Widening Of Beach Rd Started At North End

[UncleJ]

If a baht bus turning left at Walking Street keeps to the right side on Pattaya Tai, he is usually going to Jomtien.

I always catch a Jomtien baht bus there in the right lane before the stoplight and never at the school, 10bt..

I don't think the butheads that 'own' the school bus stop like to see them picking up here.

[NanLaew]

I noticed yet another problem with the plan--the baht bus drivers pick you up on beach road, turn left at the Walking Street sign, stop on the left, force passengers out and refuse to take them in the direction of Jomtien. . When they stop all of the traffic behind them stops too, creating a temporary traffic jam. No doubt the baht bus mafia thugs in front of the school have told them not to take passengers to Jomtien. Personally, I am sick of the baht bus mafia. The City could take action to change the situation, but they refuse to do it.

The baht bus drivers try to get 10 baht per leg. That location is a hub. You want a 10 baht ride to Jomtien from Beach Rd ?

Try going down to Phuket and experience the baht bus rides in that fine city. When you return here you will think Patters baht bus rides are very cost effective and run like a fine watch.

I have some trouble with baht bus rides but after I walk my ass off for awhile I get back on and shut up.

You also baited me off topic !

No, I do not expect to pay 10 baht from Beach Road to Jomtien and did not say that. Knowing what I know about prices, that trip should cost 20 baht. I do not care what the situation in Phuket is relative to here. I think the flow of traffic is central to this topic. From the beginning I have forseen a problem: widening Beach Rd. will lead to more traffic, which will cause a major traffic jam as your turn left before the Walking Street sign. Now I see another related problem: bhat bus drivers stopping and blocking traffic after turning left at Walking St. and before Second Road. One solution would be to get them to not stop.........in other words, turn right and go all the way to Jomtien (20 baht would be a fair price........but the mafia will probably not allow that to happen).

Yes, but what about the people that want to turn left onto second road or want to go ahead on Tai? Not everyone wants to turn right and go to Jomtien. The baht buses run on the same circular routes they always have, Beach, Second and Jomtien with the odd foray along Third or up Klang, Nua and up to Naklua. Anything other than that is a direct hire and needs negotiating. As mentioned earlier, the traffic lights at the school are a taxi 'hub' and when you see your taxi from Beach is in the wrong lane, you ring the bell and he stops and you get off and pay him. Then you go get another taxi from the 'mafia stand' or walk a bit a flag one down. Two fares: 10 baht + 10 baht = 20 baht with a bit of exercise and jaywalking to keep you agile!

[Awohalitsiktoli]

I noticed yet another problem with the plan--the baht bus drivers pick you up on beach road, turn left at the Walking Street sign, stop on the left, force passengers out and refuse to take them in the direction of Jomtien. . When they stop all of the traffic behind them stops too, creating a temporary traffic jam. No doubt the baht bus mafia thugs in front of the school have told them not to take passengers to Jomtien. Personally, I am sick of the baht bus mafia. The City could take action to change the situation, but they refuse to do it.

The baht bus drivers try to get 10 baht per leg. That location is a hub. You want a 10 baht ride to Jomtien from Beach Rd ?

Try going down to Phuket and experience the baht bus rides in that fine city. When you return here you will think Patters baht bus rides are very cost effective and run like a fine watch.

I have some trouble with baht bus rides but after I walk my ass off for awhile I get back on and shut up.

You also baited me off topic !

No, I do not expect to pay 10 baht from Beach Road to Jomtien and did not say that. Knowing what I know about prices, that trip should cost 20 baht. I do not care what the situation in Phuket is relative to here. I think the flow of traffic is central to this topic. From the beginning I have forseen a problem: widening Beach Rd. will lead to more traffic, which will cause a major traffic jam as your turn left before the Walking Street sign. Now I see another related problem: bhat bus drivers stopping and blocking traffic after turning left at Walking St. and before Second Road. One solution would be to get them to not stop.........in other words, turn right and go all the way to Jomtien (20 baht would be a fair price........but the mafia will probably not allow that to happen).

