Minor Pet Peeves.

[rene123]

They are only minor pet peeves to me because I don't own a car here in Thailand, but if I did they would quickly become an annoyance.

1 Drivers of vehicles who continue to drive through red lights long after the light has changed. Many times I've seen those same vehicles get stuck in the intersection with no place to go when the lane they are turning into is stopped. This causes massive traffic jambs that should not have happened had the driver stopped when he should have. Motorbikes can usually sneek through somewhere, but bigger vehicles can't.

2. People who park anywhere at any time and block entire lanes of traffic. This is quite common when people come home for lunch and park their vehicle right in front of a home that never did have a parking space. They also park right at the end of an intersection which blocks one lane and prevents people from turning into that road. They double park right in front of a shop they want to do business at and don't care about the traffic blocked behind them that is forced into the oncoming lanes. I see vehicles parking in places where they block traffic, but if they drove another 20 meters they could find a better spot out of the way. Heaven help anyone who should have to walk an extra 20 meters.

Yes, I know this is Thailand, and that is how things are done here, but it still must annoy even the locals. Or, maybe it doesn't and Thais just have more patience.

The U-turns on busy highways are a thing of beauty at rush hour as well.

[Hedghog]

Correct it doesn't bother the locals.

[Hedghog]

When in Rome do as the Romans do.

In this case when in Thailand.

[stoneyboy]

I find driving here extremely easy,the Thais have minimal thought on hazard perception,thus making my options plentiful.

Always expect the unexpected though.

[rene123]

3 good replies, but now I don't give a hoot. I've bought my 2 bottles of Uncle Tom R rum that jaideeguy recommended and maybe I'll go on a pre-newyears toot.

[mcgriffith]

Well you do that rene123, Uncle Tom R is some fine likker (sic) for the price.

It takes a while to get used to Thai driving, and particularly Chiang Mai driving.

Here's just one example: folks running a traffic light looooong after it has turned red. Like southbound Superhighway where it meets Huay Kaew Rd., and transitions to Nimmanhaemin.

For years, every day, I sat at the light facing east on Huay Kaew Rd., and cursed the thousands of people I saw running the light, long after it turned red.

Then I had an "ah-hah" moment, when I bought a car (still own 2 bikes) and tried to make a simple run to Tesco, and return same way through this same intersection to return home.

There is not only no traffic enforcement (police in their hut watching soaps, and barely paying attention to traffic flow), the switching of the lights is often utterly nonsensical.

I have been southbound, approaching this same intersection in my car, and waited in a long line for FOUR changes of the light, to get through and make a west bound turn on Huay Kaew. No wonder people run the light- their blood is boiling after driving 10 km in minutes, then waiting 20 minutes to advance 100 meters.

Part of this intersection's problem is indifferent drivers not paying attention, not closing up the gap on light changes, etc.

The major other part is that Nimmanhaemin has become an utter traffic nightmare, for dozens of reasons, and nothing is being done to alleviate it.

And everyone and their mother and their next door neighbor's mechanic seems to be headed that way for some reason.

Two humongous developments are being built at this very same intersection as we speak.

There is no traffic planning, zoning, or forward thinking that I can see.

It seems to be all about the here and now...and how much money we can make on the deal.

Enjoy your toot, and a Happy New Year to all.

[eyecatcher]

Actually we all decry the lack of good driving skills and road sense by the Thais; but today whilst bobbing and weaving around every car along Huay Kaew I realised that my driving skills have actually improved.

In the West we take for granted that 99% of drivers have some pretty good road and driving ability and whilst concentrating; maybe we can "slack" a tiny bit at times because the risk of an accident is slight.

Here, we have to think for ourselves and think for the unexpected, anticipating everything............4x4s breaking for a u turn, songthaews about to swerve to see if someone wants a ride..(or is it me wanting to cross the road), some dolly wondering where to hang her helmet from.

So my road perception and general skill has to be better.................so who cares about what they do, its about what we do and self preservation that counts.

[Ulysses G.]

No wonder people run the light- their blood is boiling after driving 10 km in minutes, then waiting 20 minutes to advance 100 meters.

This is often the problem at intersections. One idiot will block everyone from moving though the green light and they finally get a chance to move just as the light is changing.

