pedestrian hit by a bus

[Asiantravel]

Did anyone else see the pedestrian being hit by a bus as they tried to cross over the pedestrian crossing on Beach Road directly outside Mike Shopping Mall today at about 1:45 PM? Of course, the lights for the cars were only flashing orange.

I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. The authorities had better get their priorities right. Is it more important for them not to inconvenience the motorists by having them stop too often or isn't it about time they made it safer to cross Beach Road in designated areas and have the lights turned on.

[alocacoc]

Amazing that this not happen often. But we must understand, that the BiB have to do more important things like to hunt Hi-Lo gamblers in Rice-fields or weed smoking tourists on the beach.

Sooner or later there will be also a heavy accident on the Trappaya Rd. downwards to Jomtien, where the coaches love to speeding.

[KittenKong]

I nearly hit two idiots on Beach Road last week. I was going slowly and managed to stop but they just walked straight off the sidewalk on the beach side and out into the road, without a glance in either direction. They were not on a pedestrian crossing. Two or three seconds later and they would have been tomato ketchup.

Morons.

[JoeBlowFromUSA]

Not a good idea to add that extra lane along the beach. It's a freeway now.

Higher speeds and a longer distance to cross. Dumb.

[slygeeza]

yes, looks like his head smashed the windscreen, the police didnt seem interested in the driver but one would think that hitting a pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing would be illegal in most countries

they should really remove those pedestrian crossings becasue it gives tourists a false sense of security, they dont realize that most thai drivers dont even know what its for and drive straight thru even if the lights are red

[DD13]

If the lights on the "Pedestrian Crossings" are not going to be functioning properly...... and the law doesn't "come down" hard on motorists who regularly ignore people on the crossings ....

Then

It would be safer...... for "tourists" especially.... if crossings were removed completely.......foreigners rightly assume..... (as in their own countries)....that once they put a foot on the crossing, they have the right of way.....and vehicles should stop

The worst offenders......motor bike taxis.....buses.....standard taxis.....baht buses

[Asiantravel]

Not a good idea to add that extra lane along the beach. It's a freeway now.

Higher speeds and a longer distance to cross. Dumb.

The irony is that in the pattaya news clippings section there is a thread entitled " Pattaya boosts safety for tourists during high season "

[Mrjlh]

Just a few years ago the Thai Government (Thai Police) issued a nation wide message that it is the "law" and motorist must stop for pedestrians in cross walks and at intersections. But as you know, no one seems to care.

[bapoboy]

yes, looks like his head smashed the windscreen, the police didnt seem interested in the driver but one would think that hitting a pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing would be illegal in most countries

they should really remove those pedestrian crossings becasue it gives tourists a false sense of security, they dont realize that most thai drivers dont even know what its for and drive straight thru even if the lights are red

and in many countries people are so stupid to run fast into the road without looking for traffic, happened multiple times in my native Norway ...

[petermik]

I,m assured that on December 25th all lighting in Patts will be functioning correctly

[Chwooly]

While the drivers are liable and should look out for people what about the idiots that don't even look. or are we just going to bash the Thais?

[slygeeza]

hundreds of tourists cross that road every day to get to the beach, anyone with half a brain should be looking out for pedestrians there, and especially on pedestrian crossings

[Tolley]

Saw a woman cross at a pedestrian crossing down near soi 2 and Beach Road the other day and she was nearly road kill. Completely oblivious to the fact that she was nearly run over she had crossed with headphones on thinking that all cars stop at crossings.

[Asiantravel]

While the drivers are liable and should look out for people what about the idiots that don't even look. or are we just going to bash the Thais?

I defy you to look adequately when you are trying to cross the road from the east side to the west side in the night-time when it's very hard to judge the speed of vehicles just from watching their headlights anyway and when the eastside lane up is taken up by an endless stream of slow moving baht buses that completely obscure what is coming at the speed of light on the beachside lane

[fosseway]

I spend most of the time in a car here, but of course sometimes as a pedestrian, I am glad this subject came up, because I have always been amazed by the Thai "System" of the location and priority at pedestrian crossings.