Yes, but what about the people that want to turn left onto second road or want to go ahead on Tai? Not everyone wants to turn right and go to Jomtien. The baht buses run on the same circular routes they always have, Beach, Second and Jomtien with the odd foray along Third or up Klang, Nua and up to Naklua. Anything other than that is a direct hire and needs negotiating. As mentioned earlier, the traffic lights at the school are a taxi 'hub' and when you see your taxi from Beach is in the wrong lane, you ring the bell and he stops and you get off and pay him. Then you go get another taxi from the 'mafia stand' or walk a bit a flag one down. Two fares: 10 baht + 10 baht = 20 baht with a bit of exercise and jaywalking to keep you agile!

You are right. Some people do not want to go to Jomtien. The real issue is that the baht buses are stopping and blocking traffic. How to fix that? I am not sure. In my country people can take one look at the "buses" and know the direction they are going. Here, you really do not know, unless they are in the right lane and do not move to the left, then you do know they are going to Jomtien. Whatever, I predict a traffic jam right before the turn (by the Walking Street sign) and immediately after. The design is funneling cars into a narrow space. FUBAR.

[CRUNCHER]

Thought this thread was about the widening of Beach Road and not Baht buses going to Jomtien.

[wwex]

You are right. Some people do not want to go to Jomtien. The real issue is that the baht buses are stopping and blocking traffic. How to fix that? I am not sure. In my country people can take one look at the "buses" and know the direction they are going. Here, you really do not know, unless they are in the right lane and do not move to the left, then you do know they are going to Jomtien. Whatever, I predict a traffic jam right before the turn (by the Walking Street sign) and immediately after. The design is funneling cars into a narrow space. FUBAR.

go down in the evening and you will see your prediction is a little conservative, the traffic jam goes back to at least royal garden and high season isnt here yet. tourists sitting in the back of baht busses breathing fumes making slower progress then pedestrians, who are also breathing fumes now that they have a traffic jam right next to them

[CRUNCHER]

You are right. Some people do not want to go to Jomtien. The real issue is that the baht buses are stopping and blocking traffic. How to fix that? I am not sure. In my country people can take one look at the "buses" and know the direction they are going. Here, you really do not know, unless they are in the right lane and do not move to the left, then you do know they are going to Jomtien. Whatever, I predict a traffic jam right before the turn (by the Walking Street sign) and immediately after. The design is funneling cars into a narrow space. FUBAR.

go down in the evening and you will see your prediction is a little conservative, the traffic jam goes back to at least royal garden and high season isnt here yet. tourists sitting in the back of baht busses breathing fumes making slower progress then pedestrians, who are also breathing fumes now that they have a traffic jam right next to them

The traffic jam has always been a problem and is worse in high season. The problem is parking, baht buses stopping and the timing of the lights at South Road/Second Road junction. This should be dealt with, but has nothing to do with the widening of Beach Road.

[wwex]

You are right. Some people do not want to go to Jomtien. The real issue is that the baht buses are stopping and blocking traffic. How to fix that? I am not sure. In my country people can take one look at the "buses" and know the direction they are going. Here, you really do not know, unless they are in the right lane and do not move to the left, then you do know they are going to Jomtien. Whatever, I predict a traffic jam right before the turn (by the Walking Street sign) and immediately after. The design is funneling cars into a narrow space. FUBAR.

go down in the evening and you will see your prediction is a little conservative, the traffic jam goes back to at least royal garden and high season isnt here yet. tourists sitting in the back of baht busses breathing fumes making slower progress then pedestrians, who are also breathing fumes now that they have a traffic jam right next to them

The traffic jam has always been a problem and is worse in high season. The problem is parking, baht buses stopping and the timing of the lights at South Road/Second Road junction. This should be dealt with, but has nothing to do with the widening of Beach Road.

it has quite a lot to do with it, for one thing you now have to walk right next to the jam on a narrow path, and I dont recall there being a constant jam down to royal garden before they did this, maybe I didnt notice it because I wasnt walking 6 feet away from it but Im pretty sure it wasnt that jammed, its caused by adding an extra lane but then merging it back into two lanes at soi 13/4, they can solve it by not allowing parking after soi 13/4 but thats a very small job so if they cant do it now to solve the problem I doubt they will do it ever, but who knows. if they dont do it then adding the extar lane from pattaya klang was a pointless idea

[fforest1]

From day one people were screaming on all the Pattaya forums what a stupid and pointless

idea it was to put in another lane that dead ends at walking street..

