Does Samui Have The Worst Roads Of Any District In Thailand?

[insertmembernamehere]

Fix hole, make bump....

I agree that open highways are not a good reference to Samui, but I also have to side with the obvious fact that the roads here are trafficked heavily and by tourists who, for better or worse, actually need easy driving conditions.

[sezze]

Like you say , ring road is ok , other roads not good . I live now in Isaan , and main roads are good , the small roads are nowhere near as good as on Samui . Get out of your holiday place and if you go to the mainland , go to the smaller roads as you compare them also . I think you will find that they are not very different and many times better on Samui .

In my years on Samui , i never had a problem with the roads , even driving at speeds way beyond the limit ( did you ever read those ?? ) .

You must drive on a very short part of the ring road, because most of it is atrocious.

Nope , most was Lamai , but i've been nearly everywhere on the island . The ringroad was redone for about 50% from nearly Nathon , to Chaweng roughly 5 years ago . Before it was not good but i've seen worse . Could travel at about 70km/h on the motorbike without problem . After it was done, going at 90 km/h and more was easy and very relaxed driving . A pothole here and there but nothing major . I never had a accident or have fallen over when driving . Problem is , that most people here are tourists and they are used to roadconditions in Europe or US . They are not the same . Roads and traffic in Thailand require different eyes/driving and you have to be very carefull for ALL obstacles which may lie ahead .

Every year after the big rains , the road becomes worse and they patch up here and there , and they are ok again ( allthough not as good as b4 ).

BTW ... speed limit is 45km/h when i remember correct .

[motocrosser]

I see that now they are putting tarmac down on the lake road behind macdonalds,so things looking up!

[PoorSucker]

I see that now they are putting tarmac down on the lake road behind macdonalds,so things looking up!

Yes the new Chaweng speedway.

[Rooo]

New GoKart International circuit. true would I lie to you?

[limbos]

New GoKart International circuit. true would I lie to you?

No Pinocchio.

[notime]

Yes, Samui roads are the worst. Anywhere on the mainland roads are better. Comparing with the other islands only Koh Phangan and Koh Tao may be worse but these are smaller islands with much less population and budget. Koh Chang, Koh Lanta have much better, bitumen roads, not to mention Phuket of course. I guess Samui roads are the reflection of the corruption here which is arguably the worst in the country as well.

[longtom]

Yes, Samui roads are the worst. Anywhere on the mainland roads are better. Comparing with the other islands only Koh Phangan and Koh Tao may be worse but these are smaller islands with much less population and budget. Koh Chang, Koh Lanta have much better, bitumen roads, not to mention Phuket of course. I guess Samui roads are the reflection of the corruption here which is arguably the worst in the country as well.

'... corruption here which is arguably the worst in the country.'

Maybe but the competition is stiff, ask the locals in Pattaya or Phuket.

[NoshowJones]

The road from the intersection on Highway 117 to Photaley in Phichit Province is absolutely disgraceful, and it was not affected by the recent floods. I believe it is caused by vastly overweight trucks. Photaley itself was affected by the floods, and as you enter Photaley on the way to Bangmunnak, then again, as you leave heading to Bangmunnak, it is disgraceful, and there is no sign of it being fixed.

Possum 1931

[John 1]

The road from the intersection on Highway 117 to Photaley in Phichit Province is absolutely disgraceful, and it was not affected by the recent floods. I believe it is caused by vastly overweight trucks. Photaley itself was affected by the floods, and as you enter Photaley on the way to Bangmunnak, then again, as you leave heading to Bangmunnak, it is disgraceful, and there is no sign of it being fixed.

Possum 1931

Very interesting for people living on Samui. Why not post about road conditions in Hong Kong

[limbos]

The road from the intersection on Highway 117 to Photaley in Phichit Province is absolutely disgraceful, and it was not affected by the recent floods. I believe it is caused by vastly overweight trucks. Photaley itself was affected by the floods, and as you enter Photaley on the way to Bangmunnak, then again, as you leave heading to Bangmunnak, it is disgraceful, and there is no sign of it being fixed.

