why do they park cars in narrow streets

[opalred]

every day you drive narrow streets people pull up and block traffic to shop or buy food

maybe it starts at young age the children come around here and drop there bikes on the ground

to get through is

like walking through mine field

but you have to give the locals full marks say nothing and wait and wait and wait till they get there food and move the car

[CharlieH]

Why ? because they can, in most rural areas there is little or "none" by way of law enforcement for small issues such as traffic offences.

[giddyup]

Thais don't like to walk 1 metre more than they have to, they'd ride their bikes inside a 7 Eleven if they could. Sometimes it's difficult to get in the door because of motorbikes blocking access.

[David48]

Another Gem (opal) from Khun Red.

It seems the Cultural Awareness School has lost their brightest prospect.

Interesting ...

[bkkjames]

Do they hold doors open for people coming behind them? NO. Why would anyone expect them to behave any differently when it comes to driving / parking - illegally. Bashing is it? Perhaps, Factual? Yes.

[Neeranam]

Do they hold doors open for people coming behind them? NO. Why would anyone expect them to behave any differently when it comes to driving / parking - illegally. Bashing is it? Perhaps, Factual? Yes.

It's not bashing as it is only your perception that says there is something 'wrong' with that behaviour.

65 million Thais don't even think about why someone doesn't open a door for them. Only farang make a big deal of stupid little etiquettes of their own upbringing and have the arrogance to say the whole world comply to their country's customs.

It's like a Thai in the UK saying something like "They blow their mucus into handkerchiefs and put them into their pockets. why would anyone expect them(Brits) to behave any differently

.when it comes to ............." Very ignorant of a plural society.

[Neeranam]

Tolerance is something that is part of "thainess" and is taught from an early age by parents and teachers. Perhaps scools in farangland should teach morality

[Anthony5]

When a Thai enters the road he is alone in his own world, nobody else on the road to reckon with, he just drives, makes turns without need to look in the rear mirror and can park wherever he want. At least that is how he thinks.

[cmcom]

This is my biggest peave about Thaialnd actually

[MrWorldwide]

This is a serious problem in central Pattaya where the one-way nature of Second Road and Beach Road means that people will drive their monster trucks down the tightest of sois to get to one or the other - throw in the horde of motorcyclists and pedestrians trying to avoid walking in the gutters have Buckley's. I've seen a few near misses with belligerent drunks - its only a matter of time before one of them is cleaned up by an impatient moto-taxi rider. These streets just weren't designed for the volume of traffic that currently does laps from Central Festival to Walking St - having someone park a 3-tonne pickup in a soi designed for motorcycles and food vendor carts isnt helping.

Tourism may account for less than 10% of Thai GDP, but it's still an important source of income for people in this town - why make the tourist experience any more annoying than it has to be in a city suffering from a massive oversupply of people who think nothing of jabbing you in the ribs with the dodgy DVDs or whatever they're trying to flog ? These folk - particularly the dreaded rose sellers - seem increasingly desperate : I suspect that even new arrivals arent keen to part with a hundred baht for a flower. The party may very well be over for anyone who has been content to copy what they see others doing in the tourist areas - if it was me, I'd be selling sex toys but that's a whole other thread right there.

Rural Thais continue to flock to Pattaya in the mistaken belief that there will be enough goose to go around - I believe that many will find out the hard way that it's no longer the feeding frenzy it may once have been.

[kannot]

Tolerance is something that is part of "thainess" and is taught from an early age by parents and teachers. Perhaps scools in farangland should teach morality

Tolerance leads to an awful lot of death here doesnt it, it allows Thais to do almost anything with no repurcussions and makes them selfish..............is it wrong...well wrong is just a human perception, do I like it? NO

Let me know when the door smashes you in the face.

Its not good on many levels.

As for morality.................

[kannot]

Do they hold doors open for people coming behind them? NO. Why would anyone expect them to behave any differently when it comes to driving / parking - illegally. Bashing is it? Perhaps, Factual? Yes.

It's not bashing as it is only your perception that says there is something 'wrong' with that behaviour.

65 million Thais don't even think about why someone doesn't open a door for them. Only farang make a big deal of stupid little etiquettes of their own upbringing and have the arrogance to say the whole world comply to their country's customs.

It's like a Thai in the UK saying something like "They blow their mucus into handkerchiefs and put them into their pockets. why would anyone expect them(Brits) to behave any differently

.when it comes to ............." Very ignorant of a plural society.

Of course gobbing it out anywhere which a lot of Thais do is so much nicer and doesnt spread any disease.......there is a reason for the handkerchief its not just an etiquette.

[bkkjames]

Tolerance is something that is part of "thainess" and is taught from an early age by parents and teachers. Perhaps scools in farangland should teach morality

of course you are correct....meanwhile back in the real world....

[kurnell]

This ain't about Thai/non-Thai. My msz gets just as pist off with bad driving/parking as I do.