In the UK for example, the pedestrian has the right of way when stepping on, or about to step on a crossing that has no traffic / pedestrian lights.

In Thailand you "Run the gauntlet" when attempting to cross the road at either sort of crossing, light controlled or not.

The most crazy example of the location of these crossings can be found at the crossroads of Pattaya Thai, and Second road, I am sure both drivers and pedestrians alike have had scary moments here, by not being sure who has the right of way. I

think that someone coming here for the first time from Europe or America would be left standing quivering by the roadside, deciding when would be a safe moment to cross.

I was recently in Saigon where the traffic situation is much worse, mostly bicycles and motorbikes, but the Vietnamese drivers have somehow developed the extraordinary skill of avoiding you, maybe it's a genetic thing that make them so good at

this !

My friend and I were standing at a very busy intersection for ages, just waiting for the right moment to cross, but that did not happen because there was never a break in the traffic flow, as they all jumped the lights in both directions, we then saw a

very elegant lady coming up beside us with a poodle on a two meter lead, she just walked straight past us and across the road, not looking either way, without batting an eyelid !!

So what is the solution ? I must say, I really don't know if there is one.

[champers]

I do admire the Russians who march out into the road en masse making the oncoming traffic stop for them.

[wooloomooloo]

I do admire the Russians who march out into the road en masse making the oncoming traffic stop for them.

Indeed, one Russian lady ended up on my friend's bonnet a few years ago. Straight out into the road without a care in the world. She was okay and so was the car bonnet.

[slygeeza]

well this guy was hit part way across, so he didnt just step in front of a car, he got hit by someone that either wasnt looking for pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing or who was traveling to fast to stop, in this case a bus in the lane that they speed in so probably the later

[toenail]

If we ever heard of a city not having policemen, we most likely wouldn't go there for a holiday--But after you live in Pattaya for awhile, you realize basically that is what Pattaya is. A city with no policemen. Do you ever see them walking about on the Beach Promenade night time or day time to make sure it is safe for visitors?--to get rid of the Lady Boys?--to give out tickets to the Thais who ride their motor bikes on the walkway? NO Do you ever see the police giving speeding tickest to those who are speeding on the sois/ streets? NO, they are too busy giving tickets to the ones on motorbikes (It is a lot easier). So bus, truck drivers including those locals in the SUVs know they can do what they want in Pattaya. There is no policeman that will give them a ticket.

Maybe the policemen do not know what their job duty is.

[Asiantravel]

If we ever heard of a city not having policemen, we most likely wouldn't go there for a holiday--But after you live in Pattaya for awhile, you realize basically that is what Pattaya is. A city with no policemen. Do you ever see them walking about on the Beach Promenade night time or day time to make sure it is safe for visitors?--to get rid of the Lady Boys?--to give out tickets to the Thais who ride their motor bikes on the walkway? NO Do you ever see the police giving speeding tickest to those who are speeding on the sois/ streets? NO, they are too busy giving tickets to the ones on motorbikes (It is a lot easier). So bus, truck drivers including those locals in the SUVs know they can do what they want in Pattaya. There is no policeman that will give them a ticket.

Maybe the policemen do not know what their job duty is.

this is what I have thought many times . I can't think of any other place other than Thailand, that has a self-regulating driving system

[slygeeza]

If we ever heard of a city not having policemen, we most likely wouldn't go there for a holiday--But after you live in Pattaya for awhile, you realize basically that is what Pattaya is. A city with no policemen. Do you ever see them walking about on the Beach Promenade night time or day time to make sure it is safe for visitors?--to get rid of the Lady Boys?--to give out tickets to the Thais who ride their motor bikes on the walkway? NO Do you ever see the police giving speeding tickest to those who are speeding on the sois/ streets? NO, they are too busy giving tickets to the ones on motorbikes (It is a lot easier). So bus, truck drivers including those locals in the SUVs know they can do what they want in Pattaya. There is no policeman that will give them a ticket.

