Car Park Etiquette.

[Bignose]

On a recent visit to the Tesco Lotus, I was there to record the aftermath of a wonderful example of careful and considerate driving. The driver of the black truck had ignored the direction arrows showing the required "flow" to allow easy parking, they had then tried to park in the Herring Bone marked bay's. Not a hard thing to do if you overshoot the bay and reverse park, practically impossible if you are driving a truck and try to forward park.

What amazed me was that the driver (whether Fa-rang or Thai I do not know) had crunched the rear wing of the white parked car, totally blocked the car in to the bay, and had then exited the vehicle/locked it and proceeded to do their shopping!!!

When I snapped these pics the driver was waiting with Tesco Security for the return of the truck driver, I would liked to have waited to hear the ensuing conversation/explanation but a pressing engagement meant I couldn't.

No matter what explanation was given, the fact that this can be done while being oblivious to what has happened is to me a bit scary. It shows a lack of spacial awareness and a total lack of concentration, in it's own small way it may even be indicative of why the road tolls here are what they are. If this can be done during parking what's the potential at 120 Km/Hour???

[carmine]

I reckon theres more to that than bad parking or lack of etiquette.

[evadgib]

IMO white cars certainly lack etiquette while under way-or perhaps they just stick out like....

Edited April 11, 2014 by evadgib

[carmine]

IMO white cars certainly lack etiquette while under way-or perhaps they just stick out like....

[Absolut]

Perhaps the person simply doesn't posses a license and was never taught how to park, that's the best they were capable of doing.

That or they're just complete <deleted> with no regard for anyone but themselves ........ yeah it's probably that.

What an ass!!!!

[robsamui]

I am pretty sure that one major problem with cars on Samui is the Thai people. I mean . . . is the Thai people here who have, from the age of about 6, just zipped cheerfully and mindlessly back and forth on motorbikes, on whatever side of the road took their fancy. The only lessons they had were watching what big (9 year-old) brother did to make the bike stop and go.

So they have been doing this for the best part of 20 years. Then they get a car - which as everyone knows is far easier to drive than a motorbike, and no instruction or lessons are needed because they can drive already.

Trouble is that for all their vehicular life they have perceived themselves to be 22 inches wide and this has become ingrained. So they still continue to wang out of side-roads without looking (making sure they stay in the gutter of course) instinctively go to overtake on the inside, sail across to the wrong side of the road against the oncoming traffic to pull up right outside a 7-11, and zip about in carparks the wrong way. And then, continuing to be 22 inches wide (and not aware that they have sprouted an extra 60 inches on their left) they prang into parked cars.

An amazing example of this happened a few months ago to a friend of mine - and we both watched it happen.

We were sitting in a restaurant on a roadside table, with his pickup parked right in front of us across the street (facing the correct way). We watched a new Vios coming along in the same direction that his car was facing - a quiet night and there was hardly anything on the road and nothing coming from the opposite direction. Without swerving, or making any sudden changes of direction, and without slowing down at all, the Vios smacked right into the back of friend's parked pickup.

Fortunately the airbags popped and the young female driver was uninjured, but very shaken up - the force was enough to knock the heavy pickup10 feet, even with the handbrake on.

After the police had gone and the fuss had died down, the two of us sat her down and bought her a coffee and tried to calm her down a bit. She spoke very good English and told us that she'd been away at university, just graduated and come back home to Samui to find a brand new car waiting for her. And then she tearfully apologised and explained that this sort of thing had been happening all month and that it was her fault, because she'd always been used to a motorbike.

And yes, bignose, it is a complete lack of spatial awareness - and it does happen at 70 KPH (as we witnessed) and probably even at 120. What can anybody expect when the driving test is a joke and not even compulsory, there are no standardised compulsory driving lessons, anyone of an age can drive anything they fancy in any manner they want, and the role of the police is to come and photograph accidents after they have happened instead of actively and consistently policing, with the aim of preventing them in the first place?

It's a serious concern on Samui's roads, now that the volume of traffic has probably trebled in the last 7 or 8 years (and yet the road network has not expanded).

R

Edited April 11, 2014 by robsamui

[samuijimmy]

Your quote Robby..... ."(and yet the road network has not expanded)." huh?

Head out between Hau Thanon and Nathon, you'll see that statement is not correct! The problem with other areas, there is no room to widen the roads... where there are buildings .... highly unlikely they will come down to widen the roads...