Possum 1931

Very interesting for people living on Samui. Why not post about road conditions in Hong Kong

John1, the initial question is "Does Samui Have The Worst Roads Of Any District In Thailand?", in my opinion a very legit answer to the question asked. Previous posts had also plenty of samples of road conditions outside of Samui.

[Tropicalevo]

The road from the intersection on Highway 117 to Photaley in Phichit Province is absolutely disgraceful, and it was not affected by the recent floods. I believe it is caused by vastly overweight trucks. Photaley itself was affected by the floods, and as you enter Photaley on the way to Bangmunnak, then again, as you leave heading to Bangmunnak, it is disgraceful, and there is no sign of it being fixed.

Possum 1931

Very interesting for people living on Samui. Why not post about road conditions in Hong Kong

Look at the title of this thread, and the comment/request from the OP in Post #10.

The information from Possum was exactly as requested.

Yes, Samui roads are the worst. Anywhere on the mainland roads are better. Comparing with the other islands only Koh Phangan and Koh Tao may be worse but these are smaller islands with much less population and budget. Koh Chang, Koh Lanta have much better, bitumen roads, not to mention Phuket of course. I guess Samui roads are the reflection of the corruption here which is arguably the worst in the country as well.

Samui has ony had its own budget for a few years with its own administration. Before that it was under the control of Mr Big in Suratthani.

He made the corruption here look like petty cash. That is how we ended up with the poor infrastructure that we have. A similar example might be Koh Samet which from memory had worse roads than Samui at the time - but they might be improved by now.

[Lite Beer]

An inflammatory post that also contained a derogatory comment about Thai people has been removed.

[Richmah]

It's really the worst road in thailand. After all, they are collecting millions of baht in taxation,

but NO improvement at all on the road. That's why so many road accident in Samui.

This message was suppose to be given to the mayor for improvement if possible.

[insertmembernamehere]

This is the kind of patchwork we are talking about here (for those not in Samui).

And here is a shot of one of the "career ender" storm grates on the ring road. This is more dramatic in reality as the photo makes the missing part seem small. If you did not notice this (say for example the streetlights were not on...) and hit it, you'd probably be ending your holiday in the hospital.

I could shoot thousands of these examples. . .

[jamesbrock]

Sometimes, noticing the danger is just as bad as not. I saw a faring on a motorbike swerve late to miss one of the storm grates outside of Lamai, and in doing so rode straight into the path of an oncoming overtaking minivan; thankfully they didn't collide, but if my heart was in my throat, I could only imagine where his was!

I agree that your picture of the terror-grate doesn't accurately convey its danger, nor does it show its placement on the road itself, as many of these are meters inside the driving lane of the road.

As I pondered earlier, you really have to wonder how many deaths are directly attributable to the state of the roads. How many deaths caused by riding drunk and/or without a helmet were actually caused by said drunk and/or helmetless rider being thrown from his/her bike by one of these terrors? Causes of death for traffic accidents always refer to the rider's sobriety, or lack thereof, and whether they were wearing a helmet, but rarely, if ever, make any mention of the actual reason the rider came into contact with the road in the first place. Sure, one could argue if they weren't drunk, and were wearing a helmet, they could have survived, but, conversely, if the roads were in a condition fit for a global tourist destination, then they wouldn't have been thrown in the first place.

[Beng]

Yes, Samui roads are the worst. Anywhere on the mainland roads are better. Comparing with the other islands only Koh Phangan and Koh Tao may be worse but these are smaller islands with much less population and budget. Koh Chang, Koh Lanta have much better, bitumen roads, not to mention Phuket of course. I guess Samui roads are the reflection of the corruption here which is arguably the worst in the country as well.

Spot on !

[Trapper]

Yes, Samui roads are the worst. Anywhere on the mainland roads are better. Comparing with the other islands only Koh Phangan and Koh Tao may be worse but these are smaller islands with much less population and budget. Koh Chang, Koh Lanta have much better, bitumen roads, not to mention Phuket of course. I guess Samui roads are the reflection of the corruption here which is arguably the worst in the country as well.

