[TimeBandit2]

This could be trouble if they try it with foreigners, especially when it'll be obvious that everyone is jaywalking. It will look like corrupt bullying.

Mabye (as in fat chance) they will take down all those silly barricades so that people can actually use the crosswalks. An example of this is the crosswalk at the intersection in front of Siriraj Hospital, with barricades on both sides of it so that in order to use it you'd have to walk down the street anyway.

[neverdie]

This is a classic thread. You are taking me back to my street policing days. Everyones got something to say about how the Police, police.

Whenever someone gets caught breaking the law they say, "What about him, what about that, what about this, what about blah blah blah"

If you break the law and get caught, tuffin the fark up and COP IT SWEET. If you are being loaded up and didnt do anything wrong, proceed to thai visa and have a winge, fair enuf.

Some of you people have to realise that Police Orders mostly flow DOWNHILL, which means these poor simple baaastards in brown are actually been directed out into the street to terrorise people for this. If your feeling all so high and mightly, go and see the Police Commanders that made this decision and discuss it with them.....I'm sure they will listen to what you have to say.

Its simple, in the mean time, don't jwalk.

[pattaya_girl]

I think it is more dangerous in Thailand to use a crossing to cross the Road, the traffic does not stop unless you walk and keep going, so they literally have do break hard. I recently returned from a Trip to Singapore, the Crossroads crossings were excellent and everyone used them because they were very safe, a lot safer than Thailand's.

As for the Cigarette butts, where really are we supposed to put them? are we supposed to put them in our pocket until we see a bin or ash tray? I am scared of even putting one in the gutter now. I always give mine to my Thai partner as i doubt they are out to fine him.

Are Cigarette butts allowed to be thrown into the gutter? does anyone know?

One solution I invented, living here for 3 years now, is I flick the burning end, off of cigs. when done, step on it to put it out, and then put my cig.butts between the cig pack and the celophane the pack comes in. When I come to a trash can, I remove them and discard in can.

All well and good, but what if you don't flick the end off properly and the sun is so strong you cannot see - within minutes your trousers are alight.

[elibangkok]

Obviously at face value, enforcement of jaywalking laws is a good idea. I just seriously doubt it will actually happen in a way that will increase the safety of pedestrians.

Maybe soon there will be a helmet law for pedestrians, instead of motorcycles?

[neverdie]

I think it is more dangerous in Thailand to use a crossing to cross the Road, the traffic does not stop unless you walk and keep going, so they literally have do break hard. I recently returned from a Trip to Singapore, the Crossroads crossings were excellent and everyone used them because they were very safe, a lot safer than Thailand's.

As for the Cigarette butts, where really are we supposed to put them? are we supposed to put them in our pocket until we see a bin or ash tray? I am scared of even putting one in the gutter now. I always give mine to my Thai partner as i doubt they are out to fine him.

Are Cigarette butts allowed to be thrown into the gutter? does anyone know?

One solution I invented, living here for 3 years now, is I flick the burning end, off of cigs. when done, step on it to put it out, and then put my cig.butts between the cig pack and the celophane the pack comes in. When I come to a trash can, I remove them and discard in can.

VERY GOOD, A responsible smoker. Thankyou for using initiative. ....its not that hard, is it?

[pattaya_girl]

This is a classic thread. You are taking me back to my street policing days. Everyones got something to say about how the Police, police.

Whenever someone gets caught breaking the law they say, "What about him, what about that, what about this, what about blah blah blah"

If you break the law and get caught, tuffin the fark up and COP IT SWEET. If you are being loaded up and didnt do anything wrong, proceed to thai visa and have a winge, fair enuf.

Some of you people have to realise that Police Orders mostly flow DOWNHILL, which means these poor simple baaastards in brown are actually been directed out into the street to terrorise people for this. If your feeling all so high and mightly, go and see the Police Commanders that made this decision and discuss it with them.....I'm sure they will listen to what you have to say.

Its simple, in the mean time, don't jwalk.

Don't walk - Boogie

[charmonman]

More "income" is rolling in... and this "law" will be exploited merciless to the fullest extend

Foreigners are the main target... MHO

Maybe someone in the Government, that REALLY had a brain in his head should INVENT ROAD RULES FIRST for Thai Drivers,and educate them on WHAT a Pedestrian crossing is for and how MOST of the civilized world STOPS for Pedestrians , and not try to run them down, then get the DAMM MOTORCYCLES OFF THE FOOTPATHS, I think think the police could become millionaires if they did that.