[crazygreg44]

walking down the aisle of central, i often encounter young thais leaving a shop will just cut into my way.

I have gotten used to just keep walking and crash into them from behind. When they turn around I put on my biggest grin but don't say anything.

As this is exactly they way the behave themselves, I never have a problem with this. Their expression sometimes suggests that I might have just hurt them a bit with my hard knuckles, but they would NEVER loose face and admit as they know exactly who was cutting into whom

Edited December 7, 2014 by crazygreg44

[robblok]

This ain't about Thai/non-Thai. My msz gets just as pist off with bad driving/parking as I do.

Of course you are right... but don't let the moaners from Thaivisa think otherwise. Plenty of Thais who hate it how the idiots do what they do. But its far easier to act like its a Thai thing, so they can feel good with themselves as otherwise they have not accomplished much in life besides getting a pension and growing old and retiring here.

[bkkjames]

This ain't about Thai/non-Thai. My msz gets just as pist off with bad driving/parking as I do.

Of course you are right... but don't let the moaners from Thaivisa think otherwise. Plenty of Thais who hate it how the idiots do what they do. But its far easier to act like its a Thai thing, so they can feel good with themselves as otherwise they have not accomplished much in life besides getting a pension and growing old and retiring here.

Rob, I appreciate it's Monday morning but that's a bit rough.

As for the other poster extolling the virtues of the tolerance levels of the locals, it does beg the question. ..tolerant of what? Rhetorical question....

[kurnell]

This ain't about Thai/non-Thai. My msz gets just as pist off with bad driving/parking as I do.

Of course you are right... but don't let the moaners from Thaivisa think otherwise. Plenty of Thais who hate it how the idiots do what they do. But its far easier to act like its a Thai thing, so they can feel good with themselves as otherwise they have not accomplished much in life besides getting a pension and growing old and retiring here.

My msz is also guilty of the occasional inconsiderate act when commuting

[robblok]

This ain't about Thai/non-Thai. My msz gets just as pist off with bad driving/parking as I do.

Of course you are right... but don't let the moaners from Thaivisa think otherwise. Plenty of Thais who hate it how the idiots do what they do. But its far easier to act like its a Thai thing, so they can feel good with themselves as otherwise they have not accomplished much in life besides getting a pension and growing old and retiring here.

Rob, I appreciate it's Monday morning but that's a bit rough.

As for the other poster extolling the virtues of the tolerance levels of the locals, it does beg the question. ..tolerant of what? Rhetorical question....

It might be rough but to say that blocking streets is a Thai thing is rough too James. Sure there are Thais doing this but I hear from quite a few Thais that they hate the people who do it. If they did not cover all Thais in their comment id be more understanding. But by covering all Thais they do this to feel better themselves, i see this so often in posts it gets too me.

There are plenty of idiots back where I am from and I would not dream saying all Dutch are idiots, id take it out on those who do instead of a complete country. Its like saying why do all Dutch smoke weed. Just get tired of all the generalizations.

Though you caught me in one too, i made the generalization that all Thaivisa moaners are OAP's and that is of course not true.

I certainly have done my share of moaning about Thailand but I try not to put a whole country down because of some idiots. (yes the idiot percentage is higher here). I often sit in the car with Thais commenting on Thai driving however they call them idiots.

[robblok]

This ain't about Thai/non-Thai. My msz gets just as pist off with bad driving/parking as I do.

Of course you are right... but don't let the moaners from Thaivisa think otherwise. Plenty of Thais who hate it how the idiots do what they do. But its far easier to act like its a Thai thing, so they can feel good with themselves as otherwise they have not accomplished much in life besides getting a pension and growing old and retiring here.

My msz is also guilty of the occasional inconsiderate act when commuting

Aren't we all.. i got a fine for crossing a white line with the car. I just did what many people do here, but had not counted on a camera. At first I blamed the wife because I normally ride the bike not the car. However looking back at the date it was when my computer crashed and I had to transport it to get if fixed and the wife was working outside of the country.

But because I crossed a white line are now ALL Dutch drivers idiot maniacs ? Or just me. That is my point.

[Jessi]

Simple answer to the op question.

Thai's do not care about anyone but themselves just watch their driving.

[Robroona]

Must be a law which states that when parking in a narrow street, you must park exactly opposite a parked car facing the other way. That way, you are able to produce the tiniest space for other vehicles to maneuovre in ways guaranteed to make you angry

[giddyup]

This ain't about Thai/non-Thai. My msz gets just as pist off with bad driving/parking as I do.

Of course you are right... but don't let the moaners from Thaivisa think otherwise. Plenty of Thais who hate it how the idiots do what they do. But its far easier to act like its a Thai thing, so they can feel good with themselves as otherwise they have not accomplished much in life besides getting a pension and growing old and retiring here.

Once again a dig at the pensioners, and how the hell do you know what anyone has accomplished in life? Know them all personally do you?

[doggie888888]

Simple answer to the op question.

Thai's do not care about anyone but themselves just watch their driving.

