Chao Fa Observations

[Valentine]

In the past couple of days on Chao Fa West I have seen the aftermath of a 5 car rear end collision near Thanong Kwang, a mini bus flipped on to it's side by the S bend near Kajonkiet & last night a car burning for no apparent reason as I could not see any other vehicle which may have been involved. The passengers must have bailed out quickly as their doors were still open but there did not seem to be anyone inside & the fire truck was dousing it down although the flames kept flaring up after it appeared to be out. This is aside from the usual assortment of motorbikes crashing into each other, running into cars or being knocked down.

[steelepulse]

I saw that same 5 car crash and the minivan in the ditch Monday morning.With traffic getting so bad, people are taking unnecessary risks, not checking their mirrors, tailgating, driving in two lanes, cutting corners and crossing the median strip, cars double parked, two lanes abruptly changing to one lane.......................Just another day with uneducated drivers/riders doing whatever they want knowing there is no enforcement of traffic laws.

Yesterday when on road that has a sharp 130 degree left hand turn, I see a white pickup coming directly at me fully in my lane cutting his right hand turn so he could go faster around the corner is his 4WD pickup truck. Do these geniuses really think there won't be another vehicle around the blind turn?

Edited November 14, 2012 by steelepulse

[LivinginKata]

I notice a big increase in the number of large coaches. Many drivers do not realise they should use a lower gear before the approach a steep hill. Can't count how many stall their engine on the Patak Rd hills. Then it's all panic as the handbreak won't hold the bus. Interesting to watch but quite dangerous for traffic behind.

[stevenl]

I notice a big increase in the number of large coaches. Many drivers do not realise they should use a lower gear before the approach a steep hill. Can't count how many stall their engine on the Patak Rd hills. Then it's all panic as the handbreak won't hold the bus. Interesting to watch but quite dangerous for traffic behind.

Yes, noticed the same, mainly Russian and Chinese tours. You don't want to know the speeds at which they use Viset Road as their private road to gain some lost time, on their way to the speedboats at Rawai Beach. That is nearly exclusively for Chinese tourists.

[petercallen]

Just a fact of life here, more traffic every year, more bad and dangerous drivers, roads deteriorating

just something you have to put up with, still a great place to live

[LivinginKata]

Racial post removed.

[starkey_rich]

Just a fact of life here, more traffic every year, more bad and dangerous drivers, roads deteriorating

just something you have to put up with, still a great place to live

It used to be a great place to live but sadly it is going downhill rapidly.

90 mins to get to the airport a couple of weeks ago.Nearly 2 hours to get off the island Monday.I was caught up in the 5 car shunt tail back just wait until they close the 2 lanes at Central. The place is turning into a nightmare .Oh and don't forget the road rage is getting quite frightening here now.

Edited November 14, 2012 by starkey_rich

[petercallen]

Just a fact of life here, more traffic every year, more bad and dangerous drivers, roads deteriorating

just something you have to put up with, still a great place to live

It used to be a great place to live but sadly it is going downhill rapidly.

90 mins to get to the airport ffica couple of weeks ago.Nearly 2 hours to get off the island Monday.I was caught up in the 5 car shunt tail back just wait until they close the 2 lanes at Central. Ts bad he place is turning into a nightmare .Oh and don't forget the road rage is getting quite frightening here now.

The only places in Thailand i have seen traffic as bad as here is Bangkok and Korat in Isaan

Other countries are as bad in peak hours it just getting to be peak hour all the time here

[tirekicker]

Chao Fa West is hell to use and about to get worse with the onset of the high season. I recently passed my 5 years car/bike test and watching people take the "Reaction Test" was pitiful to put it mildly more like a sketch out of Monty Python but they all passed ! We can only expect driving in Phuket to become even more dangerous.

​

[sanuk21]

Chao Fa West is hell to use and about to get worse with the onset of the high season. I recently passed my 5 years car/bike test and watching people take the "Reaction Test" was pitiful to put it mildly more like a sketch out of Monty Python but they all passed ! We can only expect driving in Phuket to become even more dangerous.

​

Is this something new?

Previously, a 5 year licence was issued without any testing just by renewing your temporary 1 year licence. This 1 year temporary licence required the testing.

sanuk

[LivinginKata]

Is this something new?

