Heaving With Traffic And People Today....

[pattayadingo]

We went out in the searing heat today to Jomtien for a sit and some iced tea and then onto Big Buddha before heading off up Sukhumvit road.

Yes, I know it is a holiday for some, but even so, I've never seen it this busy before with traffic queuing down the hill to turn right into Jomtien to head for the beach. Jomtien Beach road with traffic at a crawl along the full length. Nowhere to park a car with plenty of double parking going on too.

Sukhumvit road nose to tail along its length too.

Big Buddha was one of the few places that seemed to have very few people.

Thank heavens for a m/c. I'd hate to have had to be one of those thousands of people stuck inside their cars for the holiday.

[craigt3365]

Sukhumvit was packed today. Pretty much the worse I've ever seen. Bumper to bumper down here by the Ambassador. Crazy.

[jbrain]

They create the trouble themselves.

Went home at 6.30pm northwards from central pattaya on sukhumvith.

Past the traffic lights from Soi SCC a traffic jam of 1 km as they can't manage to get onto the ramp of the highway. Four cars involved in an accident in front of Boonthavorn, insurrance filling the documents already

Just passed the whole queue and went on the ramp as usual since they were using only the right hand lane of the 2 driving lanes.When entered the ramp two cars next to each other at 10Km/h and nothing in front of them.

Once on the highway all the Somchai's taking day out on the right hand driving lane at 50Km/h, left hand driving lanes open field.

These are the days that I wish I am driving an army tank.

When they gonna enforce traffic rules overhere ?

Oops I forgot, if they do that there are no cars on the road anymore.

Edited May 1, 2013 by jbrain

[talk2sam]

Damn pattaya I came in yesterday and its been hell as regards traffic. I am on a terrible traffic on sukhumvit road as I type. Thaivisa is my favorite pastime.

[hotandhumid]

Worse I've ever seen here. Even part of the railway road on dark was bumper to bumper on some of the stretch.

Obscene.

I won't go into town at the weekend now, this place is beginning to remind me of bkk and it's only going to get worse.

[JaiLai]

Worse I've ever seen here. Even part of the railway road on dark was bumper to bumper on some of the stretch.

Obscene.

I won't go into town at the weekend now, this place is beginning to remind me of bkk and it's only going to get worse.

Yip, me too - it's really horrible trying to get about in a car nowadays!

[Gone]

I agree the railway rd North of SSCC was horrific. I also agree with the traffic being the worst I have seen here. went and bought a Motorcycle today. That should help for shopping and getting around. The truck just doesn't cut it these days. Don't have grey hair yet and don't want it. hahaha

[OMGImInPattaya]

Worse I've ever seen here. Even part of the railway road on dark was bumper to bumper on some of the stretch.

Obscene.

I won't go into town at the weekend now, this place is beginning to remind me of bkk and it's only going to get worse.

Yip, me too - it's really horrible trying to get about in a car nowadays!

Yes, and it doesn't help that there are as many tour busses on the roads as song tows these days...attempting to wind their way down tiny sois and making turns/u-turns at intersections that are too small to accommodate them causing traffic backups around every corner!

It's really becoming unbearable and making the quality of life for residents quickly going downhill.

[jbrain]

Worse I've ever seen here. Even part of the railway road on dark was bumper to bumper on some of the stretch.

Obscene.

I won't go into town at the weekend now, this place is beginning to remind me of bkk and it's only going to get worse.

Yip, me too - it's really horrible trying to get about in a car nowadays!

Yes, and it doesn't help that there are as many tour busses on the roads as song tows these days...attempting to wind their way down tiny sois and making turns/u-turns at intersections that are too small to accommodate them causing traffic backups around every corner!

It's really becoming unbearable and making the quality of life for residents quickly going downhill.

You probably have also noticed that the hotels that accomodate those Chinese and Russian tours are ALWAYS located in a difficult to access road. Same for the attractions they have included in their tour packages.

[jbrain]

Damn pattaya I came in yesterday and its been hell as regards traffic. I am on a terrible traffic on sukhumvit road as I type. Thaivisa is my favorite pastime.

I hate those people obstructing traffic flow while they're posting messages on Thaivisa.

[talk2sam]

Damn pattaya I came in yesterday and its been hell as regards traffic. I am on a terrible traffic on sukhumvit road as I type. Thaivisa is my favorite pastime.

