I Don't Mean To Complain, But...

[ChiangMaiThai]

I too get sick of people who live here complaining about the quirks of life in Thailand. But some things just seem too far beyond any comprehensible logic to be left alone. For instance, obviously the trees and flowers around the moat need to be watered. And that's what the Thais do. They bring out a big yellow truck, block one lane off completley and do their thing. The problem is that they choose to do this at 4 or 5 in the afternoon, right smack in the middle of rush hour, squeezing all the traffic into one or two lanes if we're lucky. And of course there is no sign to warn you 'big yellow truck ahead. Slow down or you will crash into big yellow truck.' Am I missing something or would it make far more sense to do this kind of work at say 3 or 4 in the morning?

[Georgie-Porgie]

I lived in Hanoi for a little while. Every day during rush hour(s) they would wash the roads and almost everyone was on bicycles or motorbikes.

There were accidents about evey block, every day, but they still kept doing it that way!

TIV ?

[francois]

haha, you're right , better be on a byke

could it be done at some other hours? may be not ...

just remind me the time when living in my country I always wondered why they began the roads work right before the touristic season, which invariably turned to finish in the full season time creating mess and anger among visitors ...

a bit same ... they must have a reason good enough to do it this way

there might be some adminisration's rules

francois

[Georgie-Porgie]

Maybe ######'s!

[chanchao]

> Am I missing something or would it make far more sense to

> do this kind of work at say 3 or 4 in the morning?

Not in my book... That would result in carnage as this is the time the drunk party goers race home.. Woulnd't want to be any kind of work around roads that time of the night.

Of course there are other times more suitable than 5pm. :-) But then again, it things were as efficient as Germany, it'd be like living in Germany!!!!!!!!!!

And think of the good news: That crazy closing of Thapae road on Sundays is a thing of the past. God that annoyed me every single Sunday. More good news: We're getting tunnels and flyovers at Yeak Khuang Singh, Sarn Dek and perhaps Nong Pratheep (Makro)

Cheers,

Chanchao

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Maybe ######'s!

You told me that ###### was a noted moderate Georgie

[Ajarn]

"More good news: We're getting tunnels and flyovers at Yeak Khuang Singh, Sarn Dek and perhaps Nong Pratheep (Makro)"

It seems that these are planned for all the intersections on the two outer (northern) Ring Roads as well....Amazing how many new and fast stretches of road have opened in just the last couple of years. Everything seems to be designed to route N/S E/W traffic around downtown Chiang Mai...A great idea as downtown is already completely saturated. Now, if they could replace more of the empty songthaews with a few more busses.....There are also plans for underground subways, with the first one running from CMU out under Huay Kaew rd...Another line is to go under Chotana from ? to City Hall.....

And speaking of crazy road works, how about the daily watering of plants in the main road dividers during the rainy season...Rain or shine, they're out there watering, or running the sprinkler systems...

[ChiangMaiThai]

> Am I missing something or would it make far more sense to

> do this kind of work at say 3 or 4 in the morning?

Not in my book... That would result in carnage as this is the time the drunk party goers race home.. Woulnd't want to be any kind of work around roads that time of the night.

Put up big flashing neon signs 'lane closed ahead', orange cones etc. I'm not sure there is any real logic behind it. As Georgie pointed out in Vietnam, people were getitng in accidents all the time and they just kep on doing the same thing.

Its similar to this notion that if the driver of a motorcycle is wearing a helmet and the passenger is not, this is completely safe and legal. But if the driver is without the helmet and the passenger with, a ticket will be issued. Maybe I'm just crazy.

[Zendesigner]

Am I missing something or would it make far more sense to

You are just accused of having a working brain Chiangmaithai....

Stop using it .... you feel a lot better quickly.... maybe even blend in

[ovenman]

And think of the good news: That crazy closing of Thapae road on Sundays is a thing of the past.   God that annoyed me every single Sunday.

I don't think they could have picked a less convenient road to close every week than was Thapae. I sincerely hope the walking street never moves back there.

More good news: We're getting tunnels and flyovers at Yeak Khuang Singh, Sarn Dek and perhaps Nong Pratheep (Makro)

Plus, at avery junction on the middle ring road as well (does anybody know the actual name for that road?). It will be great when this work is all complete but since it appears that all of the flyover/underpass construction will commence simultaneously, I'm picturing a big, dusty mess surrounding the city for the next couple of years.

There are also plans for underground subways, with the first one running from CMU out under Huay Kaew rd...Another line is to go under Chotana from ? to City Hall.....

That pipedream has been talked about off-and-on since the boom times of the mid-1990's. I can't imagine it actually coming to pass any time soon. Perhaps they can start digging for the subway at the same time digging for the Kra canal begins?

[chanchao]

> I don't think they could have picked a less convenient road to close

>every week than was Thapae.

Chotana Rd perhaps? ;-) Or Huay Kaew.

> Plus, at avery junction on the middle ring road as well (does anybody

> know the actual name for that road?).

I think it's called exactly that: Middle Ring Road.

> It will be great when this work is all complete but since it appears that all of the

> flyover/underpass construction will commence simultaneously, I'm picturing a big,

> dusty mess surrounding the city for the next couple of years.

Judging from how long they took for the Hang Dong Road underpass, figure about one year at least. They seem to have enough people/equipment to do sites at the same time. Better to just get it over with. If they'd start on the next one only sequentually then we'd really be stuck with this for a decade..

