Was Nearly Killed At Zebra Crossing Today !

[Insight]

Back home, there's more fake friendliness on the road (there's so much friendly waving going on you'd think everyone knows everyone) and saving one's rude side for face to face encounters, while here there's more being fake face to face and your letting your 'evil' side loose on the roads. That said, there's plenty of folks of all nationalities who are pretty rude no matter what the environment.

Give me the fake stuff anyday! At least people survive

What I do is walk out and look in the direction of the oncoming traffic, right into the windscreen of the car coming at you. He/she will stop (then usually look the other way).

I have nothing good to say about the drivers here what-so-ever.

[h90]

What do you think why it is called zebra crossing?

Because it is place where zebras are allowed to cross the street.

Someone doesn't read the whole thread before throwing in his 2-cents.

my apologies you were the first one with the zebras.....

A terrible zebra joke copyright violation I hope you'll pardon me

[upinthesky]

Well, this is Thailand. Better not to rely too much on public infrastructure.

[IanForbes]

The zebras missed me, but I got whacked by an elephant. I hate it when they come into the bar I'm drinking at.

[Heng]

Back home, there's more fake friendliness on the road (there's so much friendly waving going on you'd think everyone knows everyone) and saving one's rude side for face to face encounters, while here there's more being fake face to face and your letting your 'evil' side loose on the roads. That said, there's plenty of folks of all nationalities who are pretty rude no matter what the environment.

Give me the fake stuff anyday! At least people survive

What I do is walk out and look in the direction of the oncoming traffic, right into the windscreen of the car coming at you. He/she will stop (then usually look the other way).

I have nothing good to say about the drivers here what-so-ever.

What I do is just make sure that I'm rarely ever have to cross the street. No motorcycles either.

Edited January 15, 2010 by Heng

[slapout]

Watch for a member of the local ambulance/meat wagon crew lounging around near the pedestrian crossing, they play the odds and make a fair amount for each scrape up their company gets (when they call it in/get there first). They have been rumored to work with scantily clad ladies as bait to lure those unsuspecting marks to cross suicide alley (my term). Seriously, the zebra crossing seem very similar to a shooting gallery, the little plastic ducks flowing along with no place to hide, comes to mind. Be careful out there.

[Meridian007]

Heng has it right, if you're in your car, there is no face-to-face interaction, therefore you can be yourself. In Thailand you are required to swallow so much emotion on a daily basis, that it will come out wherever it can. I refuse to buy a car while I live in Bangkok, and I refuse to drive my girlfriend's car. If we go upcountry I drive, but in Bangkok it's not worth the headache of driving like a maniac.

[bonobo]

A fellow professor at my university came out to Bangkok to teach some ten years ago or so.  During his third week here, he stepped out into a crossing and was killed.  He was also drunk at the time (early afternoon) and evidently looked the wrong way (as if he was still back in the US).

-------

Responding to some other posts, I am a fairly aggressive driver, especially at U-turns and in trying to find the ever-elusive quickest lane.  However, I do stop for pedestrians and to let other U-turners make their turn.  I have never had a problem with that, and if it came down to it, I would rather have someone plow into my rear end than hit an unprotected pedestrian.

[jayjayjayjay]

survival of the fittest (fastest runner)

[KASABIAN]

For all it's worth, the penalty for hitting a pedestrian in a Zebra Crossing is 500 baht.

Gives me a video game idea. Each pedestrian you knock over wearing a yellow coloured shirt, a very familiar voice from a man who now lives in Cambodia shouts.....Haa Raaw Baht!

[krading]

The zebras missed me, but I got whacked by an elephant. I hate it when they come into the bar I'm drinking at.

Was it a pink elephant?

[harleyclarkey]

Nice white/black foreigner on a zebra crossing in Thailand??? Now you see him....now you don't!

Mere target practise for nutter Thai "drivers"..... (I use the term driver loosely.)

[Tanaka]

Unfortunatly while driving in Thailand you have to drive as the Thais do. This includes blasting through Zebra crossings, otherwise the guy behind you will plough into your car or a taxi or bus will just drive on through regardless of how many children are trying to cross the road.

I stopped once and was abused for the next two kilometers. It's a joke, now I flash and carry on driving and hope nobody steps into the road.

It's the same as cars doing a U-turn! The outside lane is blockedso all cars on the inside use that as a way to overtake or undertake and get into the outside lane. There are no manners while driving here, just keep your foot down and stop for nobody, and strangely enough you will probably not have an accident. However, if you insist on Driving as you were taught then you most likely will suffer a crash.

TIT

drive safe, and look both ways when crossing a one way street

No, you don't have to drive like thais. But you do need to engage your brain and awareness much more vigorously. You are contradicting yourself. First you advise people to disconnect their brains and drive like thais and then you tell us to Drive safe!

[KwanDean]

They make about as much sense here as roundabouts do !!