Have you driven between Surat and Lang Suan? I did a couple of weeks ago and I tell you what, that road is worse than anything on Koh Samui.

[Tropicalevo]

Sometimes, noticing the danger is just as bad as not. I saw a faring on a motorbike swerve late to miss one of the storm grates outside of Lamai, and in doing so rode straight into the path of an oncoming overtaking minivan; thankfully they didn't collide, but if my heart was in my throat, I could only imagine where his was!

I agree that your picture of the terror-grate doesn't accurately convey its danger, nor does it show its placement on the road itself, as many of these are meters inside the driving lane of the road.

As I pondered earlier, you really have to wonder how many deaths are directly attributable to the state of the roads. How many deaths caused by riding drunk and/or without a helmet were actually caused by said drunk and/or helmetless rider being thrown from his/her bike by one of these terrors? Causes of death for traffic accidents always refer to the rider's sobriety, or lack thereof, and whether they were wearing a helmet, but rarely, if ever, make any mention of the actual reason the rider came into contact with the road in the first place. Sure, one could argue if they weren't drunk, and were wearing a helmet, they could have survived, but, conversely, if the roads were in a condition fit for a global tourist destination, then they wouldn't have been thrown in the first place.

The roads are not as dangerous as the drivers are. I regularly get driven off the road by overtaking minivans and trucks. (Usually on corners or hills!) Nothing to do with the road surface.

Regarding drunk driving - the road conditions are academic, A sober driver is a lot more likely to avoid problems. (Including drains and pot-holes.) A drunk driver should not be on the road. Full Stop. However, we all know that it happens. To blame these accidents on the road conditions is a tad naive.

To take your logic further, if a bike is travelling at 100 kph and it hits a drain causing an accident - it is the fault of the road/government? I do not think so.

Something to ponder - a lot of comments here complaining about the roads are by residents as opposed to tourists.

How many of us pay taxes? How many of us contact the authorities to tell them about a dangerous section of road?

My personal motto is "do not whinge about it - do something." (Apart from the ocassional rant - usually about Bandit Airways! )

Apologies to the OP -

Edited January 25, 2012 by Tropicalevo

[insertmembernamehere]

Good post, James Brock. I hope to hear more from you.

Tropicalevo:

How many of us pay taxes? How many of us contact the authorities to tell them about a dangerous section of road?

I think more people than you think pay taxes, as if that is the point here, and we (and all the many thousands of tourists) certainly contribute to the general bottom line of many establishments who do pay tax.

I have a particular situation on the road where I live and would gladly file a detailed complaint, in Thai, with photos for support. My immediate problem is what agency here would be the right one to talk to? Perhaps an online petition would also make for a nice attachment. But having said that, do you really think the Thais are unaware of the same road conditions that we bemoan here? Of course they know and of course they care, but they also, being Thai in Samui, know that there is nothing at all they can do to address the issue.

I am all ears if you have salient ideas.

[itishothere]

do you really think the Thais are unaware of the same road conditions that we bemoan here? Of course they know and of course they care, but they also, being Thai in Samui, know that there is nothing at all they can do to address the issue.

Whilst it may be true that they think that there is nothing they can do about it, it might also be true that they don't actually want to do anything. It is, after all, someone elses problem. It is up to someone else to sort it out. And the 'face' attitude means they are less likely to complain to an authority than we are. Add to that, considering the way they drive sometimes, I am not too sure that they actually do care!

[limbos]

They do care but the whole 'face' and 'kreng jai' issues will prevent them form doing something unless things really boil up, which is unlikely.

[Rooo]

Approach your local Tessaban representative ( for your local road ).Either by yourself or better still with a few people that this situation affects.

[insertmembernamehere]

The problem is that the people who are also affected also include a major resort, and two of the workers there -- non-management mind you -- would not dream of complaining they said because the Thai man creating the problem with the road has a gun and has threatened people (and let of some shots before) with it. I will only do this myself if I can keep my face out of it. Everyone in the area says this guy is crazy. He also apparently has threatened to shoot drivers of certain water trucks that he does not want going past his place. The major resort in question has its own truck in fact, but cannot use it. I assume the crazy guy has some stake in a certain water provider.