[Pikey]

Maybe I'll get flamed for saying this but I have always said that "Thailand is like a veneer, it looks great on the surface but scratch it a little bit and you can see the ugliness underneath".

This applies to most aspects of living here and you just have to develop a thick skin. Even my (Thai) wife agrees when I say that Thai people are for the most part courteous and easy going but give them a pair of handlebars or a steering wheel and they become the most selfish, obnoxious bunch of p_ricks you'd ever want to encounter! Nothing will change that. Just don't be the first to take off from the lights (risk getting collected by a red light runner), or be the first to stop at a red (risk getting rear-ended by a pickup with the accelerator mashed to the floor).

Cheers & stay safe & sane,

Pikey.

[Rasseru]

Maybe I'll get flamed for saying this but I have always said that "Thailand is like a veneer, it looks great on the surface but scratch it a little bit and you can see the ugliness underneath".

You may get flamed but not by me. I merely add the observation that in the respect you mention Thailand is no different from any other human society that looks good, in whole or any of its parts.

[Dean1953]

I guess that I mis interpreted the unofficial thai driving rules a couple of years ago. Double and triple parking often occurs driving around the mote, just past thai pei gate (sp). A car was parked in the lane that I was driving in. So, as thai drivers do on the haighway to pass when cars are still coming from the other direction, I took half of the lane next to me and was able to pass. The cab driver took offense to that (the traffic was not heavy and he could have easily moved over a full lane) and got up next to me and started honking. I wouldn't acknowledge him, so he takes his car and acts like he is going to come over into my lane and crash into my car. He does pull back after making his point. I'm glad that my wife and infant son were in the car, as a certain amount of road rage came over me and I undoubtedly would have retaliated.

[Pikey]

Agree 50% Rass but would also opine that Thailand is somewhat different to other (more developed) countries in so much as the (general) IQ is lacking (due to poor schooling/crap TV soaps) which tends to make people react first and think later and promote the "it's all about me" philosophy rather than a more give and take attitude which is prevalent in the west. When was the last time you were "let in" to a traffic queue? ;-)

Also, now we are in the midst of the "7 dangerous days" so try to grow a few more pairs of eyes!

Cheers,

Pikey.

[Rasseru]

Hmmm. Our experiences are different then, Pikey. In general I find more of a give-and-take attitude here in Thailand than I have in the West, where I have never found it particularly prevalent.

[hellodolly]

Well at the risk of getting flamed I am going to give a pet peeve that has nothing to do with driving, In fact I wish they were driving.

I don't own a vehicle so it would be ludicrous for me to talk about it.

But I do walk a lot and my pet peeve is the way they park there motor bikes on the side walk. It is not that they park them on the side walk it is that they park them in such a way as you have to walk in the street to get around them. Same go's for the cars parked on the side walk.

So flame away you drivers just keep on rolling and I will be a happy walker.

To be honest I am a westerner and drove many years there and still do when I go back for visits. I can be sitting in the back of a tuck tuck or songhtel and feel a little bit of road rage. Ah the western upbringing never completely leaves us.

Not a peeve but I have noticed a lot of traffic jams and it seems like the Thai;s just sit there until it is over with out all the horn honking and what not. Just a patient lot. But when they get on an elevator the first thing they do is reach for the button to shut the door even if people are still getting on it.

Edited December 30, 2012 by hellodolly

[Rasseru]

But I do walk a lot and my pet peeve is the way they park there motor bikes on the side walk. It is not that they park them on the side walk it is that they park them in such a way as you have to walk in the street to get around them. Same go's for the cars parked on the side

You forget, I think, that Thais prefer never to walk outside, which makes it hard for them to realise that some other people might want to use a sidewalk for that purpose.

[DiamondKing]

Maybe I'll get flamed for saying this but I have always said that "Thailand is like a veneer, it looks great on the surface but scratch it a little bit and you can see the ugliness underneath".

This applies to most aspects of living here and you just have to develop a thick skin. Even my (Thai) wife agrees when I say that Thai people are for the most part courteous and easy going but give them a pair of handlebars or a steering wheel and they become the most selfish, obnoxious bunch of p_ricks you'd ever want to encounter! Nothing will change that. Just don't be the first to take off from the lights (risk getting collected by a red light runner), or be the first to stop at a red (risk getting rear-ended by a pickup with the accelerator mashed to the floor).