Previously, a 5 year licence was issued without any testing just by renewing your temporary 1 year licence. This 1 year temporary licence required the testing.

sanuk

Yes, it's a recent rule (last couple of years). To renew licence requires a reaction, color blindess and depth perception eye tests. Plus need to watch the hour long video.

[petercallen]

Is this something new?

Previously, a 5 year licence was issued without any testing just by renewing your temporary 1 year licence. This 1 year temporary licence required the testing.

sanuk

Yes, it's a recent rule (last couple of years). To renew licence requires a reaction, color blindess and depth perception eye tests. Plus need to watch the hour long video.

No tea money i hope

[tirekicker]

Is this something new?

Previously, a 5 year licence was issued without any testing just by renewing your temporary 1 year licence. This 1 year temporary licence required the testing.

sanuk

Yes, it's a recent rule (last couple of years). To renew licence requires a reaction, color blindess and depth perception eye tests. Plus need to watch the hour long video.

There was no one hour video required.

[LivinginKata]

Is this something new?

Previously, a 5 year licence was issued without any testing just by renewing your temporary 1 year licence. This 1 year temporary licence required the testing.

sanuk

Yes, it's a recent rule (last couple of years). To renew licence requires a reaction, color blindess and depth perception eye tests. Plus need to watch the hour long video.

There was no one hour video required.

Yes, that might be the case when renewing the initial one year licence to a 5 year licence. I was thinking of renewing a 5 year licence, then the video is for sure required watching.

[bikkalad]

Chaos Fa or any where really !!! It's all dodgey on the roads/ sois etc. carnage all over the shop....I'm sad to say !!! It's a jungle out there people......... Stay safe ?????

[Valentine]

While driving Chao Fa this morning I was fanatsizing about all the tailgaters getting together & creating their own rear end pile up. Later on 2 people were spreadeagled on the yellow lines at the Yodsane lights. Motorbike lying nearby but no sign of another vehicle. I agree the reaction test is pretty sad as the tester just let everyone keep doing it until they got it right. Not looking forward to the lane closure at Central for a project that does not have a hope in hell of solving traffic problems in that area. but will certainly provide plenty of pie to go around.

[steelepulse]

>>Not looking forward to the lane closure at Central for a project that does not have a hope in hell of solving traffic problems in that area. but will certainly provide plenty of pie to go around.

It's amazing how all these projects costs more than back home where they have wages 10X higher than the Burmese, have proper insurance, licenses, and higher overheads.

[noob7]

I saw that same 5 car crash and the minivan in the ditch Monday morning.With traffic getting so bad, people are taking unnecessary risks, not checking their mirrors, tailgating, driving in two lanes, cutting corners and crossing the median strip, cars double parked, two lanes abruptly changing to one lane.......................Just another day with uneducated drivers/riders doing whatever they want knowing there is no enforcement of traffic laws.

Yesterday when on road that has a sharp 130 degree left hand turn, I see a white pickup coming directly at me fully in my lane cutting his right hand turn so he could go faster around the corner is his 4WD pickup truck. Do these geniuses really think there won't be another vehicle around the blind turn?

You are right, they really don't think!

[noob7]

Is this something new?

Previously, a 5 year licence was issued without any testing just by renewing your temporary 1 year licence. This 1 year temporary licence required the testing.

sanuk

Yes, it's a recent rule (last couple of years). To renew licence requires a reaction, color blindess and depth perception eye tests. Plus need to watch the hour long video.

There was no one hour video required.

Yes, that might be the case when renewing the initial one year licence to a 5 year licence. I was thinking of renewing a 5 year licence, then the video is for sure required watching.

Nope! They gave me the book, that I gave back 5 minutes later!

[stevenl]

Just returned from a roundtrip Kata-Ao Por, north of the airport, took me 1 hour one way. Very reasonable, and nothing special in the way of traffic.

[DaveHKT]

Yesterday when on road that has a sharp 130 degree left hand turn, I see a white pickup coming directly at me fully in my lane cutting his right hand turn so he could go faster around the corner is his 4WD pickup truck. Do these geniuses really think there won't be another vehicle around the blind turn?

