Rubber Barriers Saving Lives In Phuket

[webfact]

Rubber barriers saving lives in Phuket

The ‘go-kart track’ style dividers have reduced fatalities to zero.

PHUKET: -- Old car tyres being used to create median strips along Chao Fa West Road in Chalong have reduced fatal accidents by almost 100 per cent, say Phuket police.

The rubber barriers comprise tyres stacked three high, tied together and painted red and white.

"We have installed these stacks on the median of dangerous sections of road," explained Chalong Police Station Superintendent Col Krittapad Dej-intorrasorn, who formerly went by the name of Wichit Intorrasorn.

"The tyres work very well at night. They help reflect light and encourage drivers to slow down," he added.

The rubber barriers have been set up at traffic accident "black spots", such as the entrance to Soi Koktanode on Chao Fa West Road and the first curve heading up Kata Hill from Chalong to Kata.

Some locations will be upgraded to have permanent median strips installed, such as from Baan Chalong School to Chaitaram Temple (Wat Chalong).

Col Krittapad said the number of reported accidents and the number of fatalities at all sites where the rubber tyres have been set up had fallen since the medians were installed.

"The number of road accident deaths has fallen by almost 100 per cent compared with the same period last year," said Col Krittapad.

Last year, four people died in accidents at the black spots in July alone. There were no traffic-accident deaths at any of the locations in July this year, he said.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?id=11071

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-09-28

[ScubaBuddha]

They should do it the entire stretch of Chaoh Fa. Yesterday I saw a minibus overtake at high speed at a section of Chao Fa with no tires despite a young woman, clearly visible to the minibus driver, waiting patiently on the center median to turn across oncoming traffic. Luckily the girl on the motorbike spotted the homicidal driver and moved all the way over into the second lane to narrowly avoid being turned into a red mist. Back home the driver could serve jail time for stunt like that. Wish they would here too.

[Phuket Stan]

They should do it the entire stretch of Chaoh Fa. Yesterday I saw a minibus overtake at high speed at a section of Chao Fa with no tires despite a young woman, clearly visible to the minibus driver, waiting patiently on the center median to turn across oncoming traffic. Luckily the girl on the motorbike spotted the homicidal driver and moved all the way over into the second lane to narrowly avoid being turned into a red mist. Back home the driver could serve jail time for stunt like that. Wish they would here too.

Minibus Drivers !!!....the scourge of the roads in Phuket and elsewhere.....going to the airport some days is a real flirt with death with some of these clowns posing as drivers....I can never work it out how the owners of these vans never twig that a vehicle carefully driven will cut maintenance bill by 50-70% never mind what they would save in fuel costs....ah well

[LivinginKata]

Must admit when those tyre stacks appeared I thought that was a great idea to prevent drivers overtaking over the median line. Enough to make drivers avoid, but pliable enough if someone hits then, sure it will cause a lot of damage to a vehicle not as bad as a concrete barrier would. I see they started bolting plastic posts on Patak road on the up slope corner from Chalong. expected to see more on the down slope bad bends just at Kata School, but so far no posts there.

[KarenBravo]

Noticed on Patong hill coming from Kathu that it is now two lanes up the hill and one lane down.

It has really improved the traffic.

Now..........if they could just get around to doing it on the other side, too .........

[Phuket Stan]

Noticed on Patong hill coming from Kathu that it is now two lanes up the hill and one lane down.

It has really improved the traffic.

Now..........if they could just get around to doing it on the other side, too .........

Road Paint is a premium product in Phuket....

[thaiIand]

everytime i drive by the tires are scatared all around from being hit, they need hard concrete like on that dangerous turn just before the wat chalong. So great to be able to keep in my lane without having cars from the other side jump on me. Plastic doesnt work, next to central they're all broken down from people being unable to turn their wheel for uturning and next to laemph in seafood/supercheap the plastic poles are half removed after being hit too much