I really wonder if the planners of this project or any one at city hall ever even goes to the beach?

Reads any of the forums or gives a rats ass about beach road or the beach in any way...

Like how bloody hard would it be to have a trash pick up crew walk the beach a few times a week?
If any one from city hall ever went to the beach they might notice most of the shade trees have

been cut down and there is no where to sit ect.....

[UncleJ]

The widening of the road was to relieve traffic?

It would have been smarter to not set up those vendor tents on the road during the busy weekends.

And what about the vehicles parked in the left lane?

That lane could have been opened up too.

So the city already had 2 extra lanes but chooses to block them and orders the trees cut down and add another lane?

Something's wrong.

[threelegcowboy]

The widening of the road was to relieve traffic?

It would have been smarter to not set up those vendor tents on the road during the busy weekends.

And what about the vehicles parked in the left lane?

That lane could have been opened up too.

So the city already had 2 extra lanes but chooses to block them and orders the trees cut down and add another lane?

Something's wrong.

It was all about how many More tents can we get near Beach. They will fill the Beach Walkway with more tents and then the road. More tents more $/Baht.

Maybe start a contest to guess how many tents will be at the next festable.

[wwex]

I hope the extra lane is for tents, much prefer them to buses

[thaibeachlovers]

The widening of the road was to relieve traffic?

It would have been smarter to not set up those vendor tents on the road during the busy weekends.

And what about the vehicles parked in the left lane?

That lane could have been opened up too.

So the city already had 2 extra lanes but chooses to block them and orders the trees cut down and add another lane?

Something's wrong.

Perhaps you are new to Pattaya? Little that comes out of city hall is for the benefit of the population, nudge nudge, know what I mean?

[fforest1]

The widening of the road was to relieve traffic?

It would have been smarter to not set up those vendor tents on the road during the busy weekends.

And what about the vehicles parked in the left lane?

That lane could have been opened up too.

So the city already had 2 extra lanes but chooses to block them and orders the trees cut down and add another lane?

Something's wrong.

Perhaps you are new to Pattaya? Little that comes out of city hall is for the benefit of the population, nudge nudge, know what I mean?

I have to agree with this....

The new beach road is really beyond hope...But its just plain shameful that tourist fly

half way around the world to end up sitting on sandbags on the glorious new

promenade..After 8 months still no seating...

[thaibeachlovers]

The widening of the road was to relieve traffic?

It would have been smarter to not set up those vendor tents on the road during the busy weekends.

And what about the vehicles parked in the left lane?

That lane could have been opened up too.

So the city already had 2 extra lanes but chooses to block them and orders the trees cut down and add another lane?

Something's wrong.

Perhaps you are new to Pattaya? Little that comes out of city hall is for the benefit of the population, nudge nudge, know what I mean?

I have to agree with this....

The new beach road is really beyond hope...But its just plain shameful that tourist fly

half way around the world to end up sitting on sandbags on the glorious new

promenade..After 8 months still no seating...

It would be pointless to provide seating that wasn't built in, and that would have had to be done at the construction phase. Some years back, thieves were stealing metal man hole covers for scrap, so moveable seating would just be stolen, or moved to where the vendors could comandeer them permanently. Either way, now there is no built in seating, there will never be any seating, IMO.

It's a Claytons walkway.

[kimchibob]

Installing what looks to be new solar powered street lighting. This is just south of Soi 1. Also note, imbedded anchor bolts (I assume for seating) has been protected with engineer tape.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[morrobay]

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect Thailand1383799334.458944.jpg

Installing what looks to be new solar powered street lighting. This is just south of Soi 1. Also note, imbedded anchor bolts (I assume for seating) has been protected with engineer tape.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

No, those embedded bolts in the soi 1 to soi 5 area are way way to small for any kind of bench anchor. 1/4" by 3" high.

[ARGUSEYE]

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect Thailand1383799334.458944.jpg

Installing what looks to be new solar powered street lighting. This is just south of Soi 1. Also note, imbedded anchor bolts (I assume for seating) has been protected with engineer tape.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

No, those embedded bolts in the soi 1 to soi 5 area are way way to small for any kind of bench anchor. 1/4" by 3" high.

Correct, those bolts are too small to hold seating. And protecting them NOW is a bit late, since half of them are damaged and bent already .

