Phuket Tuk-Tuks Protest Patong One-Way

[webfact]

Phuket tuk-tuks protest Patong one-way

The sign says: "One-way system like this: A man’s thought?

Or a Buffalo’s?" [NB: To call a person a buffalo is an extreme insult in Thai.]

The tuk-tuk drivers called for change – soon.

PHUKET: -- More than 100 Phuket tuk-tuk drivers staged a protest at Kathu Police Station this afternoon, calling for changes to be made to the new one-way system in Patong.

To hear their grievances, Kathu Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Kittipong Klaikaew jammed 45 of them into a meeting room at the station.

Mardlee “Bang Lee” Sawangpon, 56, spoke on behalf of the drivers as “advising president” of an independent band of drivers who call themselves the Tuk Tuk Club. This group is not a part of the Patong Taxi Federation run by Preechavude “Prab” Keesin.

“I have been on the road for 23 years and I know a lot about traffic – and, for sure, the current system is making traffic jams worse,” Mr Mardlee said.

“I know the previous system was strange and it confused tourists. Even I nearly hit a BMW once, but this one is making traffic worse,” he added.

Kathu Traffic Police Chief Lt Col Jakkawat Boontawegunsawat explained to the drivers that, “the present system is in its ‘test phase’ for one month [starting January 15].

“After that we will have a public hearing to get feedback from all people who use the road before making any final changes to the road system.”

However, the drivers said they wanted confirmation that the current system will not remain until the test phase is over.

They even presented Lt Col Kittipong a draft plan of what they propose the system to be.

The plan showed the traffic flow almost exactly as it was years ago. In that configuration, the traffic headed south along the beach road and north along the parallel main artery Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road, with all streets in between the two being two-way, except for Prabaramee Road and Prachanukroh Road at the northern and southern ends of Patong's central traffic grid.

Lt Col Jakkawat said he would arrange for the drivers to join a meeting on Monday to be attended by officers from Patong Municipality and Kathu Police.

He also asked them to bring their draft plan and a letter formally requesting the changes to be made so they can be presented to Patong Mayor Pian Keesin or his representative at the meeting.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-01-29

[snamos]

dam_n where did i leave my grenade?

Edited January 29, 2011 by snamos

[bdenner]

Spot the low life 'Buffalo'!

[leander66]

I had a thought...What if we offer the Tuk Tuk drivers Bangkok style meter system at the same rates as bangkok or the one way system:) I wonder how many would be sitting in the meeting then..lol

[swifty5x5]

I have been on the road for 23 years and I know a lot about traffic - and still don't know sh_t about driving.

[aperturebkk]

the scum of thailand all in one room together - not one with an education of any sort ! non of them pay income tax - who do they think they are ? wake up thailand, time to introduce a new generation of younger taxi drivers in colorful hawaii style friendly shirts with a regulated meter system. land of smiles - not in patong

[KarenBravo]

The form of one-way system these drivers are asking for actually makes the most sense.

[Honolulu]

I had a thought...What if we offer the Tuk Tuk drivers Bangkok style meter system at the same rates as bangkok or the one way system:) I wonder how many would be sitting in the meeting then..lol

Meanwhile, Patong still "stinks" and the road conditions,(potholes) are a disgrace, and the traffic light still does not work! The traffic light has been installed for over a year now, and still does not work. Way to go Thailand! No wonder tourist numbers are down. It's not rocket science.

It takes a very smart person to design proper traffic flow. Last I looked, he wasn't a Tuk Tuk driver!

[khaowong1]

dam_n where did i leave my grenade?

You must have been sleeping, you had them all in one room too.

[KarenBravo]

Meanwhile, Patong still "stinks" and the road conditions,(potholes) are a disgrace, and the traffic light still does not work! The traffic light has been installed for over a year now, and still does not work. Way to go Thailand! No wonder tourist numbers are down. It's not rocket science.

Yes....of course! (slaps fore-head). Tourist numbers are down because of pot-holes and one non-functioning traffic light.

And there I was thinking it was the unfavourable exchange rate and the general down-turn in world economies that was responsible.

Thank you so much for enlightening those of us that don't work in the science of rocketry.

[ozymandious]

A big problem with going north on Rat yu tit will be the massive tail back that will occur at the stoplight T-junction

[blackthorn2005]

the scum of thailand all in one room together - not one with an education of any sort ! non of them pay income tax - who do they think they are ? wake up thailand, time to introduce a new generation of younger taxi drivers in colorful hawaii style friendly shirts with a regulated meter system. land of smiles - not in patong

While one of the Mayor's sons is running the majority of Patong tuk-tuks? I do not think so! LoS = Land of Scams

[blackthorn2005]

dam_n where did i leave my grenade?