Okay, so explain this to me. Why oh why are the supposedly clever farangs parking in narrow sois too, going against traffic on a motorcycle without helmet, double parked and blocking traffic or just stopping in the middle of the road and flashing the hazard lights as he steps out to the atm machine or a quick purchase at the 7-11?

Lots of foreigners do the above inconsiderate acts in pattaya, despite knowing better.

The answer is: inconsiderate people ( thai or otherwise) take advantage of lax law enforcement. Thais have the added disadvantage of poor driver (and general) education. Westerners, whilst boasting superior education, excellent common sense and apparently more "civilised" end up behaving like barbarians once the rules that enforce considerate behaviour is absent. Go figure!

[Jessi]

Simple answer to the op question.

Thai's do not care about anyone but themselves just watch their driving.

Okay, so explain this to me. Why oh why are the supposedly clever farangs parking in narrow sois too, going against traffic on a motorcycle without helmet, double parked and blocking traffic or just stopping in the middle of the road and flashing the hazard lights as he steps out to the atm machine or a quick purchase at the 7-11?

Lots of foreigners do the above inconsiderate acts in pattaya, despite knowing better.

The answer is: inconsiderate people ( thai or otherwise) take advantage of lax law enforcement. Thais have the added disadvantage of poor driver (and general) education. Westerners, whilst boasting superior education, excellent common sense and apparently more "civilised" end up behaving like barbarians once the rules that enforce considerate behaviour is absent. Go figure!

Your talking about Pattaya, most people know what the expats are like in Pattaya. If for some reason you dont, do a few searches on TV.

[samsensam]

why indeed. why do they park cars and motorcycles in 'cycle lanes'? why do they park their motorcycles in a way that blocks the pavement? why do they park motorcycles on the pavement?!

haha! who knows?!

[robblok]

This ain't about Thai/non-Thai. My msz gets just as pist off with bad driving/parking as I do.

Of course you are right... but don't let the moaners from Thaivisa think otherwise. Plenty of Thais who hate it how the idiots do what they do. But its far easier to act like its a Thai thing, so they can feel good with themselves as otherwise they have not accomplished much in life besides getting a pension and growing old and retiring here.

Once again a dig at the pensioners, and how the hell do you know what anyone has accomplished in life? Know them all personally do you?

I am talking about the moaning AOP's usually people who moan a lot are not happy with themselves. This goes for young guys too actually. However if you look at the demographics here its in favor of old guys.

But you are right i generalized and should not have done that just like those people generalizing about Thais.

I just get tired of the Thais this Thais that while its a small subgroup of Thais who do this. If I see an Australian doing something crazy. I don't call all Australians crazy. Some people say that Germans are all good planners for a fact i know a few that are quite the opposite.

Why is it we can lump all Thais together while we don't do that in general with other nationalities or even our own.

I know that not all Dutch like cheese, or smoke joints. Get my point sorry for the OAP remark but fact remains most people posting here are not spring chickens.

[i claudius]

Its the "me first" mentality most Thai drivers have.

[robblok]

Its the "me first" mentality most Thai drivers have.

Probably combined with the lack of enforcement. Its not like its legal to park everywhere. Biggest problem here in Thailand is the lack of enforcement of rules.

[giddyup]

This ain't about Thai/non-Thai. My msz gets just as pist off with bad driving/parking as I do.

Of course you are right... but don't let the moaners from Thaivisa think otherwise. Plenty of Thais who hate it how the idiots do what they do. But its far easier to act like its a Thai thing, so they can feel good with themselves as otherwise they have not accomplished much in life besides getting a pension and growing old and retiring here.

Once again a dig at the pensioners, and how the hell do you know what anyone has accomplished in life? Know them all personally do you?

I am talking about the moaning AOP's usually people who moan a lot are not happy with themselves. This goes for young guys too actually. However if you look at the demographics here its in favor of old guys.

But you are right i generalized and should not have done that just like those people generalizing about Thais.

I just get tired of the Thais this Thais that while its a small subgroup of Thais who do this. If I see an Australian doing something crazy. I don't call all Australians crazy. Some people say that Germans are all good planners for a fact i know a few that are quite the opposite.

Why is it we can lump all Thais together while we don't do that in general with other nationalities or even our own.

I know that not all Dutch like cheese, or smoke joints. Get my point sorry for the OAP remark but fact remains most people posting here are not spring chickens.

I'm not sure it is a sub group as you put it, that behave like this. I've found in nearly 6 years of living here that the majority of Thai motorists, both car and motorcycle are the most inconsiderate and selfish I have ever come across. They will deliberately close gaps to prevent you entering or crossing traffic, they will speed up when you want to change lanes, they will make 4 or 5 right turn lanes at an intersection when there are supposed to be two, because they are too impatient to get in a queue etc, etc. This is not a case of enforcing road rules, this is just pure selfishness and bloodymindedness.

Edited December 8, 2014 by giddyup