[toenail]

The city officials need to put a billboard up showing which company received the contract for the various renovations on the Beach Rd promenade and widening of the road. Who ever did the widening of the road certainly did not have a clue about drainage. Now when there is a gentle rain all day (such as yesterday) the new lane starts to flood since the drains fill up and do not empty quickly. -And when there are heavy downpours, the water flows across the flat, leveled walkway down into the beach area eroding the beach. (smart guys) Sad Sad while the "amateurs" were digging up the promenade for the new lane they didn't do it correct in the first place...oh well,this is Pattaya. (no pro-active thinking)

[threelegcowboy]

All those bolts sticking up from the pave stones possibly for monting signs. In the past I thought this might be signs for direction etc. Now I am guessing they are for advertisments. Money number one.

[fforest1]

All those bolts sticking up from the pave stones possibly for monting signs. In the past I thought this might be signs for direction etc. Now I am guessing they are for advertisments. Money number one.

I wonder why the bolts are only on the north end of the beach?

[thailien8]

The amount of litter, trash, garbage that is carelessly thrown away on the beach promenade is so unsightly. Bottles, straws, cigarette packs, bottle caps, plastic bags, cigarette butts, and lots more.... I cannot fathom why people seem to think that the trees can be used as garbage tips, especially when there are numerous dumpsters all along the promenade. It would be simple and cheap for the city to hire a few workers whose job it is to pick up the litter and put it into the dumpsters. Maybe the Thais don't care what their city looks like, but I'd think Westerners who are used to cleaner streets find this ugliness a reason to go elsewhere on holiday.

[JSixpack]

Maybe the Thais don't care what their city looks like

I think you're onto something there. Hold that thought; it may lead to yet more insight.

, but I'd think Westerners who are used to cleaner streets find this ugliness a reason to go elsewhere on holiday.

Whoops, after such a promising start. No, Pattaya has some other charms that are more than reason enough to come here for a holiday. Hang around awhile and learn what they are.

[phycokiller]

The amount of litter, trash, garbage that is carelessly thrown away on the beach promenade is so unsightly. Bottles, straws, cigarette packs, bottle caps, plastic bags, cigarette butts, and lots more.... I cannot fathom why people seem to think that the trees can be used as garbage tips, especially when there are numerous dumpsters all along the promenade. It would be simple and cheap for the city to hire a few workers whose job it is to pick up the litter and put it into the dumpsters. Maybe the Thais don't care what their city looks like, but I'd think Westerners who are used to cleaner streets find this ugliness a reason to go elsewhere on holiday.

I have been informed by a number of Thais on the beach that Thai people never drop litter, its the farang

[toenail]

I see Thais placing their empty plastic

and foam containers on the walkway

next to trees or along the curb. Is this

what they do in Isaan? True, there is

a bin just a short distance away but they

do not care. Truthfully, I see very few

farangs dropping their garbage next to

trees or on the ground.

[thailien8]

Maybe the Thais don't care what their city looks like

I think you're onto something there. Hold that thought; it may lead to yet more insight.

, but I'd think Westerners who are used to cleaner streets find this ugliness a reason to go elsewhere on holiday.

Whoops, after such a promising start. No, Pattaya has some other charms that are more than reason enough to come here for a holiday. Hang around awhile and learn what they are.

Mr. Sixpack,

I know quite well about the other charms that Pattaya has to offer. They are why I have been living here for a year already, after living and working in Bangkok for twenty years. Both cities have lots of charms that I hope to continue enjoying in my fortunate retirement.

Still, no matter how long I continue to live here as an expat, I will never get used to the horrible littering problem that is so evident on Pattaya's beachfront promenade. I've seen both Thais and farangs littering. I would say that both are equally guilty. Maybe this freedom to litter is part of what attracts some farangs to vacation and live here. After all, what could be more convenient than to just toss whatever trash one has in hand, on the ground, no worries, no problems, just go on your merry way. Who cares about the environment anyway? Not my problem, right?

Perhaps environmentally-aware Westerners like me are no longer significant in Pattaya. Perhaps the many tour groups from Asian countries who are currently flocking to Pattaya could care less what Pattaya's beach promenade looks like. Perhaps all they care about is how their photo on the plastic photo dish looks like, when they come back from their boat tour to wherever they go in their group tours.