Edited January 29, 2011 by blackthorn2005

[asiawatcher]

And of course the decisions to make all one way was BiB - and they have such a great rack record - look at the successes in Bangkok - 20 minutes at intersections of traffic lights controlled by idiots on cell phones with no idea of traffic management. Never ceases to amaze me... T I T But we love it anyway.

[blackthorn2005]

Spot the low life 'Buffalo'!

Clue; They are usually drunk, in little red vehicles, ripping tourists off, when they are not beating them up

[fishhooks]

Is this proposed to be a similar change, to changes being made in Pattaya whereby only one JetSki operator per day is going to be rostered to be able to rip-off tourists, so that the appropriate B.I.B. can be in attendance in one place at one time!

[BlueSmurf]

I never go there now.have been abouy 15 times.why because i have to use those f___ing tuk tuks.Plenty of other places to go.som nam na.

[brahmburgers]

the scum of thailand all in one room together - not one with an education of any sort !

Tread softly when you judge people by their education level.

I had a close friend in Nevada who had graduated top of his class at Harvard Law School. He was one of the loosest nuts I've known (and I've known quite a few). He had zero handle on his temper - getting angry about the slightest silly thing, and smoked pot like a chimney.

On the other hand, neither Bill Gates nor Steve jobs ever got a college degree.

If you ask me, education is more a hinderance than a help, in the big picture of things.

[LivinLOS]

The form of one-way system these drivers are asking for actually makes the most sense.

Agreed.. it may not be brought about by a good system of governance.. But it is the most logical and probably ideal system.

But is it only the cynic in me thats thinks that the timing of this, immediately after agreeing to a 200b price ceiling in Patong, to then instantly want the fastest / shortest / most direct route.. Seems more than co-incidental.

[toenail]

My heart has no pity or sorrow for Phuket's tuk tuk drivers. They are the worse of the worse in Thailand. -- screwing tourists off too much with their ridiculous prices ( an aircondition taxi in BKK is about half the cost) and worse, they are not happy people, but act like an angry dog when they don't get their way. Maybe 30 years ago, it was smiles - but greediness has taken over.

[SGD]

I don't see change when vested illegal interests are so well entrenched as there is no impetus.

Ask anyone what they remember about their trip to Phuket, whether they be tourists from overseas or simply from another part of Phuket and almost certainly the first things that come up are the high prices, poor value and thieving scum transport operators. Oh, then the violence.

[Just1Voice]

I'd rather see this story:

Tuk-Tuk Drivers Under Fire.

Today about 5,000 angry tourists and full time residents of Phuket (also sometimes alluded to at "fuc_ket") gathered at the Phuket Mayors house and demanded changes in the Tuk Tuk drivers and their bosses. "We're tired of the b.s., price gouging, bad attitudes and nasty dispositions of tuk-tuk drivers, and we've had enough!" one man stated.

The Mayor promised to form a committee to check into their grievances, but the angry residents and tourists said "<deleted> That! As of today we're going to be just like they are. We'll be rude, refuse to pay if they don't take us where we want to go, at a price we want to pay, and will start beating the hell out of any of them who give us any crap!"

The Mayor's son, who is rumored to be one of those in control of the tuk-tuk mafia, tried to speak up but was told by one angry resident, "Stuff it, Junior, or we'll tie your feet to a jet ski and haul you about 4 miles out and then cut you lose and see if you can swim back. And be happy to pay the jet ski mafia whatever they claim the fictional damage to their jet ski is. Either that, or we'll just shoot him as well."

Later in the day a number of road side stands were seen being set up to sell new "Tuk-Tuk Driver Clubs", which consisted of a 12-14" baseball bats with lead filling, while another was simply a 18" lead pipe painted in the color of your choice, with a rubber hand grip.

One of the vendors, Somchi Imallaboutmoney told our reporter, "Hey, I have a brother in law who drives a tuk-tuk, but he even tries to jack up the price on me, so if one of my new Driver's Clubs ends up scrambling his brains, so be it."

[atyclb]

the scum of thailand all in one room together - not one with an education of any sort !

Tread softly when you judge people by their education level.

I had a close friend in Nevada who had graduated top of his class at Harvard Law School. He was one of the loosest nuts I've known (and I've known quite a few). He had zero handle on his temper - getting angry about the slightest silly thing, and smoked pot like a chimney.

On the other hand, neither Bill Gates nor Steve jobs ever got a college degree.

If you ask me, education is more a hinderance than a help, in the big picture of things.

Absolutely there are many brilliant, creative, successful people that lack formal education, and there are many that have formal education or snippets of it.

Bill Gates was a student at harvard but left as he had stumbled upon an idea that led to microsoft, making him of the wealthiest people in the world, and philanthropist.

