Swedish Expat Dies On Notorious Phuket Coastal Road

[webfact]

Swedish expat dies on notorious Phuket coastal road

The road from Patong to Karon has been the scene of many motorbike crashes

over the years. There has been no public transport between the towns since 1994.

Photo; Gazette file

PHUKET: -- A Swedish expat who ran a Phuket guesthouse died on Saturday in a motorbike accident on a notoriously dangerous stretch of coastal road in Karon.

Patong Police received a report at 10:20am that a “tourist” crashed his motorcycle and died on Wiset Road, which runs between Patong and Karon.

Peter Nyman, 48, died when he overshot a curve on his motorcycle in heavy rain and struck an power pole, said Chalong Police Duty Officer Nittikorn Rawang.

The crash was a result of the bad weather conditions and the slippery road surface, Capt Nittikorn added.

Karon Beach Rescue Unit, the first responders at the scene, transported Mr Nyman’s body to Patong Hospital for examination.

“Peter Nyman had lived in Phuket for almost a year. He lived with his Swedish girlfriend and they ran a guesthouse together in Karon,” a consular official at the Swedish Embassy told the Phuket Gazette.

Mr Nyman’s ex-wife and three children in Sweden have been notified and were “in shock when they found out about him,” the official said.

“They might come to Phuket to pay their respects to Mr Nyman,” he added.

The accident happened on a dark section of Wiset Road, near Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort.

The dangers posed by potholes and uneven surfaces are compounded by scores of fast-moving tuk-tuks and other passenger transport vehicles that shuttle tourists between the popular tourist beaches of Patong and Karon.

Since 1994 the Phuket Land Transport Office has been trying to get a bus or songthaew operator to provide public transport for the route, but none dare since the last person to try it was dragged from his vehicle and beaten unconscious by tuk-tuk drivers.

A recent meeting of Phuket’s top transport officials openly admitted the problem persists today.

Because of the high rates charged by the tuk-tuks, many tourists opt to make the trip by motorcycle, with many tragic results.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2011/article11176.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-10-11

[stevenl]

RIP.

While I appreciate the effort to create public transport between the beaches, linking Peter's death to the tuktuk problem is a bit over the top IMO.

[Ricci]

RIP

My condolences to the family and friends

But ... dark section ... pot holes ... slippery ... bad weather conditions ... road known as a dangerous one ...

perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided ...

[bdenner]

But at least the weaknesses in the system get another airing!

RIP.

[animatic]

Since 1994 the Phuket Land Transport Office has been trying to get a bus or songthaew operator to provide public transport for the route, but none dare since the last person to try it was dragged from his vehicle and beaten unconscious by tuk-tuk drivers.

Having driven this road many times,

I think the above rings true they need songthaew badly.

And the reasons why are the usual greed by tuk tuk drivers. why let someone give a 50-100 baht ride, when they can stiff the tourist and charge 800 baht. Someone REALLY needs to give the tuk tuk drivers leaders a serious world class beating... They need to get it through their greedy little heads that there IS a bigger dog than them out there, and it WILL bite.

RIP Mr Nyman.

Edited October 11, 2011 by animatic

[LivinginKata]

I drive this road at least once each day. Used to drive a small bike but these last few years bought a car due to the danger of bike driving.

No idea what taxis have got to do with this topic as locals don't usually use taxis,

My respects to the dead man and his family.

[carvets]

I have also riden that road many times and there are a couple of uneven repatched areas around there . But i always ride to the conditions and if its raining i slow waaay down . Actually if i can i find somewhere to stop till its over. Speed motorbikes and the wet are a bad combo. Sad to hear this news.

[robanywhere]

I drive this road at least once each day. Used to drive a small bike but these last few years bought a car due to the danger of bike driving.

No idea what taxis have got to do with this topic as locals don't usually use taxis,

My respects to the dead man and his family.

actually, the locals do use the songtaew taxis... especially the service workers at the beach resorts/restaurants/etc. they are the main riders in the songtaews that run between the beaches and phuket town... now whether they would use songtaews between the beach towns is another question.

for the past five years, i myself use a car (or rarely motocy) to get between bangtao-patong-kata-rawai just because of the tuk-tuk mafia.

if songtaews were available (or even meter tuk-tuks) like in every other thai province, i would prefer to take them...

my condolences to Mr. Nyman's family.

