.....the area north of toyota pearl before isuzu on the main road to the airport.[been here 6 years and I have no idea what that area is called]..boat lagoon area...its where that huge traffic light gantry is that seems to serve very little purpose.

anyway they built a nice little overflow u turn before those lights..finally a good idea by the traffic planners... now they have blocked it off with cones and tyres.

TIT I guess!!

Maybe because those lights were installed mainly to facilitate u-turns. Another u-turn means no need for the lights which in turn could mean loss of face for some senior official(s).

That is only speculation.

In addition to the U turn, I thought it was for that piddly alley (soi) as well. Somebody with influence must live down that road. That light serves little purpose and causes all sorts of backup. It also seemed better before they upgraded it. TIT.

yes I also was under the impression that 'someone with influence' lived down one of those 'piddling little sois' too. these are the biggest traffic lights in Phuket for the smallest intersection in Phuket. the timing of these lights is also terrible and needlessly back up the traffic heading north way too much. the 'overflow U turn" worked well I thought.

IMO U turns on busy Thai highways and roads are the single most dangerous element

of all on Thai roads, there would be much less deaths on the roads here if they were all

closed.

If it saved one childs life or anyones life I would gladly drive a kilometer or few to the next

traffic lights or roundabout.

Maybe because those lights were installed mainly to facilitate u-turns. Another u-turn means no need for the lights which in turn could mean loss of face for some senior official(s).

That is only speculation.

OMG! You are applying logic to a Thai solution!

They went through the same thing with the U-turn in front of Supercheap about 5-6 years ago. The mayor at the time lived in the area. The U-turn remained closed until reopened by emergency workers on the night of the Great Conflagration.