Bkk Is A Bloody Nightmare To Drive Through

[dmax]

If the quality of the OP's navigation skill is the same as his spelling i am wondering how he found his way in eurpoe

..talking about the OP's spelling......where's eurpoe ?

LaoPo

I don't know the OP was traveling there a lot

whats your problem :jerk:

Edited October 17, 2010 by dmax

[harrry]

After 5 years driving here (not continuous, the traffic is not that bad ) I know my way round quite well, I also have gps in my car if I am a little unsure, the one problem with gps though, especially in Bangkok is that some roads suddenly become one way at different times of the day, your gps is telling you to turn left however that road is full off traffic coming the other direction.

Thats why i like GPS. When this happens you have a fallback. If you use paper maps you can never read them...the traffic will start to move when you open them...maybe that is the secret of how to get traffic moving in Bangkok

[PatLogan]

Worst traffic in the world... I hear Saigon is worse yet. I'll let you know if my opinion changes.

I'd say Jakarta is way worse. And I refused to even try to drive in Beijing. Bangkok is bad because of traffic jams, but I still reckon Thai drivers are better behaved than Chinese ones (or even Malaysians)

Go to Mumbai, and you will suddenly find driving in Bangkok is fairly easy.

Not been there for around 5 or 6 years, but you are right. As a matter of fact, after posting yesterday, I suddenly remembered my experiences there, feeling lucky to be alive when out of the taxi after trips around town or from Pune to Mumbai...

[PatLogan]

Isn't it fun trying to cross a street there as a pedestrian? I wait for an old lady and just shadow her...hoping the locals respect their elders!

Well at least they have overpasses on many streets. And people respect the traffic lights. Just try to be a pedestrian in Beijing. the only way to cross a street with toddlers is to carry them and run

[samran]

strangely, I find BKK quite easy to navigate. A map helps at times. Going to Hua Hin, should be a no brainer. Get on the tollway to Dao Khanong, cross the big bridge past the Kaskiron Bank building and keep going (turning left at the big singha sign about 100km out of BKK!)

[ericthai]

Worst traffic in the world... I hear Saigon is worse yet. I'll let you know if my opinion changes.

Bangkok is bad, however I did handle driving in BKK for 8 years before I bought a GPS, got lost allot but usually found something new when I did get lost. As for Saigon, it's nothing compared to Bangkok. Bangkok roughly 10 million people, the city is big, Saigon about 4 million people and the city is small, well organized. However crossing a street can be difficult, just start crossing and look straight ahead dont look at the motorbikes, they will go around you. Lived there for about 1 year, not allot to do there, it's good for a few days.

Edited October 17, 2010 by ericthai

[KTD]

Worst traffic in the world... I hear Saigon is worse yet. I'll let you know if my opinion changes.

I'd say Jakarta is way worse. And I refused to even try to drive in Beijing. Bangkok is bad because of traffic jams, but I still reckon Thai drivers are better behaved than Chinese ones (or even Malaysians)

Go to Mumbai, and you will suddenly find driving in Bangkok is fairly easy.

Not been there for around 5 or 6 years, but you are right. As a matter of fact, after posting yesterday, I suddenly remembered my experiences there, feeling lucky to be alive when out of the taxi after trips around town or from Pune to Mumbai...

Delhi is also fun, can make Bangkok driving look pretty casual.

[FritsSikkink]

LaoPo - Not only did you continue the 'off-topic' part of the thread but you failed to recognise that in your haste to shoot down FritsSikkink's criticism of the Op that you yourself got caught out....

FritsSikking was questioning the spelling abilities of the OP with his sentence:

"If the quality of the OP's navigation skill is the same as his spelling i am wondering how he found his way in eurpoe"

I pointed him to the forum Netiquette as he probably didn't know about it.

I certainly didn't shoot FS as you say.

Case closed.

LaoPo

Thanks for pointing me out about the Netiquette.