[alstaxi]

The crash was a result of the bad weather conditions and the slippery road surface, Capt Nittikorn added.

Not driving according to the road conditions, bad weather never caused an accident.

RIP.

[thaiIand]

Sad.

Nice picture though. Prime example of why this road is dangerous.. a pickup traveling over the yellow line.

[grumpyoldman]

Sad.

Nice picture though. Prime example of why this road is dangerous.. a pickup traveling over the yellow line.

The pickup is over the yellow line because if you look closely there is a big old crack in the pavement.

There are cracks like this all over this road, due to scheit paving, they are constantly developing.

RIP Peter, your name is very familiar to me.

[renaissanc]

Phuket needs a good bus service, but the tuk tuk mafia won't allow it as they would have to lower their extortionate rates. Nobody dares to take them on.

It needs an outgoing governor who plans to emigrate very soon after starting the bus service, and an armed guard on each bus to protect the driver from the tuk tuk mafia. Then it will work.

[Sharp]

Come on Officals get a baht bus shorted

[WarpSpeed]

I drive this road at least once each day. Used to drive a small bike but these last few years bought a car due to the danger of bike driving.

No idea what taxis have got to do with this topic as locals don't usually use taxis,

My respects to the dead man and his family.

I have no idea either, the man misjudged the road conditions and while it's tragic it's not a political tie into the lack of public transportation or the lack of taxi's. It's an unfortunate accident could have happened any time and any where if the same rider didn't ride with due care and with in his abilities on any road anywhere..

Crap! Everything's some sort of political statement reminds me entirely too much of that sort of thing back home with the media, sometimes things just happen and it's not SOMEONE or SOMETHING else's fault..

[WarpSpeed]

I have also riden that road many times and there are a couple of uneven repatched areas around there . But i always ride to the conditions and if its raining i slow waaay down . Actually if i can i find somewhere to stop till its over. Speed motorbikes and the wet are a bad combo. Sad to hear this news.

Bingo!!! He wasn't a tourist he was a resident and should have known better. RIP but it's nothing more then that..

[madmitch]

I believe there are many inaccuracies in the Gazette's story. I spoke to Peter's partner yesterday just before she was going to visit the scene of the accident with the police but have not spoken since. If what I was told yesterday is correct I will ask the Gazette to change their story.I can't say any more at this stage.

[outofoz]

Like many a visitor to Phuket i have ridden that stretch of road, in the rain, and could see how an accident can easily happen along that stretch. Condolences to his loved ones

[madmitch]

I can confirm that Peter was killed on Patak Road, close to Baan Karon, just a few hundred metres from his guesthouse, at about 3am on Saturday morning. There was no other vehicle involved.

I don't know where the Gazette's story has come from. Maybe there was another accident and they have names mixed up. I have suggested to them to check their facts.

[thaiIand]

dont cracks come from 50 ton trucks?

[katabeachbum]

dont cracks come from 50 ton trucks?

its rather steep, so 15-20 tons struggle to go this road, at snailpace

as for the PG article, why focus on public transportation for an expat hotel owner riding his bike? he wouldnt go by bus anyway

PG, "Notorios Phuket roads", I have to laugh. Adjust speed according to ability and road conditions, and you are safe. I ride these roads several times a week, and find its condition very good. and drunk after midnight, I pay 400 baht for a tuk tuk

RIP Swede :jap:

[Old Croc]

If there was a normal, reasonably priced, regular bus service between these two towns many residents might prefer to use them rather than a bike on a wet day.

Edited October 11, 2011 by Old Croc

[Soupdragon]

Sad.

Nice picture though. Prime example of why this road is dangerous.. a pickup traveling over the yellow line.

The pickup is over the yellow line because if you look closely there is a big old crack in the pavement.

There are cracks like this all over this road, due to scheit paving, they are constantly developing.

RIP Peter, your name is very familiar to me.

Could it be that the pickup is overtaking the photographers vehicle ???????

Edited October 16, 2011 by Soupdragon

[Semper]

Sad.

Nice picture though. Prime example of why this road is dangerous.. a pickup traveling over the yellow line.

Probably to avoid the photographer.