I hate those people obstructing traffic flow while they're posting messages on Thaivisa.

Guilty but cars weren't moving though.. I needed comic relief..lol

[guzzi850m2]

I agree the railway rd North of SSCC was horrific. I also agree with the traffic being the worst I have seen here. went and bought a Motorcycle today. That should help for shopping and getting around. The truck just doesn't cut it these days. Don't have grey hair yet and don't want it. hahaha

Yes motor bike is the way to go, we use the truck for driving our boy to/from school but when my wife and I go alone it's scooter 90% of the time.

Yesterday we got caught in the Sukhumvit traffic when picking up our boy from school and it was really bad, it doesn't look good for the future if cars continue to increase in numbers each year, some might even choose to leave on that grounds.

[sharecropper]

ANother contribution to the "worst I've ever seen" discussion. Songkran aside, in the last 10 years I have never seen traffic like last night. I took a motorbike from Jomtien to Royal Garden at 9pm, and there was a three lane stationary traffic jam stretching from the PRATUMNAK JUNCTION all the way down Thappraya Road into town. I couldn't believe it.

[DiNiro]

My wife informs me, May 1st., the schools dispense 400bt to the students for school supplies.

The parents must personally go to see the teacher and receive the allowance, then must go shopping and then return to the school again to show the receipts.

Could be a reason for the traffic.

She also said the parents fake the receipts and the teachers are in in it.

Imagine that.

[fakename]

It would probably help the traffic situation, if the government gave another tax rebate for new car buyers! We need more cars. Maybe next year, they will give rebates to tour companies, for bigger and higher buses. I just love the way they block 4 lanes of traffic, to make a U-turn. At least there will be a nice parking lane on Beach Rd soon.

[johng]

They also closed Central Pattaya road from the junction of Second road to the beach...

so everyone coming from Sukhumvit had to turn right and head up to the round about.......why ????????

The traffic yesterday was almost as bad as Wun Lai ( Aprill 19th Songran )

After we escaped the Central festival carpark at about 6pm heading back to Na Jomtien along Sukhumvit

the opposite carraigeway was a 12 KM jam

[Guderian]

I went to Tesco Lotus South Pattaya in the afternoon and I've never seen it so busy. Full of people buying school clothes for their kids and probably enjoying being in the air conditioning. The check-out queues were horrendous, the worst I've seen there.

Then it was on to Jomtien Beach for a beer. Thepprasit was even more ting tong than usual. The queue from the traffic lights at Jomtien/Thappraya ran all the way back to soi 17. I cut through there and down to Beach Road Soi 7, and the traffic along the whole of the Beach Road must have been averaging about 1 km/hour.

To get back to the Rompho bar beers I was daft enough to do it properly and drive down the new Second Road towards Thappraya to use the U-turn there. Gridlock at the stupid 3-way junction which for some reason has no traffic lights and no prioritisation. So everybody decided it was his right of way and the whole thing was gummed up. I've never seen traffic that bad here before.

[i claudius]

The wise Council of Chimps - in addition to allowing more tour buses, closed the southbound portion of the Dolphin traffic circle- which made thing much worse yesterday. Thanks Simian Savants!

Chuckels the urban planner.jpg

Please do not compare the council to chimps ,its like saying Thai drivers have the brains of chimps ,and its unfair to them ,the chimps that is .

[yoslim]

With the constant price hikes and all the tourists who insist on paying the same price as back home via tipping more and more low class thais can afford a car, it's just starting.. in a few years pattaya will be like bangkok, daily traffic jams

[pattayadingo]

Great to hear of so many other people having fun in the traffic

i have visions of all the people outside of Pattaya coming here for a day out at the seaside, with ideas of lazing on the beach, maybe having a cool beer and a swim and having to spend their holiday sat in their air con cars / trucks while stuck in a traffic jam.

How was your day out in Pattaya, Somchai?

[NanLaew]

It would probably help the traffic situation, if the government gave another tax rebate for new car buyers! We need more cars. Maybe next year, they will give rebates to tour companies, for bigger and higher buses. I just love the way they block 4 lanes of traffic, to make a U-turn. At least there will be a nice parking lane on Beach Rd soon.

... you mean a nice, EMPTY parking lane no?

[NanLaew]

Yes, the Labour Day holiday on Wednesday and Coronation Day on Sunday (so that's Monday buggered), sees another long weekend for the indolent locals to flood the streets with their shiny new, tax-free cars and pickups.

