Road Closures For Samui Triathlon

[voodoomagicman]

Have checked the route on the website, does not give any indication if the roads will be open/closed/lanes cordoned off. Just trying to prempt any traffic congestion or anything else that could happen. Might wander down the hill to watch and leave the car and bikes at home.

Does anyone have any info regarding this.

Thanks

M

[itishothere]

Road closures are on the site under Timing.

http://www.triathlonsamui.com/index.php?lang=en

[voodoomagicman]

Road closures are on the site under Timing.

http://www.triathlonsamui.com/index.php?lang=en

Excellent, probably too information. After reading the info seems very well organised. Looks like I'll have to sit by Nathon peir from 9am having a beer to make sure I see the finish later in the afternoon.

[robsamui]

Road closures are on the site under Timing.

http://www.triathlon...dex.php?lang=en

Well, looking carefully at for just how long Bo Phut, Lamai, Taling Gnam and Nathon are being affected, that the entire island bugge*ed for the day, then!

R

[itishothere]

Looks like I will be stuck at home in Bangrak, with no means of escape!

Kind of interesting how I will pick up my friend from the aiport at 10.00 am.

Joking aside, organisation looks terrific, should be a good event.

[wasas]

When is the marathon, i saw posters saying the 22nd, and now i see on their webpage 20th and 21st, help me please

[itishothere]

Sunday. 22nd.

[wasas]

Sunday. 22nd.

thanks

[Tropicalevo]

Not sure if it is connected, but I tried to drive through Nathon today to grab a lunch on the west coast. Forget it. After what seemed like forever, and only moving about 40 meters at a time, we gave up and went back to Maenam. Also - only just made it to the post office! Closing roads off even now.

So, if this hold up was Triatholon related - god help you all on Sunday

Edited April 20, 2012 by Tropicalevo

[voodoomagicman]

Not sure if it is connected, but I tried to drive through Nathon today to grab a lunch on the west coast. Forget it. After what seemed like forever, and only moving about 40 meters at a time, we gave up and went back to Maenam. Also - only just made it to the post office! Closing roads off even now.

So, if this hold up was Triatholon related - god help you all on Sunday

They were tarmaccing the bridge that got washed away last year ( some good from the triathlon already ) so the road coming fom Lipa to Nathon was reduced to one lane today, and all clear now. Have also been told by a friend who has a restaurant on the Nathon sea front that the Nathon high street will become a 2 way road tomorrow afternoon evening and the sea front will be shut. But that is not confirmed.

[itishothere]

The number of local people I have spoken to - Thais and Farangs - who have no knowledge of this event is staggering. That is not a crticism of them, but rather the organisers. If the road closures are as widespread as the website states, then the number of people who won't be able to leave their homes, to work, or go to Tescos, or whatever, will be significant. I'm trying to work out how to pick up a friend from the airport Sunday morning, and don't know that I will be able to.

Maybe it will all be simple on the day .... how many people are participating? Although I have seen quite a few very fit and healthy individuals with that competitive look in their eye over the last few days!

[jamesbrock]

I fear it will just turn into a farce, with people everywhere simply going about their business as usual. Especially on the ring road. I really can't see the organisers recruiting enough manpower to enforce the closures at that many intersections for that length of time. I actually feel sorry of the competitors, who come here believing the road closures will keep them safe.

[Tropicalevo]

Thank you for the update Voodoo.

[Rooo]

Many have to suffer for the Joy of a few.

[voodoomagicman]

Have had two heated arguments with my (thai) wife over this, I want to go shopping today, stock up so we can spend all day Sunday at home, because of the road closures. She on the other hand, is adamant no roads will be shut, (even stating that at least motorbikes will be allowed through!) despite me showing here a leaflet in thai proving my point. Seeing some competitors trying to practice over the last few days was awe inspiring, they must have nerves of steel!

I do hope that it goes safely, a lot of the potholes have been filled in on the 4169 so that should help. This could be such a positive for the Island, another string to the bow, bike week coming soon too, but I fear for the locals being uninformed about the logistics of this very large event.

[jamesbrock]

Trust me - you do need nerves of steel to ride around the ring road! I normally set of from Lamai at 7:00am, going clockwise, which means I'm riding back from Chaweng around 9:00am - at that time the traffic's not too bad, but any later and it can be terrifying! (It's not only the traffic that's the issue, but the state of the roads - one reason we go clockwise is to avoid the majority of treacherous drainage covers, but even then there are a number of randomly distributed steel grate covers between Maenam and Bophut that are oriented in line with the road, if your front tyre goes into one of them...)

As for filling the potholes, around Wednesday they filled the many little potholes around the bottom of Big Rock - now there are many little raised lumps of bitumen around that corner! Great job there! On Thursday, we passed a grader attempting to scrape the dried concrete off the side of the road a bit further along (where it all falls out of the cement mixers at that point due to the grade) - yesterday, I noted that that had only managed to scrape off a few raised peaks and left them spread across the road; the shoulder there is still unusable). Yet another great job! That all being said, both pieces of work were on the opposite side of the road that the triathletes will be riding on.

I have a daily appointment at the hospital in Chaweng, and I suggested to my gf and driver that we not go on Sunday - their response was much the same as your wife's.

[samuijimmy]

There are huge signs up all around the island, about this, I can't see how anyone could miss them.... been there a few weeks now...

But then too, there are signs like this that many people obviously don't see either .....

[SamuiRes]

I fear it will just turn into a farce, with people everywhere simply going about their business as usual. Especially on the ring road. I really can't see the organisers recruiting enough manpower to enforce the closures at that many intersections for that length of time. I actually feel sorry of the competitors, who come here believing the road closures will keep them safe.

This was the control at the junction with Soi 4 in Plai Laem just after 09.00

[samuijimmy]

Well not so bad after all, I managed to get to Tesco Chawang around 2 pm with out any hold ups......

it was kinda fun weaving in and out of the plastic cones!

[samui543]

Well not so bad after all, I managed to get to Tesco Chawang around 2 pm with out any hold ups......

it was kinda fun weaving in and out of the plastic cones!

Had wait 30 mins to turn right to chaweng lake road en route to work.. her upstairs on the back wasnt too happy topping up her tan. Wished it was longer to be fair watching them machines fly by- made my daily 20km on gym bike look pathetic- maybe next year- hats off to all competitors and from what i saw bloody brilliant organisation- bit of disruption but hey.great event and well done all involved.

[limbos]

Many have to suffer for the Joy of a few.

Many have to suffer for the Joy of a few.

Thinks you have the wrong perspective here Roooo!

A great event that will help Samui's image and it looks like it was very well organised!

[Rooo]

Many have to suffer for the Joy of a few.

Many have to suffer for the Joy of a few.

Thinks you have the wrong perspective here Roooo!

A great event that will help Samui's image and it looks like it was very well organised!

It was a tongue in cheek response to a couple of other posts.