New U-turns Will Help Ease Traffic Congestion

[Jai Dee]

New U-turns will help ease traffic congestion

Traffic lights to be fully automatic soon

Workers have been digging up the road 100 meters from the North Pattaya Road-Sukhumvit intersection and 160 meters from North Pattaya Road-Dolphin Roundabout to add two new U-turns and so help alleviate the traffic congestion.

Chavalit Jariyayanyong, from the Traffic Engineering and Transport Dept. at city hall, said the work is being carried out to ease traffic congestion on North Pattaya Road. He said the project would take 90 days and involves the installation of two U-turn points about 100 meters from the North Pattaya Road intersections.

Two U-turn points at North Pattaya Road near the Pattaya Third Road intersection were only 50 meters from the traffic lights, the distance being too short to allow drivers to avoid heavy traffic. The new U-turns will extend the distance to 100 meters, which will facilitate those wishing to turn and ease traffic congestion in the process. Once the work is completed the traffic lights will be put back to normal use instead of just flashing yellow.

Chavalit also talked about the traffic light system that is receiving a lot of complaints at the moment, saying that all traffic lights will be controlled by a computer sending data to a CCR (Command and Control Room) and will be fully automatic. In some instances the traffic lights will be controlled manually by police officers in cases of emergency.

The public and tourists are not yet aware of the information, he said. He also wanted to inform motorists that those wishing to turn right should move into the lane with the white markings, as assessment of the new system is to be carried out. If any car wishing to turn right is not parked within the white markings but parked in the middle of the road at the red lights, then the lights will not change to allow turning right. In future all drivers wishing to turn right at all traffic lights will have to be within the white markings.

Source: Pattaya Mail