He is a local and I saw him in cahoots with the road construction people at the time (after the big floods last year), so he must have some influence.

[Tropicalevo]

At the risk of being chastised by you again for being off topic - I will respond.

Good post, James Brock. I hope to hear more from you.

Tropicalevo:

How many of us pay taxes? How many of us contact the authorities to tell them about a dangerous section of road?

I think more people than you think pay taxes, as if that is the point here, and we (and all the many thousands of tourists) certainly contribute to the general bottom line of many establishments who do pay tax.

Tax is the ONLY important point here. It is required to support the infrastructure. Who do you think pays for it?

Unfortunately paying money to organisations who pay tax is not the same. They tend to minimalise their tax contributions, in order to take profits - so all that can happen there is that the companies make more - not the government. People who do not pay taxes are not a big help here. Yes - that includes a large percentage of the tourist income.

I have a particular situation on the road where I live and would gladly file a detailed complaint, in Thai, with photos for support. My immediate problem is what agency here would be the right one to talk to?

A good starting place might be to try the Highways Department. They tend to build and maintain the roads. (Probably the office in Nathon - I do not know for sure. The roads where I live are repaired quite quickly.) The department may not be sympathetic to you if you do not pay tax - just a thought.

Perhaps an online petition would also make for a nice attachment. But having said that, do you really think the Thais are unaware of the same road conditions that we bemoan here? Of course they know and of course they care, but they also, being Thai in Samui, know that there is nothing at all they can do to address the issue.

Thais are no different to farangs when it comes to bureaucracy. Both avoid it and hope that someone else does something.

I am all ears if you have salient ideas.

So, insertmembername, probably not much help to you, but my view is that we can do one of 3 things.

1 Stick our thumbs up our bumms and just keep bitching onTV

2 Try and actually get involved in the local community and talk to the relevant people to get something changed

3 do nothing

In a different thread I said that the current administration on Samui were 110% better at maintaining the roads than the previous administrations. I still believe this to be true. For the first 6 - 7 years that I lived here - there was almost no repair work carried out, and when it was carried out - it lasted for less time than it does now.

Thing really are improving!

I never said that the roads were good, or that the repairs were of a high standard. But they are a daamn sight better than they were.

[insertmembernamehere]

The department may not be sympathetic to you if you do not pay tax - just a thought.

You have tax on the brain....I won't get into this, but I have a retirement visa and pump quite a lot of money into the economy (I probably spend annually in excess of 10 times what an average Thai worker here makes in a year). Some of this trickles down as taxes, but I think the point is that road repairs are not solely on back of personal or company tax revenues (but I am not an expert; someone who is can correct me).

And it isn't so much "repairing" the road, it is additions that have been made to the road by this particular Wild East character.

As for the resurfacing, apropos of what Rooo said earlier, once xxx repair is finished we will contemplate resurfacing. The catch is that they keep adding more xxx projects. Oh, wait until the construction of such-and-such a resort is finished because they have all those cement trucks coming and going...after that, comes: Oh, wait until the refurbishment is completed on the other hotel....after that....Oh, wait until we get approval from the Ministry of Potholes....There is always a "wait until" clause....

I never said that the roads were good, or that the repairs were of a high standard. But they are a daamn sight better than they were.

You mean when they were dirt tracks before?

Edited January 26, 2012 by insertmembernamehere

[Rooo]

We were promised that the government access road will be concreted in 6 months by the land developer. That was 9 years ago. Finally cemented last year.

[Tropicalevo]

You mean when they were dirt tracks before?

Er, let me think? No. Concrete roads have been around on Samui for quite a while. They were just in a worse state than they are now.

We were promised that the government access road will be concreted in 6 months by the land developer. That was 9 years ago. Finally cemented last year.

I was lucky then. I only had to wait 6 years for the developer to build our road.

[samui34samui]

Asphalt trucks are starting the works now at the traffic light junction (close to Lotus Chaweng) towards Chaweng beach road i guess

[jamesbrock]

Edit: Decided it wasn't worth it...

Edited January 26, 2012 by jamesbrock