Hear! Hear! Right on! I have seen so many pedestrians almost get killed at the corner of Sukhumvit and Soi 3 by drivers not yielding to pedestrians when there is actually a green signal for those pedestrians AND a crosswalk. There is a police box right there and the useless cops just look on in apathy.

A bit of driver education might be in order, as might be the ending of the practice of selling driver's licenses for 2500 baht and making people actually pass the goddam test!

This is NOT a whinge. I have seen people injured and killed on the streets of Bangkok by vehicles due to the lack of enforcement of any reasonable rules. Targetting pedestrians is ridiculous.

[Deez]

More "income" is rolling in... and this "law" will be exploited merciless to the fullest extend

Foreigners are the main target... MHO

Maybe someone in the Government, that REALLY had a brain in his head should INVENT ROAD RULES FIRST for Thai Drivers,and educate them on WHAT a Pedestrian crossing is for and how MOST of the civilized world STOPS for Pedestrians , and not try to run them down, then get the DAMM MOTORCYCLES OFF THE FOOTPATHS, I think think the police could become millionaires if they did that.

Absolutely right. Why use a crosswalk when most thais dont even know what its for.

[wattaman]

For the name of God, I'm only for one week in Bkk and already noticed this city doesn't have street lights and cross roads; also it doesn't have public trash cans and public toilets.

So how, for the sake of arguing, does this make sense?! Yes, I'd like to cross the street normally, like a correct citizen , but near Lumpini park, for example, is a street light that NEVER goes green; is always red. I bet there will be a bunch a cops from now on hunting tourist.

On the other hand, I see locals, sometimes, taking a shit or a pee in the water canals around the city. Is this OK? LOL

[dude007]

Can't catch the motorists ignoring cross walks so target to slow moving pedrestrian trying to cross the road the best and safest way he/she can. That's great logic and keeps the tea pot warm.

Edit: Have you ever NOT jaywalked in Bangkok? Probably only when using a bridge or sky train station.

That's exactly the point! This is again a typical example of Thai style thinking for keeping the teapot warm! Instead of cracking down on motorists who show no respect at all (in a way I have never ever seen anywhere else in the entire world) for pedestrians crossing the zebra-paths, no... they are too fast and cannot be catched, so better crack down on the pedestrians who do not take these zebra-paths (which are useless anyway) and fine them mercilessly!

Good prospect for the men in brown for the month of August... good strategy to reach the ultimate objective: "safe traffic".... mmmm

[neverdie]

This is NOT a whinge. I have seen people injured and killed on the streets of Bangkok by vehicles due to the lack of enforcement of any reasonable rules. Targetting pedestrians is ridiculous.

WRONG! This is a Whinge pratts, you need to start a NEW THREAD about motorcycles on footpaths (its already been done by the way). THIS THREAD IS ABOUT PEDESTRIANS!

Edited August 1, 2009 by neverdie

[Agincourt]

I make it a point of honour to jaywalk. In my own demented world, it's a political act.

[featography]

I think it is more dangerous in Thailand to use a crossing to cross the Road, the traffic does not stop unless you walk and keep going, so they literally have do break hard. I recently returned from a Trip to Singapore, the Crossroads crossings were excellent and everyone used them because they were very safe, a lot safer than Thailand's.

As for the Cigarette butts, where really are we supposed to put them? are we supposed to put them in our pocket until we see a bin or ash tray? I am scared of even putting one in the gutter now. I always give mine to my Thai partner as i doubt they are out to fine him.

Are Cigarette butts allowed to be thrown into the gutter? does anyone know?

One solution I invented, living here for 3 years now, is I flick the burning end, off of cigs. when done, step on it to put it out, and then put my cig.butts between the cig pack and the celophane the pack comes in. When I come to a trash can, I remove them and discard in can.

VERY GOOD, A responsible smoker. Thankyou for using initiative. ....its not that hard, is it?

No its really not that hard at all. Back home its called use common sense + consider the nonsmokers as I wish them to consider us smokers. Its also called problem solving. As far as j walking is concerned, walking to the closest crosswalk, or sky walk simply means a little more excercise. Too many of us farang, are getting on in years and/or are overweight and should welcome that.

[Agincourt]

And Pleeeeese do it in the Fast Lane