Also some of the Sois headed to the centre of the island are being concreted .... even your Soi, to service those who live up in the hills....

But getting back to the op's post... yes, Thai's and some farangs need to learn how to park correctly..... ....

[robsamui]

Your quote Robby..... ."(and yet the road network has not expanded)." huh?

Head out between Hau Thanon and Nathon, you'll see that statement is not correct! The problem with other areas, there is no room to widen the roads... where there are buildings .... highly unlikely they will come down to widen the roads...

Also some of the Sois headed to the centre of the island are being concreted .... even your Soi, to service those who live up in the hills....

But getting back to the op's post... yes, Thai's and some farangs need to learn how to park correctly..... ....

Well, I can't agree here, sorry.

The ring road is still the ring road and the bulk of the traffic flow is still on the same bit from the ferry to Chaweng.

Yep Hua Thanon to Nathon is a lovely bit of black top now - but the road was also there 10 years back.

As for the amazing shortcut between Mae Nam Soi 1 and Lamai, *newnewnew* how many 24-wheel trucks have you seen using this to bypass Chaweng? In fact, if you were to count the total vehicles per 5 minutes, I guess that you get a score of:

Soi 1 = 2.

Ring Road outside Soi 1 = 300.

Some of the dirt roads have been concreted, but they still remain the same routes to the same places. No vast new swathes of road have been built. In fact the part that least needed to be widened (Hua Thanon to Nathon) has in fact been widened, They had a feeble attempt at adding an extra lane to the section between Nathon and Chaweng, but all they achieved was to create a theoretical motorbike lane which is now generally used for car parking, thus completely defeating the aim of the whole project

None of this is exactly easing the vehicular density, is it? The fact is that I'm guessing that vehicles have at a minimum tripled in the last 8 years - probably more than this. But essentially they'll all still on the same roads.

Put it this way. 10 years back it was easy to walk across the ring road anywhere between Mae Nam and Chaweng in the daytime - the most you'd need to wait was about 20 seconds or so. Now it can take five minutes before there is even a tiny break in the nose-to-tail traffic. Point made!

R

[samuijimmy]

Will agree to disagree ! ..... on several points! .... Depends on time of day often to get across the ring road and number of vehicles on either route to Lamai! ... ..

I could go on but I won't!

[robsamui]

Will agree to disagree ! ..... on several points! .... Depends on time of day often to get across the ring road and number of vehicles on either route to Lamai! ... ..

I could go on but I won't!

Stop being so agreeable to being disagreeable . . . I think!

When I was a lad . . . . there was not a bufflo n cart to be seen on the ring road in Mae Nam after sundown - now just look at it. Waist deep in buffalo poo.

(Did you know you can buy this in Tesco? - sent some to my daughter for Xmas. See attached kitchen goodie . . .it's on the shelf next to the erbs )

R

and, yes, the topic is just how much buffalo poo is acceptable in a public vehicular placement situation, how to assay the ethics thereof, and to postulate conclusions as to the wherefore of the occurrance. (Wasn't it?)

Edited April 11, 2014 by robsamui

[robsamui]

hee hee - there is a big advert notice under my post with an arrow pointing at the buffalo poo saying "LEARN THAI"

R

Edited April 11, 2014 by robsamui

[xen]

Can't see what the fuss is about especially how he parked his black 4x4 pick-up. The way it was parked denotes a very important person (but slightly lower than a black Benz person). He is probably conducting important business with important and connected people as we speak so learn a few manners and not bother him piddling details about his superior driving skills.He probably flashed his headlights a few time and the white parked car took no notice so it is the white car's stupidity that caused it to be in the path of the 4x4. If it wasn't for his benevolence he would be extracting compensation from the white car for damages to his pick-up plus his wasted time on this trivial matter.

Get leal !!!

[evadgib]

IMO white cars certainly lack etiquette while under way-or perhaps they just stick out like....

After my initial post I drove to to/from Naton for lunch. During the journey I almost T boned two separate white cars that pulled out in front of me in order to join the opposite lane; furthermore a white pantechnicon with about as much control as a Jamaican Bob-sleigh seemed quite irate that I was in his way while overtaking at speed @bang po.

My dashcam audio contains more bleeps than Ollie Reed on 'Parkinson'!

