Phuket 'Death Bend' Gets 'Band Aid' Safety, For Now

[webfact]

Phuket 'death bend' gets 'band aid' safety, for now

Phuket Gazette

Signs warning Phuket motorists of the impending curve have been erected up a kilometer before the bend.

PHUKET: -- The Phuket Highways Office has closed one southbound lane at the Kor En ‘death bend’ as a temporary measure to stop more accidents at the notorious black spot in Thalang.

Also installed as temporary measures are signs warning motorists to slow down and small concrete blocks separating the vehicles exiting Baan Kor En from the traffic speeding past heading toward Phuket Town.

The move follows the tragic accident on November 20 that killed four-year-old boy Anupong Sae-Yu and his aunt Malai Kaewkluan.

The accident prompted local villagers to take to the road in mass protest, forcing the closure of the two southbound lanes.

The mob refused to budge, demanding government action to make the road safer. Only after Phuket Vice Governor Somkiat Sangkaosuttirak and Phuket MP Raywat Areerob had arrived and heard the villagers’ grievances in person, did the villagers disperse, at about 7:45pm.

By 4am the next day the warning signs and concrete blocks were in place, ahead of an emergency meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall last Monday, where a battery of Phuket officials pondered other steps that could be taken to reduce the number of accidents at the site.

The meeting was one of the conditions agreed to the night before by Vice Governor Somkiet.

At the meeting, V/Gov Somkiet pointed out that the lay of the land and the road itself were inherently dangerous.

“It’s an engineering mistake on the road due to the geographical condition,” he said.

Pramote Pirat, Deputy Director of the Phuket Highways Office, said his office will install “S curve road ahead” warning signs in the hope of inspiring motorists to slow down.

“For the long term, we would like to see a road checkpoint set up just before the curve to slow drivers down. We also plan to install flexible plastic traffic poles in between the two lanes to make sure motorists must drive slowly through the curve. However, we should consult the local villagers about this,” said Mr Pramote.

“We have been trying to expand the outbound lanes, so we can reduce the sharpness of the curve overall. Ideally, we would like the road to be straight.

“But the problem is that the expropriation of the land beside the road has been in process for at least three to four years. As a result, we have not been able to continue with that part of the road improvement project,” he said.

Thalang District Chief Nuenart Supattaraprateep said the corner had claimed many lives over the years. “Accidents occur at this site frequently. This morning, before this meeting, there was another car accident,” he said at the meeting.

Narong Singkara, Council Vice Chairman of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), said car accidents have been occurring at Baan Kor En curve since he was young.

“It’s very worrying because this spot is where students wait for buses. I think we need to fix the problem very soon,” said Mr Narong.

Additional reporting by Anchisa Buajoom.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2011/article11537.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-11-28

[funcat]

"...The mob refused to budge, demanding government action to make the road safer."--that's the first time for me ...let's see what will change ...

[schlog]

“It’s an engineering mistake on the road due to the geographical condition,” he said.

.............. never had problems driving through this curve...

What about educate this villagers, not to drive crazy like mongers around at this spot. Many times this Kor En Villagers jumping around like headless chicken.

[Thaddeus]

“It’s an engineering mistake on the road due to the geographical condition,” he said.

.............. never had problems driving through this curve...

What about educate this villagers, not to drive crazy like mongers around at this spot. Many times this Kor En Villagers jumping around like headless chicken.

The only way to make any road in Thailand safer is to make it virtually impossible to be driving on the wrong side at speed, either by a central dividing channel dug out, or a raised barrier. Any driver then heading for the wrong side by accident (falling asleep, brake failure) or just incompetence will either end up in a big ditch or sliding along a barrier, therefore injuring or killing far fewer people.

You will of course still get people on the wrong side, but they will way over to the left of you and driving much slower as they have just turned right out of a side road to get to a noodle stall meters away.

[thaiIand]

nice those signs will just make business decide to put signs on the road too as they did on the side

[HerbalEd]

"It's an engineering mistake on the road due to the geographical condition," he said.

.............. never had problems driving through this curve...

What about educate this villagers, not to drive crazy like mongers around at this spot. Many times this Kor En Villagers jumping around like headless chicken.

The "villagers" are most likely aware of the dangerous curve. It's those that that are not aware that's the problem.

[paulbrun]

The problem is that most Thais do not know how to drive around corners fast, only in a straight line. They almost always go flat out on the straight, and then brake when they get into a bend. And they then lose control of their vehicle..! That bend is not that dangerous, but it is, if you hit it too fast, and brake in the middle of it..! Proper driving lessons, and exams, and stricter punishments for driving offences, would inevitably reduce the amount of stupid accidents that happen all over the Kingdom of Thailand.

[ALFREDO]

-paulbrun-

Yes, right said! I liked that curve, in the way, as it was when the road was built. Good to drive, no problem at all, but Thai people are not the best drivers!

Nearly always I see that they drive fast on straights but approaching curves and driving curves not really know how to do that in the right way.

[schlog]

"It's an engineering mistake on the road due to the geographical condition," he said.

.............. never had problems driving through this curve...

What about educate this villagers, not to drive crazy like mongers around at this spot. Many times this Kor En Villagers jumping around like headless chicken.

The "villagers" are most likely aware of the dangerous curve. It's those that that are not aware that's the problem.

Living there more then 15 years, i know the villagers in ban kor en aware of nothing. They are not the smartest one on Phuket.

[thaiIand]

-paulbrun-

Yes, right said! I liked that curve, in the way, as it was when the road was built. Good to drive, no problem at all, but Thai people are not the best drivers!

Nearly always I see that they drive fast on straights but approaching curves and driving curves not really know how to do that in the right way.

same problem with the curvy road in front of the restaurant on a platform in the middle of the sea on the same road in phuket town.. close to supercheap/mercedes/nissan..

curves hard left then right.. ppl just all merge together trying to kill themselves into the middle lane (3lane road).. Those who try to follow the lines always fail.. yet when i drive there even at 40kph above the speed limit, following those line doesnt even require you to move your wheels that much

[ALFREDO]

-thailand-

Right, when I drive long distance on Highways, with an old Ford Ranger who is far away from powerful, I get overtaken sometimes,

but usualy when curves follow,

the Thai drivers feel unsecure and slow down unnecessary much, when it is possible to run the car smoothly through the curves and I pass most of them again.

Edited November 30, 2011 by ALFREDO