Anyone Notice The Stop Lights They Are Putting Down Beach Road?

[tropo]

do you mean grisly or have we got grizzly bears here now as well

Hey, here's a good idea - you could be my personal spell checker as I don't use one when I post so I'm sure you'll find plenty of errors.

(in the meanwhile, you could learn how to correctly add a reply. Clue: Don't add your reply inside my quote)

[theoldgit]

What people don't seem to understand is that these lights will be controlled by pedestrians. The lights will remain green until a pedestrian pushes a button, the pedestrian walks when he/she gets the signal to cross, then the traffic lights turn green again. The system seems to work quite well in London, New York and other large cities.

Doesn't work very well in Bangkok, only yesterday I nearly got wiped out by a woman who ran the red light on the pedestrian crossing whilst I was crossing on the green signal, and the look she gave me!!!

To be fair on her though she couldn't really be expected to notice the red light when she was engrossed in her mobile phone conversation.

[PattayaParent]

^but remember it's only dangerous driving if she's actually hit you, otherwise it doesn't count.

[theoldgit]

^^^^

Good point, bit like the bus drivers then.

[PattayaParent]

And if she had of hit you the report in the Pattaya Mail would have read 'some old git carelessly crossing the road at a pedestrian corssing knocks Thai lady off her motocy' and you'd have had to pay for the bike repair and a new mobile 'phone!

[halljimbo]

Given that these light posts retail around a million baht each incl controls I suspect it is some government worthy just lining his pocket with a percentage of what is spent putting these totally useless ornaments up all around Pattaya.

[tropo]

^but remember it's only dangerous driving if she's actually hit you, otherwise it doesn't count.

A miss is as good as a mile. You keep harping on about near misses yet you fail to provide evidence that pedestians are being "mowed down" as you put it. "Near misses" cannot be quantified and if they don't convert into actual hits they're meaningless. What you call a "near miss" is a wide margin of safety for another person. It's totally subjective.

[theoldgit]

^but remember it's only dangerous driving if she's actually hit you, otherwise it doesn't count.

A miss is as good as a mile. You keep harping on about near misses yet you fail to provide evidence that pedestians are being "mowed down" as you put it. "Near misses" cannot be quantified and if they don't convert into actual hits they're meaningless. What you call a "near miss" is a wide margin of safety for another person. It's totally subjective.

Good point, next time a dozy woman drives her 4x4 through a red light at a controlled pedestrian crossing she doesn't see because she is so engrossed in her mobile telephone conversation I will not jump out of the way and chance being mown down, for statistical purposes of course.

[basjke]

If the city would sell all their unused traffic lights,they would have a budget to repair all the potholes in the roads.

[tropo]

We're talking about pedestrians crossing Beach Road where there are currently no red lights. People running red lights is a different issue, but let me help you out. Don't expect full compliance at red lights so that next time you cross you'll be more alert and could have avoided your "near miss".

[powderpuff]

Unfortunately Thailand is a country where cars have the right of way.

They honk their horns & you are expected to get out of the way.

Assume nothing. Oldgit you were lucky to escape unhurt.

[Utterlyuseful]

well there was the poor old fellow who was mowed down last week on second road albeit.......

almost anyone who has stayed in thailand for a few weeks will have seen/witnessed/read about a huge number of gory accidents with bodies strewn about compared to their own countries....

^but remember it's only dangerous driving if she's actually hit you, otherwise it doesn't count.

A miss is as good as a mile. You keep harping on about near misses yet you fail to provide evidence that pedestians are being "mowed down" as you put it. "Near misses" cannot be quantified and if they don't convert into actual hits they're meaningless. What you call a "near miss" is a wide margin of safety for another person. It's totally subjective.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Utterlyuseful

[tropo]

well there was the poor old fellow who was mowed down last week on second road albeit.......

Yeah, there was this poor old fellow who was mowed down last week. You can't protect people from themselves can you? If people are too old to cross roads then they shouldn't be left out on their own. On 2nd Road (and Beach Road) you only have to look one way.

[Utterlyuseful]

oooh that's very Darwinian dog eat dog thinking.......most reasonable places do try and protect those who cannot help themselves. However 2 errors in your post.....1. this poor old guy WAS being escorted by a person across the street. 2. Never cross any Thai road by looking one way. That is downright dangerous. I saw a guy on a motorbike flattened on second road because he only looked one way as you say. The bike that nailed him was travelling the wrong way and had 3 teenagers on board.......

You better get back to the drawing board to come up with some new theories

well there was the poor old fellow who was mowed down last week on second road albeit.......

Yeah, there was this poor old fellow who was mowed down last week. You can't protect people from themselves can you? If people are too old to cross roads then they shouldn't be left out on their own. On 2nd Road (and Beach Road) you only have to look one way.

[PattayaParent]

^but remember it's only dangerous driving if she's actually hit you, otherwise it doesn't count.

A miss is as good as a mile. You keep harping on about near misses yet you fail to provide evidence that pedestians are being "mowed down" as you put it. "Near misses" cannot be quantified and if they don't convert into actual hits they're meaningless. What you call a "near miss" is a wide margin of safety for another person. It's totally subjective.

You obviously don't work in an occupation that values safety education or human life.

[jaywalker]

"In safety terms, a near miss is just as dangerous as a hit."

I near miss is actually a near hit. A hit is a near miss.....according to to the late George Carlin & I have to agree it makes more sense to me.

[tropo]

^but remember it's only dangerous driving if she's actually hit you, otherwise it doesn't count.