[Patsycat]

In Switzerland I always wave and smile at the cars which stop. Trying to cross the road in Bangkok with a sprained ankle was almost my last moment, but i still smiled and waved at the nice person who stopped. And he waved back!!!

[Alwaysright]

Zebra crossings, aka farang targeting devices for Thai drivers, they work well.

It is a status thing,peds have no rights.

[thairat]

What do you think why it is called zebra crossing?

Because it is place where zebras are allowed to cross the street.

Someone doesn't read the whole thread before throwing in his 2-cents.

The way dealing with traffic and the way people drive is a microcosm of society as a whole.

[SeanMoran]

if you do stop the bloke behind you wont.

That's the problem for motorcyclists such as myself, same as red lights. I see them and first reaction is to stop, second thoughts are to check mirrors, because knowing my luck, I'd stop for a couple of old ladies crossing at the crosswalk, and get smacked by some fool in a Merc who doesn't stop for anything.

It's the unwritten lore of the road here. Little gives way to big. Motorbikes weave between pedestrians and pedestrians stay off the road in case there might be a car on the highway. (it's in the Lonely Planet guide so tourists have no excuses).

There are two crosswalks (faded white lines) just to the west of my hotel window, around 30 metres to out front of Tesco Lotus and another one 100 odd metres beyond, and this afternoon, outside the Tesco crossing, there was indeed a traffic warden calling on cars to stop so that pedestrians could cross, with a traffic cop watching the whole escapade.

As I approached, I saw a couple of young ladies heading across the crosswalk, and there was nothing in my mirrors so I slowed and offered a slowly sweeping hand gesture with an OK sign, to acknowledge that I was fully aware of the pedestrians at the crosswalk and was not about to run anyone over - the result being that they both took to flight and skipped across to the median strip.

Not even the pedestrians seem to understand what crosswalks are for if there's anything with wheels in the vicinity!

[paulh1978]

Last year if any one go through zebra crossing or smoke at the bus stop will get a 500 baht fine

welcome to Thailand

[Yimmy]

Let's be fair. If they stop at the zebra crossing, they might well miss the green traffic light ahead, then be stuck at the red light for 37 minutes.

[PeaceBlondie]

Chiang Mai has pedestrian crosswalks with red lights and plenty of signs. Still dangerous, but nothing like BKK.

[buffcoat]

I suggest a week in Paris on foot to get you into the right frame of mind for car dodging and then LOS won't be such a shock

[harleyclarkey]

Does memory serve me right?

During the Rugby World Cup an unfortunate guy from New Zealand walked out of the Irish Pub on Sukhumvit, onto the zebra crossing and got killed by a truck as he was half way across.

[onnut]

Unfortunatly while driving in Thailand you have to drive as the Thais do. This includes blasting through Zebra crossings, otherwise the guy behind you will plough into your car or a taxi or bus will just drive on through regardless of how many children are trying to cross the road.

I stopped once and was abused for the next two kilometers. It's a joke, now I flash and carry on driving and hope nobody steps into the road.

It's the same as cars doing a U-turn! The outside lane is blockedso all cars on the inside use that as a way to overtake or undertake and get into the outside lane. There are no manners while driving here, just keep your foot down and stop for nobody, and strangely enough you will probably not have an accident. However, if you insist on Driving as you were taught then you most likely will suffer a crash.

TIT

drive safe, and look both ways when crossing a one way street

No, you don't have to drive like thais. But you do need to engage your brain and awareness much more vigorously. You are contradicting yourself. First you advise people to disconnect their brains and drive like thais and then you tell us to Drive safe!

Driving like a Thai is driving safe over here! Not a contradiction at all. If you drive as you would at home you will have an accident because the rest of the road users will not expect you to stop for pedestrians and plough into your rear. When in Rome and all that is not just a saying.

So drive safe people!

[Neeranam]

I very rarely stop at such a crossing - it's very dangerous to do so. Often Thai drivers overtake on the inside.

It's the Thai way - accept it.

[JimShortz]

They should remove them all - Zebra crossings present a huge danger to unsuspecting tourists and are quite simply lethal.

I couldn't agree more - they NEED to go. I used to stop at them, but now no longer do because of the danger caused by tourists now thinking they can cross whereas in reality motorcycles and cars will continue screaming past me... TOURIST DEATH TRAPS

[Heng]

There should be more footbridge options for folks who have gene pool priority. The idiots will no doubt still keep crossing at ground level.

[metisdead]

There should be more footbridge options for folks who have gene pool priority. The idiots will no doubt still keep crossing at ground level.

I see it quite often on the highways, people dodging high speed traffic when there's a footbridge overhead. It just tuckers a person out to climb them stairs to get up on top of that there footbridge.

[elkangorito]

As I quickly learnt, look right then left, then right & left again before even thinking about crossing the road. The silly buggers come at you from all possible unknown directions.

[garyh]

The crossing will only work if you drop a 1000 baht note on each white line before you cross, this will stop the traffic for a few seconds.