After all, the tour groups from China must think that Pattaya is a paradise of fresh air and sea breezes, after briefly escaping from the air-polluted hells of Beijing, Harbin, Hong Kong, etc.

Maybe they are right.

[JSixpack]

Perhaps environmentally-aware Westerners like me are no longer significant in Pattaya.

What gave you the idea they ever have been significant?

Disgruntled farangs have always had such an amusing inflated sense of their own importance.

Well, you've only been here a year.

[Mobi]

There is no doubt that by any standards, Thailand’s tourist industry is an important contributor to its overall economy.

But just to put into prospective, tourism represents between 6.5 % to 7.3 % of GDP (depending on where you get your stats from) as compared to say, manufacturing at over 40% and agriculture at 13%

Tourism in the UK, at 6.5 % of its GDP, is not dissimilar to Thailand’s percentage of GDP, yet you don’t hear everyone screaming gloom and doom every time something happens that might displease all the tourists being charged exorbitant sums to traipse around the Tower of London.

It is what it is, and no matter what they do to Beach Road, people will still come regardless, if it is the holiday destination they have set their hearts on.

In all the years I have been coming to and living in Thailand, which dates back to the early 1970’s, I cannot recall a single year when the number of tourists has actually dropped. Even through all those riots and airport seizure a couple of years ago, there was barely a dent in the tourist numbers.

Like most of you, I deplore and decry what the venal city authorities are doing to Beach Road, and from day one I predicted that it will all end in grief, as far as the aesthetic ambiance of the road and beach are concerned.

But quite frankly, you could turn the whole of Beach road into one enormous great rubbish dump and I seriously doubt if it would have much impact on the number of tourists coming to Pattaya. Sure some will be hacked off and never come back, but for every one that leaves in high dudgeon, there will be many more to replace them.

If the beach becomes a total shambolic mess, then the tourists who wish to romp in the sand will go to Jomtien, Naklua, Dongtan, Wong Amart and all the other, countless beaches along this part of the eastern seaboard coast.

And of course, let’s not forget that vast majority of the tourists are no more interested in sunbathing on the dangerous, filthy beaches and dipping their toes in the polluted waves of Pattaya, than I am of moving back to a cold, wet and windy temperate climate. Their trips to Pattaya have other, more titillating activities in mind.

In fact, the much toted government pronouncements to take ‘Pattaya up-market will simply result in more and more tourists bathing in the beautiful clean pools provided by the 5 star hotels, and if they wish to dumb down and go to a real beach, and join the great unwashed in the Gulf of Thailand, there are plenty of other beaches they can go to within a short drive of central Pattaya.

My long term prediction – which I made in this forum some years back - is that one day, ‘Walking Street’ will be closed down and moved lock stock and barrel to a more discrete part of town – quite possibly east of Sukhumvit on the so-called ‘Darkside’.

Most of the businesses on the beach side of Walking Street are there illegally and block the beach which is supposed to have public access.

Eventually the ‘establishment legal billionaires’, (as opposed to the Mafia-infested illegal billionaires), will take over the whole strip and turn the current Walking Street into an area of high class, 4 & 5 star resorts and open the beach back up.

When that happens, it won’t be long before Beach Road receives yet another make-over, probably financed by the tycoons who by then will own the resorts and will have a vested interest in what happens on their door step.

It may not happen in my life time, but rest assured Walking Street’s days are numbered – it’s just a question of when - not if.

[wwex]

if I could find a tropical city beach resort thats like Pattaya but has seats on the beach I would move there tomorrow

[JSixpack]

if I could find a tropical city beach resort thats like Pattaya but has seats on the beach I would move there tomorrow

That's like Pattaya.

There is none, of course. Just another way of saying you want seats on the beach in Pattaya. May your wish someday be fulfilled.

[wwex]

if I could find a tropical city beach resort thats like Pattaya but has seats on the beach I would move there tomorrow

That's like Pattaya.

There is none, of course. Just another way of saying you want seats on the beach in Pattaya. May your wish someday be fulfilled.

I havent given up on the seats yet, its was only five years ago they had the plastic circular ones that sat on three round legs and every time a farang tried sitting on them they landed on their ass on the pavement, in any other city the counsel would have been sued but in Pattaya it was free entertainment for the ladies