[SamuiRes]

A few weeks ago we were sitting in a bar in Bangrak, my car was parked on the opposite side of the road and completely off the road. A taxi somehow managed to leave the road and run into the back of my car! By the time we got there the rather shaken passengers had got out and the driver was driving off leaving parts of his car behind! I have a pick up and there was no damage but he had no regard for his passengers - the lady was in some shock. We got the number but there was really nothing to do. This is Samui and you can imagine reporting this to the local plod would have been a waste of time - "What damage has been done? None!" End of story.. Nor were we quick enough to get a photo of him leaving so even reporting to the Transport Dept would have been fruitless.

[Globeman]

IMO white cars certainly lack etiquette while under way-or perhaps they just stick out like....

Man, I've seen some wide sweeping generalizations on this board, but aside from the obliviously racist "we are superior in every way to Thais because they don't do things the way we do (back in the 'home' that I got the hell out of for some reason)" postings, this one has to take the cake for pointless subjective opinions. Are you seriously claiming that people who choose white vehicles are in some way less courteous than those who drive cars of other colours? You must have a hell of a head for numbers.

[Sydebolle]

Good luck it did not happen to me - I have certain ideas on how to deal with such problems .......

[techboy]

Tough titty.

[art vandelay]

saw a thai passenger getting out of a car in a car park the other day. the parking space was parallel to the roadway and unfortunately the passenger didnt check before opening her door. there was another car passing which all but took off the her door. oops.

[gandalf12]

The Thai standard of driving on average is poor at best. The inability to park never ceases to astound.

I have watched Thai's in small, by that I mean a Yaris or similar, make several attempts to reverse park and even after that end up at an angle and over over the line.

I often wonder what they would do if they drove my car which is a fairly big BMW. My, wife also Thai can park it first time every time. Totally parallel and between the lines. I did teach her the fine art of parking. Unfortunately most Thai's despite their efforts and a lot make a real effort seem to be incapable of parking within a defined space

[manfred ihms]

Wished you all would stop whining and go back home where everything is so much better. Why the f.... Are you here

[rtco]

The fact is that Thai's cannot drive. Now I am not the world's best driver and at one time was 1-point short of being banned for 3-months in the UK but the standard of driving here is appalling. I travel back and forth to Korat regularly and did so on Thursday and just got to the point of total exasperation when driving over the mountains because these idiots come at you on the opposite side of the road with double yellows and flash their lights as thought to say "get out of the way I'm coming". Well I lost it I'm afraid ... no I'm not going to tell you what I did but it is the same as I did back in the UK and it scares the 5H1t out of those coming at you". Now I know what's coming ... you are not in Thailand so why try and drive like you were in the UK ... well maybe just maybe it will make them realize what (deleted )idiots they are and think about doing it again the next time.

Edited April 12, 2014 by Rooo
profanity

[rickirs]

Good thing you left before the truck driver arrived. No doubt you would be blamed for the car and truck damages.

[manfred ihms]

When in Rome do as the Romans do. A very old saying. It is not just about driving, you people whinge about everything to do with Thailand. I have been here for 20 years and love it bad drivers and all. Go home

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Som wat]

Not bad considering that Thais don't usually park.

They just stop driving.

[Som wat]

Good luck it did not happen to me - I have certain ideas on how to deal with such problems .......

Go on. Such as...

[DLP]

See it all the time, people buy these big cars and have not got a clue how to drive them.

[robsamui]

IMO white cars certainly lack etiquette while under way-or perhaps they just stick out like....

Man, I've seen some wide sweeping generalizations on this board, but aside from the obliviously racist "we are superior in every way to Thais because they don't do things the way we do (back in the 'home' that I got the hell out of for some reason)" postings, this one has to take the cake for pointless subjective opinions. Are you seriously claiming that people who choose white vehicles are in some way less courteous than those who drive cars of other colours? You must have a hell of a head for numbers.

racist? RACIST? This is an unequivocal instance of blatant CARISM!

(If you want to see innocent racism at work, watch the reaction of Thai people when an African American turns up . . .)

R

Edited April 12, 2014 by robsamui

[Som wat]

^ You mean a Chocolate Man?

[evadgib]

Not bad considering that Thais don't usually park.

They just stop driving.

That has to be the best one liner so far this year!

[Rooo]

I have deleted several posts. This topic is about an incident & please read the original post the driver was not identified as a foreigner or Thai national.

The topic has now veered to Thai bashing.

11) Do not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations, Thai institutions such as the judicial or law enforcement system, Thai culture, Thai people or any other group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.