Jobs had also attended university and even after he unenrolled officially, continued to audit courses at university. ( wikipedia if u like)

Clearly Gates and Jobs are highly intelligent and creative individuals.

I dont think anyone believes 100% of all tuk tuk drivers are low lives, however enough are. Does education impact on why these people are the way they are??? Yes, and it does not mean formal academic education, but basic manners, politeness, courtesy that many many parents instill in their children.

Making the analogy of a ill mannered loose cannon harvard attorney and 2 hugely successful, very intelligent people Gates /Jobs because they never officially got a degree is "reaching" in a monumental way as well as if you'd included Richard Branson.

Lack of formal education is not necessarily correlated with underachievement. It is likely though, if you look at the university educated group stats, they are more successful on the whole. Having a degree does not guaranty you are smart but politically it does help in finding better paying employment and people that studied what they enjoy will make better/ happier professionals.

My analogy would be "low life tuk tuk driver" and "lovely, personable, hard working, polite lady that makes som dom for me several times a week at a nearby street kiosk. The lady is from Issan and has virtually no formal education, but her little restaurant does well, better after she evicted her alcoholic husband that used to waste profit on booze.Perhaps her husband is now a phuket tuk tuk driver?

Edited January 29, 2011 by atyclb

[fstailslide]

The form of one-way system these drivers are asking for actually makes the most sense.

Agreed.. it may not be brought about by a good system of governance.. But it is the most logical and probably ideal system.

But is it only the cynic in me thats thinks that the timing of this, immediately after agreeing to a 200b price ceiling in Patong, to then instantly want the fastest / shortest / most direct route.. Seems more than co-incidental.

Perhaps you all should do a little background research before you start slamming what's going on down here. How many of you actually live in Patong? I'm not defending the drivers, but this new system the city has implemented is horrible. I've noticed that traffic is ridiculous at all times of the day now because of making the streets one way, and it's not because of booming tourist numbers. I want a short route to where I'm going as well...don't we all? While I don't agree with the 200 baht minimum charge (which is negotiable if you don't start complaining about it right away) for a tuk tuk, how many of you know how much more expensive Patong is compared to Pattaya/Bangkok/Chiang Mai/etc? Rent is more for bars, rooms, shops, and houses. Food is more expensive. Gas is more expensive, If you don't like tuk tuks, then take a motorbike taxi for 40 baht.

[woodyleonhard]

The form of one-way system these drivers are asking for actually makes the most sense.

Agreed.. it may not be brought about by a good system of governance.. But it is the most logical and probably ideal system.

I drive the Patong roads every day, and I think you're right. I'd have to see it in action for a couple of weeks to be sure. (Actually, somebody could probably put together a good simulation of the traffic and answer many of the questions, but I don't think anyone's studied traffic patterns in Patong well enough to get a good sim going.)

The big problem, as noted, is the likely queue on Rat-U-Thit at the intersection of Rat-U-Thit and Prabaramee. Rat-U-Thit isn't wide enough.

[Huey]

Phuket Tuk tuk drivers are the scum of the earth they should have replaced them with buses and metered taxis along time ago. Every time the govt wants to do something for the good of the people that doesn't put money in a tuk tuk drivers pocket they gotta bitch and do stupid crap like this.

[mickyboy]

the scum of thailand all in one room together - not one with an education of any sort ! non of them pay income tax - who do they think they are ? wake up thailand, time to introduce a new generation of younger taxi drivers in colorful hawaii style friendly shirts with a regulated meter system. land of smiles - not in patong

i agree tottally patong what a dump and the taxi drivers and some others so agresive and nasty why its so popular there yes bangla road the beach not that nice really compared to white sands koh chag if your a drunk and want sex yes great enjoy but for me it stinks

[moskito]

dam_n where did i leave my grenade?

my first thought u cant hit anything wrong.

Anyway, TukTuk Mafiosi have more power as the police and the other authorities in Phuket and they will get what they want like always. If not they just blocking streets like always. :jap:

[moskito]

Phuket stinks and has much to many cars on the roads. Specially in High season from December to March there are traffic jams everywhere and you know why?

Because the government is scared of the Tuk Tuk Mafia and will not introduce a public transport system on the island.

If there is a public transport system many problems are solved, but tourists doesnt like tuktuks and pay 500 Baht for 500meters, so they rent Motobikes, many of them rent cars

now because they made accidents with motobikes before. Proper Public transport will solve that but not in a corrupt government like we have in LoScams

I come to Phuket since 25 years and it is just a sh1thole nowadays....and a serious part of that you can blame to the TukTuk drivers. News of using ironbars to hit customers or

knifes to stab them made it around the world.

[amja]

HAHAHAAAAAA! one of the best comment I´ve seen!

I have been on the road for 23 years and I know a lot about traffic - and still don't know sh_t about driving.