A miss is as good as a mile. You keep harping on about near misses yet you fail to provide evidence that pedestians are being "mowed down" as you put it. "Near misses" cannot be quantified and if they don't convert into actual hits they're meaningless. What you call a "near miss" is a wide margin of safety for another person. It's totally subjective.

You obviously don't work in an occupation that values safety education or human life.

I value safey, education and human life.

I'm still waiting for you to qualify what a "near miss" is and explain how they can be used to assess road safety. My wife considers a car that is 100 meters away too near to cross a road. I'm happy with a one second clearance. Many of the Thai riders/drivers would be happy with a fraction of a second. It's individual and subjective. Most people are only a fraction of a second (or a few meters) away from death anytime they drive/ride anywhere.

[tropo]

You better get back to the drawing board to come up with some new theories

I don't need a theory. Please show me the evidence of pedestrians being "mowed down" on Beach Road. That is the topic on hand and the reason why I'm arguing here.

One old guy being hit by a motorcycle because he was being escorted (as you say) by some inept helper does not indicate that pedestrians are being "mowed down".

"Mowed down" would indicate dozens of people being flattened per day/week. If that was happening I'd agree that it is very dangerous. Right now it's just an inconvenience for impatient tourists who cannot wait until there is a break in the traffic to cross.

[contemplating]

Yes, I agree, Something should be done to get these impatient farangs and their inept helpers off the streets. Motor bikes need more room to race on the streets. Just keep the pedestrians off the street and we wont have any getting hit, except of course, if they happen to be on the side walk and a motor bike hits them. But if we keep all these impatient and inept people off the sidewalks also, then the streets will be safe!!

[tropo]

Yes, I agree, Something should be done to get these impatient farangs and their inept helpers off the streets. Motor bikes need more room to race on the streets. Just keep the pedestrians off the street and we wont have any getting hit, except of course, if they happen to be on the side walk and a motor bike hits them. But if we keep all these impatient and inept people off the sidewalks also, then the streets will be safe!!

You are responsible for your own health on Thailand streets and the sooner you learn that the better. Generally speaking, if you walk out infront of a motor vehicle you'll come off second best.

[britmaveric]

^crossing street in thailand is like playing frogger.

[PattayaParent]

^but remember it's only dangerous driving if she's actually hit you, otherwise it doesn't count.

A miss is as good as a mile. You keep harping on about near misses yet you fail to provide evidence that pedestians are being "mowed down" as you put it. "Near misses" cannot be quantified and if they don't convert into actual hits they're meaningless. What you call a "near miss" is a wide margin of safety for another person. It's totally subjective.

You obviously don't work in an occupation that values safety education or human life.

I value safey, education and human life.

I'm still waiting for you to qualify what a "near miss" is and explain how they can be used to assess road safety. My wife considers a car that is 100 meters away too near to cross a road. I'm happy with a one second clearance. Many of the Thai riders/drivers would be happy with a fraction of a second. It's individual and subjective. Most people are only a fraction of a second (or a few meters) away from death anytime they drive/ride anywhere.

It seems from your arguments that you really don't want to konw and don't care anyway.

If you think crossing the raod here is safe then there is something wrong with you, not the other posters on here.

Edited September 29, 2010 by PattayaParent

[tropo]

It seems from your arguments that you really don't want to konw and don't care anyway.

If you think crossing the raod here is safe then there is something wrong with you, not the other posters on here.

I think there is something wrong with you as you are very slow to pick up. I'm debating your obviously flawed "mowed down" theory. In other works I'm disagreeing that crossing Beach Road is as dangerous as you say it is. Perhaps you need a helper to hold your hand across the road.

[Rimmer]

I think they could use pedestrian lights on Pattaya Klang at the crossing outside foodland to Wattana one day someone will be killed there.

[PattayaParent]

I think they could use pedestrian lights on Pattaya Klang at the crossing outside foodland to Wattana one day someone will be killed there.

Not according to Tropo they won't.

[tropo]

I think they could use pedestrian lights on Pattaya Klang at the crossing outside foodland to Wattana one day someone will be killed there.

Not according to Tropo they won't.

Tropo didn't discuss the need for pedestrian lights anywhere. He refuted your claim that pedestrians are being "mowed down".

...however, now that we're on that subject, stop lights on Beach Road will definitely make it easier for the likes of PattayaParent to cross as it will cause long breaks in the traffic flow that will enable him to cross IF he has the patience to wait for the breaks.

[PattayaParent]

^I think you belong in the "arguing for the sake of arguing' thread http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/401072-arguing-for-the-sake-of-arguing/

[tropo]

^I think you belong in the "arguing for the sake of arguing' thread http://www.thaivisa....ake-of-arguing/

Talk about pot, kettle, black. You're doing a lot of arguing yourself, but instead of sticking to the material you get personal about what I may do for a living, that I have no respect for human life or that there is something wrong with me because I don't go along with your ideas. You bait, then complain when I reply.

Back to topic:

I understand your fears very well because my wife has the same problem crossing roads.

She has a phobia for crossing roads due to a childhood near fatal accident. She would agree with you that Beach Road is extremely difficult and dangerous to cross. I have to help her across busy streets and she even has trouble crossing relatively quiet ones. If I left it up to my wife to design a pedestrian safe Beach Road, she'd have stop lights positioned every 50 meters along it's entire length because a "near miss" for her is a car 50 meters away.

Edited September 29, 2010 by tropo

[RabC]

^crossing street in thailand is like playing frogger.

Best answer so far :jap:

[LennyW]

When you come off Pattaya Klang and go left along Beach Road, there are TWO sets of crossings painted on the road within 10 (ten) metres of each other!!, are they expecting a rush of pedestrians in this area or what?