Phuket Roads: Pay Now, Please, For The Failure Of Planning

[Lite Beer]

Phuket Roads: Pay now, please, for the failure of planning

Phuket Gazette –

STUCK IN TRAFFIC: For an estimated two years, Phuket will likely be forced to cope with traffic grinding to a near standstill on several of its main arteries.

PHUKET: Work on Phuket’s first underpass is slated to start by the middle of next month, and is expected to shed harsh light on just how deplorably 'planners' have failed to develop Phuket’s road infrastructure to keep pace with the island’s development.

For years, Gazette readers have heard the cries of the island’s top bureaucrats calling for more responsive – if not proactive – support from their Bangkok brethren to resolve our ever-growing traffic congestion issues.

For at least a decade, those appeals fell on deaf ears despite clear evidence from the officials themselves that budgets being awarded on the basis of the registered population was not an excuse to ignore the problems anymore. Thankfully the mega-projects are coming now – always better late than never.

What the Gazette fails to comprehend is the mindset dogging the central government that sees Phuket as both a remote, country-bumpkin island and as a generator of billions of baht in annual tourism revenue. Yes, Bangkok – we do keep ourselves busy down here.

Thaksin himself, years ago as prime minister, rejected appeals to build the underpasses at the locations where they are now to be built. However, his sister, PM Yingluck, approved them without so much as the bat of an eyelash.

Meanwhile, it is possible that the driving force behind such grand initiatives is not the appeasement of motorists, but rather to promote positive growth in the transportation sector. The ability to move goods and people as quickly and as efficiently as possible has such a deep impact on an economy that it has quite rightly been a major feature on the Asean road map for at least a decade.

The Energy Office, and those who are trying to manage Thailand’s eternal fuel subsidy dilemma, fully understand that every time a driver taps on the brakes, whether the cargo be produce, construction materials, tourists or 11 expats on a visa run, the gas must be stepped on to regain speed. And up goes the national fuel bill just a little bit more.

The irony for most motorists in Phuket is that these grand plans to install underpasses at Central Festival; at the Samkong Intersection (at Tesco on the bypass road); and at the Bang Khu Intersection at the eastern end of the bypass road will fuel bottlenecks not far down the line.

Meanwhile, with the news announced this week of the so-called “alternative routes” suggested for motorists to avoid the Central Festival intersection chaos over the next two years, it seems Bangkok's piecemeal approach to traffic planning is about to reap what it has sown.

Thousands of motorists have just been redirected onto much smaller roads that are plainly not designed to accommodate such enormous volumes of traffic.

The Gazette sympathizes with all residents and visitors to the island as we drive now toward what is almost surely to become a nightmare of traffic snarls radiating far and wide out of the heart of Phuket.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2012/Phuket-Roads-Pay-now-please-for-the-failure-of-planning-17980.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-09-23

[cloudhopper]

The various Thai provinces are merely regions for the Bangkok elite to exploit. Why do you think the provincial governor is appointed by Bangkok and not elected by the people of the province? The Gazette is chronicling just another spastic heave as the island of crime and death chokes on its own vomit.

[starkey_rich]

Say No More!

[Valentine]

Fully agree with the article as they have had a long time to improve the alternative routes e.g. the one which runs from the Honda dealer to Kathu is a good road until you get to the back of the university where it degenerates into a narrow lane with many speed bumps & this section has already had its fair share of snarls. Then you come to the traffic lights leading on to Wichitsongkram Rd where all it takes is a single vehicle waiting to turn right causing a large backup of vehicles which could simply be fixed by widening the left hand turn.

Once the underpass is finished vehicles will be stuck inside it waiting for the traffic to get moving along the narrow stretch of Chao Fa which runs past Prompahn. Between Central & the next set of lights two lanes have now become three by impatient motorists.

Proactive, forward planning, an eye to the future, none of these seem to be in the lexicon of our fearless representatives. Rather it is like the picture above plus the rape & pillage mentality to reap as much as possible without any thought for the consequences.

[Valentine]

Just wondering if the underpass has also been shelved as I have yet to see any of the work which was supposed to start by the middle of October (this year).

[madmitch]

Just wondering if the underpass has also been shelved as I have yet to see any of the work which was supposed to start by the middle of October (this year).

I would like to think so but would guess that the appointment of a new Governor and a new head of roads (can't remember official title) in the recent reshuffles is the reason for the delay.

I would hope they are looking at the projects and reconsidering the need for the underpasses, but it's more likely that they are revising the allocation of the budget!

[steelepulse]

Flyovers at the Tesco and Central intersections would surely be better than a single underpass at Central, but the bottleneck by Promphan and the next few intersections after that also need to be addressed. This one single underpass isn't really going to alleviate the traffic woes we already have. Back to the main hurdle, the budget and how to misappropriate what little comes from BKK.

[Valentine]

Flyovers at the Tesco and Central intersections would surely be better than a single underpass at Central, but the bottleneck by Promphan and the next few intersections after that also need to be addressed. This one single underpass isn't really going to alleviate the traffic woes we already have. Back to the main hurdle, the budget and how to misappropriate what little comes from BKK.

Exactly. If you are stopped at the lights at peak hour looking towards Chao Fa West anyone but a blind man can see that an underpass or flyover will not solve traffic congestion in that area. If they are determined to go ahead it seems to me a flyover could be built more quickly & cheaply for the same result.

[stevenl]

Just wondering if the underpass has also been shelved as I have yet to see any of the work which was supposed to start by the middle of October (this year).

Ah, was just wondering about the progress there, have to go to the airport tonight.