I thought in this case it wasn't a case of not knowing how to spell but just quick typing

[JohnnyFeelIt]

Unless you only drive between the hours of 2am to 5am owning a car in Bangers is has much use has a chocolate fireguard.The stress of it can only accumulate to an early death.

Beats sitting in a Cab with the driver coughing, sneezing and gobbing out of the door... Or risking life and limb and getting piss wet theu in the process on a moto taxi...

[spud1]

Unless you only drive between the hours of 2am to 5am owning a car in Bangers is has much use has a chocolate fireguard.The stress of it can only accumulate to an early death.

Beats sitting in a Cab with the driver coughing, sneezing and gobbing out of the door... Or risking life and limb and getting piss wet theu in the process on a moto taxi...

Are you one of them people who get scared when they leave there home and sleep in an oxygen tent.

Edited October 17, 2010 by spud1

[JohnnyFeelIt]

Unless you only drive between the hours of 2am to 5am owning a car in Bangers is has much use has a chocolate fireguard.The stress of it can only accumulate to an early death.

Beats sitting in a Cab with the driver coughing, sneezing and gobbing out of the door... Or risking life and limb and getting piss wet theu in the process on a moto taxi...

Are you one of them people who get scared when they leave there home and sleep in an oxygen tent.

I only sleep in the oxygen tent on weekends, but yeah I wear a gas mask every time I walk out of my front door.. Are you one of those people who keeps one little fingernail long to pick ya nose and butt hole?

[IanForbes]

:lol:

Great to hear I'm not alone in finding Bangkok confusing. That is why I stay in Chiang Mai. And, when I DO want to come south then I fly and then take a taxi. At least I get where I intend to go.

Manilla is no picnic either

Edited October 17, 2010 by IanForbes

[FritsSikkink]

If the quality of the OP's navigation skill is the same as his spelling i am wondering how he found his way in eurpoe

..talking about the OP's spelling......where's eurpoe ?

LaoPo

I don't know the OP was traveling there a lot

whats your problem :jerk:

hau hin

ive

eurpoe

whio

It is a lot more pleasant to read a post which has been checked by the OP

[Scott]

Enough with the grammar and spelling. It's off-topic and flaming.

I have been driving in Bangkok for a number of years and I can still get massively lost. Bangkok and much of Thailand are not designed for people who are touring; it's designed for people who know the road they are on.

I had family visiting and my Thai friend decided he would take them to Ratchaburi--nothing special, just a day out of Bangkok. He hadn't been there and every road we were supposed to get on had no sign until we right at the road, thus we went zooming by. There were signs to this or that place saying so many Km., but that was it--nothing further. It was nice for the family, but he about lost his mind. He is much more sympathetic when I get lost now.

I envy those people with a good sense of direction.

[Chunky1]

bkk is super easy to navigate the problem is that its poorly designed. you will really appreciate sukhumwit road and its side streets when you drive here. it doesn't take a 3km ride to u-turn.

[sabaijai]

strangely, I find BKK quite easy to navigate. A map helps at times. Going to Hua Hin, should be a no brainer. Get on the tollway to Dao Khanong, cross the big bridge past the Kaskiron Bank building and keep going (turning left at the big singha sign about 100km out of BKK!)

Same here. I live in Bangkok and own a car, drive to and from work daily, out of town on weekends, haven't got lost in the city yet. I have a good city atlas but no GPS.

You definitely need to choose your time of day carefully if if you're trying to keep to any kind of a time schedule.

[nocturn]

why is it that on the expressways no matter what route you are on or which direction you are travelling, all roads lead to rama 9? i once ended up half way to hua hin before i could u turn.

[samran]

why is it that on the expressways no matter what route you are on or which direction you are travelling, all roads lead to rama 9? i once ended up half way to hua hin before i could u turn.

because at the core of the system, there is effectively a big ole loop in the system, that surrounds essentially what is the downtown area.