SP, I'm not always sure that it's because they want to go faster, I honestly believe its simply the fact that they've never been taught to drive and that Thais do not have any sense of 'lane discipline'. Observe driving standards on the road between Patong & Kathu.

[LivinginKata]

Yesterday when on road that has a sharp 130 degree left hand turn, I see a white pickup coming directly at me fully in my lane cutting his right hand turn so he could go faster around the corner is his 4WD pickup truck. Do these geniuses really think there won't be another vehicle around the blind turn?

SP, I'm not always sure that it's because they want to go faster, I honestly believe its simply the fact that they've never been taught to drive and that Thais do not have any sense of 'lane discipline'. Observe driving standards on the road between Patong & Kathu.

Exactly right ..... "they've never been taught to drive and that Thais do not have any sense of 'lane discipline'."

[steelepulse]

Yesterday when on road that has a sharp 130 degree left hand turn, I see a white pickup coming directly at me fully in my lane cutting his right hand turn so he could go faster around the corner is his 4WD pickup truck. Do these geniuses really think there won't be another vehicle around the blind turn?

SP, I'm not always sure that it's because they want to go faster, I honestly believe its simply the fact that they've never been taught to drive and that Thais do not have any sense of 'lane discipline'. Observe driving standards on the road between Patong & Kathu.

Exactly right ..... "they've never been taught to drive and that Thais do not have any sense of 'lane discipline'."

A good example of that was from last week when a big truck and van collided head on somewhere by Kamala that made the news. Guaranteed one of the vehicles was way over the median line and was speeding around a blind turn,genius!

[stevehaigh]

i blame all the excessive bullshit traffic lights. they make me angry just sitting there for minutes waiting for traffic from side sois that never comes.

if they turned off most of the lights and gave more time to jao faa and less to the sois, traffic would flow better and people would feel less need to jump to the front to get the next green.

i also blame the drivers that sit at the lights for seconds after the light turns green then pull away with all the acceleration of an aircraft carrier. those people should be shot.

[Shot]

i also blame the drivers that sit at the lights for seconds after the light turns green then pull away with all the acceleration of an aircraft carrier. those people should be shot.

I agree, I'm having one of these installed on my D-MAX next week.

Edited November 15, 2012 by Shot

[mikebike]

Renewal of five year license required:

1. Passport photocopies

2. Notification of Residence from Immigration

3. Old license(s)

4. Brake reaction test

5. Identifying red, yellow and green flashes from a toy traffic light (be aware if you are colour blind, they do not appear in their "traditional" order of red on top, yellow in the middle...)

6. Watching one hour video which clearly defines Thai traffic laws as identical to the west (its just the interpretation of the laws which varies!!).

All as of Nov. 10 (took from 9am to 11am.)

[madmitch]

Traffic wasn't too bad in the rush hour(s) this morning but it was interesting to see the Highway Police stopping the trucks overloaded with Burmese workers; I assume to check papers in the hope of getting a payoff rather than ticketing for overloading.

Seen this twice in two weeks now.

[Valentine]

Traffic wasn't too bad in the rush hour(s) this morning but it was interesting to see the Highway Police stopping the trucks overloaded with Burmese workers; I assume to check papers in the hope of getting a payoff rather than ticketing for overloading.

Seen this twice in two weeks now.

I too was thinking this morning about the highway police & what they have to do with Burmese workers as I have seen them doing it all over the place in the past week or so. Perhaps they are not getting enough paid escort jobs. Years ago I actually had the highway police pull me over on the bypass road when it was single lane. I had gone slightly over the yellow line.

I was also musing about the vehicles with yellow stickers as it seems just about everyman & his dog has one & wondering if this will mean a new breed of inconsiderate, lunatic drivers to match the mini buses & Fortuners.

[petercallen]

Left home at 7.20 am this morning to go to the big supercheap store arrived there at 8.20 am, very heavy traffic

Left there to return home at 9.20am and it took 35 minutes in lighter traffic

[Valentine]

Saw the aftermath of a horrific accident near Wat Chalong. Pickup crashed into a shop, totally wiped out, with badly damaged Pegas mini bus nearby. Unfortunately it looked like two deaths, one of them a young schoolboy. It was on a straight stretch of road so maybe too much speed.