Cheers & stay safe & sane,

Pikey.

SPOT ON PIKEY I will share the flame heat with ya

Totally agree about the Veneer comment

DK

Edited December 30, 2012 by DiamondKing

[DiamondKing]

Hmmm. Our experiences are different then, Pikey. In general I find more of a give-and-take attitude here in Thailand than I have in the West, where I have never found it particularly prevalent.

REALLY

I can't possibly believe you are serious with that comment, do you drive a car ???

[hellodolly]

But I do walk a lot and my pet peeve is the way they park there motor bikes on the side walk. It is not that they park them on the side walk it is that they park them in such a way as you have to walk in the street to get around them. Same go's for the cars parked on the side

You forget, I think, that Thais prefer never to walk outside, which makes it hard for them to realise that some other people might want to use a sidewalk for that purpose.

Well what you say is true and as good of an excuse as we will find in Thailand that doesn't bother me it is the way they park cross ways where they could just as easily park length wise. Got to admit that so far the cars do park length wise. So far that is I know I will run into one that dosen't.

[rene123]

Well, I didn't get pissed as planned, but I enjoyed myself. I see everyone is adding their bit to the topic. After being in Thailand a while and talking to my mentor who knows far more than me, I've learned that many Thais do NOT plan any more than a few minutes in advance. Or, should I say, seconds. That means they don't even realize they are causing a problem by parking their car on a busy road at rush hour, or park right next to an intersection so nobody can make a turn. And, I agree with Dolly about sidewalks. All I have to ask is... "What sidewalks?" they are parking stalls for motorbikes, or extensions of store fronts.

And that Nimmenhamen area is a nightmare, as are the two major crossings at hwy 121, hwy 11 and Th Huai Kaeo road. I actually timed a wait at the light when I was first in line with my motorbike. I had my video camera going the whole time. It took 6 min 7 seconds for the light to turn green for our lane. I'm not sure how long a car would have had to wait at the same light.

[Rasseru]

. . . That doesn't bother me it is the way they park cross ways where they could just as easily park length wise . . .

As one of them myself, I understand the reason for that. You park length-wise you're almost certain to find your motorcycle well and truly blocked in by others on your return.

[Rasseru]

Hmmm. Our experiences are different then, Pikey. In general I find more of a give-and-take attitude here in Thailand than I have in the West, where I have never found it particularly prevalent.

REALLY

I can't possibly believe you are serious with that comment, do you drive a car ???

Yes, really, but no, I do not drive a car. However, my experience includes occasional rides in tuk tuks, songthaews and taxis, as well as daily use of motorcycles. In my nearly six years in Thailand, I have never experienced or witnessed any road rage. Once in a while slight annoyance, but no more than that.

Edited December 30, 2012 by Rasseru

[hml367]

Well, I didn't get pissed as planned, but I enjoyed myself. I see everyone is adding their bit to the topic. After being in Thailand a while and talking to my mentor who knows far more than me, I've learned that many Thais do NOT plan any more than a few minutes in advance. Or, should I say, seconds. That means they don't even realize they are causing a problem by parking their car on a busy road at rush hour, or park right next to an intersection so nobody can make a turn. And, I agree with Dolly about sidewalks. All I have to ask is... "What sidewalks?" they are parking stalls for motorbikes, or extensions of store fronts.

And that Nimmenhamen area is a nightmare, as are the two major crossings at hwy 121, hwy 11 and Th Huai Kaeo road. I actually timed a wait at the light when I was first in line with my motorbike. I had my video camera going the whole time. It took 6 min 7 seconds for the light to turn green for our lane. I'm not sure how long a car would have had to wait at the same light.

Maybe you can try and find out why Thais think as you think they do. Then maybe you can start to understand a little better why many things they do are not the way things are done "at home". It obviously does not bother Thai people as much as it does foreigners. One of the main things to try and understand is why Thai people (Buddhists) think "in the moment".

MSPain

[rene123]

Well, I didn't get pissed as planned, but I enjoyed myself. I see everyone is adding their bit to the topic. After being in Thailand a while and talking to my mentor who knows far more than me, I've learned that many Thais do NOT plan any more than a few minutes in advance. Or, should I say, seconds. That means they don't even realize they are causing a problem by parking their car on a busy road at rush hour, or park right next to an intersection so nobody can make a turn. And, I agree with Dolly about sidewalks. All I have to ask is... "What sidewalks?" they are parking stalls for motorbikes, or extensions of store fronts.

