Phuket Countdown to confusion

[webfact]

Phuket Countdown to confusion
Phuket Gazette


Deadline for completion of the 187-million-baht Phuket project is October 15. Photo: Supplied

PHUKET: -- The Phuket Gazette has learned that Phuket has been named as the pilot province for a nationwide project that will eventually see all “countdown” traffic lights retrofitted to show Thai numerals instead of the more popular Arabic numbers currently used in most countries, including Thailand.

Deadline for completion of the 187-million-baht Phuket project is October 15.

The move is just the latest in a series of initiatives to increase the popularity of Thai numbers, which have largely been supplanted by their Arabic counterparts throughout Thailand in recent decades.

To reverse the trend, the Education Ministry in 2003 ordered all government schools to use Thai numerals in mathematics classes, and ministries now use them exclusively in official documents.

Last year, the trend began to catch on with the Department of Traffic Management, which approved and allocated the budget for the Phuket retrofit early last month, justifying the cost on the basis of the large number of traffic lights (112) in the province; the need to re-code the software used to control the countdowns; and the importance of preserving Thai culture.

News of the move has apparently received a mixed reaction.

Apart from the relatively high expense (approx US$52,000 for each of the imported devices), there is concern over the disruptions to traffic at the intersections where the work will be done, and the fact that this work has been scheduled for the rainy season when roads can be slippery.

The South Thailand Tourist Bureau notes that some of the many foreign tourists and expats on the island could have difficulty in reading Thai numerals. On an average day, the number of foreigners in Phuket is approximately 1.6 times the number of Thais, the bureau points out.

Contacted by the Gazette for comment, the owner of a popular Thai restaurant told this reporter, under condition of anonymity, that he fears increased exposure of foreigners to Thai numerals might “jeopardize the ability of local business owners to maintain secret double pricing schemes.” Such schemes provide for one price for Thais and another (much higher) one for foreigners.

And some local politicians say that the introduction of countdown traffic lights in the last decade has done little to improve the ever-worsening traffic congestion on Phuket, which is also renowned for its appalling traffic safety record. Thailand ranks among the world's worst countries in terms of road injury and fatality rates, these politicians say, noting that much of the blame for this lies in the use of “foreign” [Arabic] numbers in the countdown boxes.

But Jason Siebert, a long-term expat from the Australian city of Cairns, told the Gazette that, “It won’t make any difference because motorists here rarely stop at traffic lights. It just doesn’t matter what kind of numerals are used.”

In fairness to all motorists, Thai and foreign, the Provincial Roads Department has today announced a public hearing on the issue. “We want to give road users ample time to formulate and express an opinion,” says Somboon Maisohnjai, chief of the department. “So the hearing won't be held until tomorrow, at 3:15pm, on James Bond Island.”

The chief notes that tomorrow is April Fools Day. “So don't believe everything you read in the Phuket Gazette,” he concluded.

— Mongmaihen Maidaiyin

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Phuket-Countdown-confusion/29000


-- Phuket Gazette 2014-03-31

[londonthai]

as the most english speaking place in thailand they are bound to have thai numerals, as the arabic ones are virtually unknown here

[Jdietz]

They're a day early.

[EvilDrSomkid]

They're a day early.

That was my reaction as well. Nice try PHuket

[JXXXL]

They got me. Well done PG.

[ezflip]

"The chief notes that tomorrow is April Fools Day. “So don't believe everything you read in the Phuket Gazette,” he concluded."

Definitively a day early.

[thepool]

Why spoil the "joke" and publish early ?

[sweatalot]

got me

[coconutbar]

Traffic lights are barely the issue here . how about do something bout the hill on the way to phuket town that seems to have a permanent dead body splattered across it

Edited March 31, 2014 by coconutbar

[LivinginKata]

Why spoil the "joke" and publish early ?

Just Thai style ....

[keestha]

The article is signed by Mongmaihen Maidaiyin , which means cannot find it, don't hear it. Not such an auspicious name for a reporter.

Edited March 31, 2014 by keestha

[fatdrunkandstupid]

April fool...won't do as well as the left hand driving article last year.

[lee b]

Why does it really matter? Many people dont even look what colour the light is, they just drive straight through... Could be red, green, yellow or even blue....

[tolsti]

Must be the first time the Phuket Gazette has been even nearly on time. Most of their news is days old!

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[chotthee]

as the most english speaking place in thailand they are bound to have thai numerals, as the arabic ones are virtually unknown here

This is Thailand, not Arabia.

Please use Thai numbers, not Arabic one.

[Guest]

PG must have hired new, younger staff who are really exited of the job in hand. This can sometime cause Premature Editoring.

[Krataiboy]

Discount booze for drivers. . . shaming tattoos instead of fines for walking shirtless. . . and the substitution of Thai numerals for Arabic figures on traffic light countdowns.

Either somebody is triple April Fooling or Phuket is trying to do a Singapore.

[Chang_paarp]

as the most english speaking place in thailand they are bound to have thai numerals, as the arabic ones are virtually unknown here

This is Thailand, not Arabia.

Please use Thai numbers, not Arabic one.

These are the Arabic numbers;

1234567890

It is one of the few things that is common throughout the world.

Keeping the Thai numbers is a valid retention of their culture, but in places where there is safety issues it is better to use a common form of communication.