Finding accommodations on agoda for this weekend takes a bit more research knowing that the place is mostly gridlocked.

[joepattaya1961]

Another happy topic on traffic in Pattaya.

Reading all posts I only conclude one thing: at all "hot-spots" police was involved in traffic-flow-management, for sure!!

[pattayadingo]

Another happy topic on traffic in Pattaya.

Reading all posts I only conclude one thing: at all "hot-spots" police was involved in traffic-flow-management, for sure!!

I don't think I saw one single policeman yesterday and certainly none directing traffic and making music with their whistles whilst doing the latest arm dance. Maybe they had a day off from collecting tea money?

[NanLaew]

Another happy topic on traffic in Pattaya.

Reading all posts I only conclude one thing: at all "hot-spots" police was involved in traffic-flow-management, for sure!!

I don't think I saw one single policeman yesterday and certainly none directing traffic and making music with their whistles whilst doing the latest arm dance. Maybe they had a day off from collecting tea money?

No, they were actively involved with the traffic snarl. They come out mid-morning (before it gets too hot), and set up the barriers that blocked access from 2nd to Beach at klang and the blocked inbound from Naklua traffic from going down to the beach (that's a regular weekend 'fix' btw) Dolphin Roundabout as well as other hot-spots where they can't be arsed to have someone waving his arms and blowing a whistle. That is Pattaya-style traffic management! They have barriers to prevent traffic crossing over south road at Tai 16/Kophai 4 but all that does is make the north-south motorcycle traffic just do u-turns at each end of the barrier. Madness!

[besth]

I agree the railway rd North of SSCC was horrific. I also agree with the traffic being the worst I have seen here. went and bought a Motorcycle today. That should help for shopping and getting around. The truck just doesn't cut it these days. Don't have grey hair yet and don't want it. hahaha

Yes motor bike is the way to go, we use the truck for driving our boy to/from school but when my wife and I go alone it's scooter 90% of the time.

Yesterday we got caught in the Sukhumvit traffic when picking up our boy from school and it was really bad, it doesn't look good for the future if cars continue to increase in numbers each year, some might even choose to leave on that grounds.

I have also started using the motorcycle again for almost everything, despite the heat. What is annoying is police stopping me almost every day. No hassle for tea money, they check tax, insurance and license and I'm sent on my way, but still a pain to have it happen on a daily basis.

If they don't do something about the tour buses, soon the traffic will be as bad as in Bangkok.

[pattayadingo]

Another happy topic on traffic in Pattaya.

Reading all posts I only conclude one thing: at all "hot-spots" police was involved in traffic-flow-management, for sure!!

I don't think I saw one single policeman yesterday and certainly none directing traffic and making music with their whistles whilst doing the latest arm dance. Maybe they had a day off from collecting tea money?

No, they were actively involved with the traffic snarl. They come out mid-morning (before it gets too hot), and set up the barriers that blocked access from 2nd to Beach at klang and the blocked inbound from Naklua traffic from going down to the beach (that's a regular weekend 'fix' btw) Dolphin Roundabout as well as other hot-spots where they can't be arsed to have someone waving his arms and blowing a whistle. That is Pattaya-style traffic management! They have barriers to prevent traffic crossing over south road at Tai 16/Kophai 4 but all that does is make the north-south motorcycle traffic just do u-turns at each end of the barrier. Madness!

Fair enough. I did not venture near Pattaya Beach road. I'd already decided it (traffic) was bad enough in Jomtien and also on Sukhumvit. The nearest I got to Klang was dropping into the Shagwell on Arunothai for a coffee for me and a tea for the other half.

I found that it is great when you know a lot of the side roads in Pattaya, especially when out on the m/c. Amazing how fast you can get about even on the busy days.

[i claudius]

we never go into Pattaya at weekends any longer , just stay local ,and as for getting a m/bike ,not in a million years ,i would rather stick a pineapple up my bum ,well not a large one.

[jbrain]

Another happy topic on traffic in Pattaya.

Reading all posts I only conclude one thing: at all "hot-spots" police was involved in traffic-flow-management, for sure!!

traffic-flow-management

Is that the new word for obstruction these days ?

[chris2004]

Wait until they finish the several thousand condos they are building around Jomtien. It will be quicker to walk.