Maybe the policemen do not know what their job duty is.

Im sure they do, but its not law enforcement, its collecting tea money, which is a polite way of saying they are a mafia organization that collects protection fees.

[moonseeker]

Who is just a tourist, is not aware of the blatant disrespect for human and any kind of life and any kind of laws in this country. So they can get themselves into all kinds of problems. Traffic and accidents are just one part of it. MS>

[mgjackson69]

Thailand...where we look four ways before crossing a one-way street

[MrWorldwide]

I've seen both sides - some of the tourists here seem to come from countries where speeding vehicles will magically stop when they step onto the road and others just seem to get a kick out of near misses. Just sit at Tops Market for 20 minutes if you want to see the thrillseekers in action. Agree that Beach Road has become a much faster roadway but I'm stuffed if I know what many of the drivers are in such a hurry to get to - its inevitably gridlock by the time they get to the bottleneck at WS. Heard a Farang give a baht bus driver a spray before he handed him the fare and I can relate - they absolutely belt down that road with little concern for the people bouncing around in the back.

[steven100]

didn't they teach you .... look left ...look right .... look left again ... cross if safe to do so ..

[chickenslegs]

didn't they teach you .... look left ...look right .... look left again ... cross if safe to do so ..

Tuffty Club?

[ToddinChonburi]

Did you know the buses and VIP vans pay Tea money to the cops so they can do what they want. that is why the bus driver just left. TEA sticker in window.

[papa al]

I spend most of the time in a car here, but of course sometimes as a pedestrian, I am glad this subject came up, because I have always been amazed by the Thai "System" of the location and priority at pedestrian crossings.

In the UK for example, the pedestrian has the right of way when stepping on, or about to step on a crossing that has no traffic / pedestrian lights.

In Thailand you "Run the gauntlet" when attempting to cross the road at either sort of crossing, light controlled or not.

The most crazy example of the location of these crossings can be found at the crossroads of Pattaya Thai, and Second road, I am sure both drivers and pedestrians alike have had scary moments here, by not being sure who has the right of way. I

think that someone coming here for the first time from Europe or America would be left standing quivering by the roadside, deciding when would be a safe moment to cross.

I was recently in Saigon where the traffic situation is much worse, mostly bicycles and motorbikes, but the Vietnamese drivers have somehow developed the extraordinary skill of avoiding you, maybe it's a genetic thing that make them so good at

this !

My friend and I were standing at a very busy intersection for ages, just waiting for the right moment to cross, but that did not happen because there was never a break in the traffic flow, as they all jumped the lights in both directions, we then saw a

very elegant lady coming up beside us with a poodle on a two meter lead, she just walked straight past us and across the road, not looking either way, without batting an eyelid !!

So what is the solution ? I must say, I really don't know if there is one.

Just walk downstream from the lady & her dog.

[thaibeachlovers]

yes, looks like his head smashed the windscreen, the police didnt seem interested in the driver but one would think that hitting a pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing would be illegal in most countries

they should really remove those pedestrian crossings becasue it gives tourists a false sense of security, they dont realize that most thai drivers dont even know what its for and drive straight thru even if the lights are red

I disagree. When they first put the lights on the crossings traffic did stop to allow pedestrians across. However, the lights don't work anymore, as either turned off or just on green all the time.

They need to make the police do their job and enforce the crossing lights, which should work from morning till midnight at least.

As said, the extra lane on Beach Rd has made it more dangerous to cross.

[thaibeachlovers]

Not a good idea to add that extra lane along the beach. It's a freeway now.

Higher speeds and a longer distance to cross. Dumb.

Agreed, but there some posters that like to be able to drive faster down Beach Rd, and to hell with the pedestrians. Probably because they never walk anywhere.