A bit like the signs to the airport. No matter which way you are going, there sure is to be a sign to Swampy

[AleG]

Some months ago my GF and I decided to go to Safari World... it took us two days to get there.

No, really, we left on a Saturday morning and arrived on Sunday afternoon. Asked the GF (she's the driver), "You know the way?", "sure!". Five hours later going around in circles in some unknown areas of the city we decided to try to get back home, which took another 3 hours.

Undaunted we tried again the next morning, this time I had bought a couple maps of Bangkok, laid them down on the coffee table with Google Earth opened in the laptop to plan the route. So we had to go to Petchburi, turn left at Ekamai, go straight down Thanon Pradist and turn right... then we deploy the 101 Airborne Divition to secure the bridge at Ramintra and prepare a naval barrage to soften up the toll boots at... sorry, what with all the preparation we needed to do before getting on the car I got mixed up with other things...

So, the second time everything went well except the time my GF said in glee "oh look! a shortcut!" me -> "NO!!!, straight, go straight!" so of course she took the shortcut down a seemingly endless network of sois. 60 minutes later we emerged from the adventure about half a kilometer down the road we were in before taking the shortcut.

Which was a good thing because if in that instance I didn't throttle my GFs neck until she gave up the ghost then I foresee a long and peaceful life together.

So, once again on the good path, and after another minor navigation error (it's easy to confuse "keep going straight" with "turn left on the next soi" ) we got to Safari World after three hours or so, one hour before closing time. Yippie...

[PatLogan]

Some months ago my GF and I decided to go to Safari World... it took us two days to get there.

No, really, we left on a Saturday morning and arrived on Sunday afternoon. Asked the GF (she's the driver), "You know the way?", "sure!". Five hours later going around in circles in some unknown areas of the city we decided to try to get back home, which took another 3 hours.

Undaunted we tried again the next morning, this time I had bought a couple maps of Bangkok, laid them down on the coffee table with Google Earth opened in the laptop to plan the route. So we had to go to Petchburi, turn left at Ekamai, go straight down Thanon Pradist and turn right... then we deploy the 101 Airborne Divition to secure the bridge at Ramintra and prepare a naval barrage to soften up the toll boots at... sorry, what with all the preparation we needed to do before getting on the car I got mixed up with other things...

So, the second time everything went well except the time my GF said in glee "oh look! a shortcut!" me -> "NO!!!, straight, go straight!" so of course she took the shortcut down a seemingly endless network of sois. 60 minutes later we emerged from the adventure about half a kilometer down the road we were in before taking the shortcut.

Which was a good thing because if in that instance I didn't throttle my GFs neck until she gave up the ghost then I foresee a long and peaceful life together.

So, once again on the good path, and after another minor navigation error (it's easy to confuse "keep going straight" with "turn left on the next soi" ) we got to Safari World after three hours or so, one hour before closing time. Yippie...

Funny you'd mention that, since I went there last Saturday. We left at 10.30 from Phra Kanong, dropped my eldest daughter at Ramkhamhaeng 70+, change the Sat Nav destination to Safari world and arrived there at 11.30 . Oh and the Sat Nav was showing the Safari World tracks too

Edited October 18, 2010 by PatLogan

[SantiSuk]

Yes Bangkok is a nightmare until you have mastered the elevated highway system, including all the central entry and exit ramps. Then it's one of the easiest 10m population cities in the world to get around.

[MrJohnson]

Worst traffic in the world... I hear Saigon is worse yet. I'll let you know if my opinion changes.

try Jakarta - makes Bangkok look like Nakon Nowhere on a Sunday morning.

[DaengJonesie]

I remember returning from the UK into Suvarnbhumi Airport and deciding I would hire a car and drive down to Hua Hin. It was October 2007 and I feared it would be Christmas by the time I got out. No word of a lie it must have been 4 1/2 hours before I found the road out leading to Hwy 4! My worst driving experience ever and I did nigh on 8 years driving in London.