And that Nimmenhamen area is a nightmare, as are the two major crossings at hwy 121, hwy 11 and Th Huai Kaeo road. I actually timed a wait at the light when I was first in line with my motorbike. I had my video camera going the whole time. It took 6 min 7 seconds for the light to turn green for our lane. I'm not sure how long a car would have had to wait at the same light.

Maybe you can try and find out why Thais think as you think they do. Then maybe you can start to understand a little better why many things they do are not the way things are done "at home". It obviously does not bother Thai people as much as it does foreigners. One of the main things to try and understand is why Thai people (Buddhists) think "in the moment".

MSPain

Yes, they think in the moment... like when they ride a scooter at high speed down a narrow soi with no thought that something might be blocking their path. Buddha obviously told them that it was okay to do so. Or, when they completely block a road so they can carry on any business that they have in their mind at the moment... and with no regards to the people who they might inconvenience. It doesn't bother me because I have all the time in the world. Like I said, it's a minor pet peeve because I ride a scooter. It is just another fascinating thing about Thailand.

[PostmanPat]

Heres my "Pet Peeve". Collect up EVERY stray dog and incinerate them or sell them to the nearby Countries that eat them.

Hearless? Yes. I hate stroppy dogs and most dogs here are wild stroppy and uncontrollable!!

[junglechef]

I'm always amused when someone stops at the top of an escalator and just stands there sometimes looking around deciding which way to go and sometimes just resting after the exhausting ride up. I'm waiting for a cartoon like outcome one day. I actually was a Airport Plaza on a busy Sat. afternoon recently and a man was standing at the bottom blocking the way yelling up to his 20 something yr. old daughter who was standing right on the top with me stuck in the middle, she did say sorry in perfect English, as did her well dressed father did when I squeezed by them both, but neither moved out of the way or stopped their discussion. It's especially interesting when it's a modern situation, as it is with driving.

[thykeeper]

This doesn't annoy the locals until the full implications are realized when you're passing through a green light and almost get killed by a person breaking the law. Don't forget that people often jump the greens early also and just as often there is person speeding to fly through a just-turned red light.

People are either not annoyed enough, lack the means to affect change or just don't care because they haven't known a person they love die yet. From talking with Thai people about this they just aren't at a point in their collective history with cars where they're aware of the risk and ready to take on the challenge. The effort involved with making other people care and getting the laws/police to function properly is insurmountable so mae pen rai it until tomorrow.

As for parking people are more than often too lazy to walk literally seconds and no one ever complains so why care? There just isn't a mechanism in society (as far as I know) that allows Thais to communicate and affect change upon themselves. For example in the US I don't do rude things even when I the law isn't present because I'm afraid I'm going to get called out on it in public and have troubles.

The much bigger problem is the infrastructure in Chiang Mai simply doesn't exist to allow for cars parking properly. I pardon people for this because there is literally nothing you can do often. This country was never designed for cars so we can all expect the problems to get worse every single year.

[LarryBird]

how about 'ive waited long enough, I'm entitled to pull out now. ' or 'my car is parked, might as well throw my door into on-coming traffic'...or, 'i'll break this rule but not that one'

[rene123]

Good reply, thykeeper. I agree totally. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about it too much.

I can also identify with the escalator story. It's like some people have not embraced the modern world... except for their cel phones, which occupies their entire day. Today at breakfast I saw a young Thai couple (at least I think they were Thai) sitting right across from me, They had food in front of them, but neither were eating much. They were both too engrossed in texting to someone else. The guy was average looking but the girl was outsandingly beautiful. I doubt if they said 10 words to each other the whole time I was there. I can remember that when I was that young I would never have taken my eyes off my partner and we would just be giving each other dreamy "moon eye" looks. Not so today.

[Ulysses G.]

I can also identify with the escalator story. It's like some people have not embraced the modern world...

When they opened Kad Suan Gaew shopping center 20 years ago, a lot of Thais had never seen an escalator before. It took forever to get on it because they would stand in front of it until they felt brave and then hop on after a while. You don't see that much anymore.

[rene123]

Another good story, Ulysses. Thanks.