Cheers,

Chanchao

[ovenman]

Judging from how long they took for the Hang Dong Road underpass, figure about one year at least.  They seem to have enough people/equipment to do sites at the same time. Better to just get it over with. If they'd start on the next one only sequentually then we'd really be stuck with this for a decade.

I agree, it will be great to get this finished in one shot. My concern regarding the way they are going about this construction though is that funds run out about 60% of the way through, much like what happened on the Highway 11 four-lane upgrade construction a few years back between Doi Khuntan and Lampang. Recall how long that mess just sat in a half-finished state?

[Ajarn]

Judging from how long they took for the Hang Dong Road underpass, figure about one year at least.  They seem to have enough people/equipment to do sites at the same time. Better to just get it over with. If they'd start on the next one only sequentually then we'd really be stuck with this for a decade.

I agree, it will be great to get this finished in one shot. My concern regarding the way they are going about this construction though is that funds run out about 60% of the way through, much like what happened on the Highway 11 four-lane upgrade construction a few years back between Doi Khuntan and Lampang. Recall how long that mess just sat in a half-finished state?

Or the Hang Dong Road, south of Hang Dong?....Some sections have been under contruction for more than 5 years....

And the asphalt road to Mae Jo, less than 10 years old, but already so pitted that cars can't go more than 60kmph anywhere in the 10k stretch...

[Norman d'Plume]

South of Hang Dong has been under construction off'n on since the late '80s. One reason I moved back closer to town.

[Ajarn]

Does anyone know what's happening with the 'Second Chiang Mai', planned for somewhere out the newish San Kampheng Rd? I remember lots of talk in the eighties and early nineties (when they built the road), but since then, I haven't heard much...

[polecat]

New Chiang Mai? I think we have to wait till Thaksin buys Burma. Much cheaper.

[chanchao]

> New Chiang Mai? I think we have to wait till Thaksin buys Burma.

> Much cheaper.

I think he's buying Liverpool first. Burma will have to wait.

I sometimes wake up screaming with images of Thaksin singing "You'll never walk alone" with the other club dudes.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[dr_Pat_Pong]

> New Chiang Mai? I think we have to wait till Thaksin buys Burma.

> Much cheaper.

I think he's buying Liverpool first. Burma will have to wait.

I sometimes wake up screaming with images of Thaksin singing "You'll never walk alone" with the other club dudes.

Cheers,

Chanchao

I still think we should do a reccy into Burma and take a look before Cheerless Leader buys the place.

[john b good]

It is indeed really great to have the "superhighways" that we have now and will be more so when these "overpasses / underpasses" that are currently under construction or in the design stage are a reality.

BUT Chiangmai will never enjoy "what could be" in the form of a continuation of the superhighway from Huay Kaew via Nimmanhaemin to Suthep Road and then continueing on via Wing 41 to the airport.

[Snark]

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[ThaiPauly]

I dont think things will improve much either when they start extending the airport runway, anyone know how long this will take?

[cutethaigirl]

Hopefully never.

But that is purely selfish as we live under the airplane path!

Can always move it a bigger plane helps the community.

All those new underpasses going on all seem to be near the PM's house???

CT

[maerim]

I think he's buying Liverpool first.

As liverpool is now a job free zone the council will probably throw in the rest of the city and residents for free when he buys the football club.

I just hope he does not bring all the "Mickey Mousers" here.

[chanchao]

> All those new underpasses going on all seem to be near the PM's house???

He and his family own so much property that whatever is built whereever, it's bound to be near it. ;-)

So far the underpasses spread all the way from Nong Hoi under the Lamphun road and almost Hand Dong district in the South, up to Khuang Singh intersection on the Mae Rim road in the North.. That's pretty far apart and near a whole lot more people's houses.. (including yours if you're under landing airplanes..)

Cheers,

Chanchao

[meadish_sweetball]

I read an article yesterday saying that the subway they planned in CM is not going to happen, as it would require 10 B baht in investments - an extension of the bus services is underway though, and will gradually replace the songthaews during a three-year period.

I would personally love a subway though. Very sensible systems, and they don't ruin the soul of the city either. Too bad about the cost.

[ovenman]

...an extension of the bus services is underway though, and will gradually replace the songthaews during a three-year period.

It'll be interesting to see whether that will ever come to pass. The tuk-tuk and rot daeng mafia certainly don't want to see an expansion of the bus services.

[Ajarn]

I read an article yesterday saying that the subway they planned in CM is not going to happen, as it would require 10 B baht in investments - an extension of the bus services is underway though, and will gradually replace the songthaews during a three-year period.

I would personally love a subway though. Very sensible systems, and they don't ruin the soul of the city either. Too bad about the cost.

And the return on investment, of course.

I remember when this was orignally planned, they were planning for an average of 1.3 million riders per day, a ridiculous number then and now.. I guess someone finally realized that...

It will be interesting to see what happens in the songthaew area, too. I would imagine that if this was credible news of in-place government policy actions, we may very well see a large upsurge in songthaew numbers in advance of notions of government payoffs to move their business...How many songthaews does it take close traffic on the Super? We've already experienced a day of traffic chaos downtown a few months ago, when they were flexing their muscles in the new busses issue, in which they lost little ground... I doubt they would need to do any more than merely suggest an action, to get a payoff offer. Or at least that's the dream of many songthaew drivers, you can be sure.

And what about the tuk-tuks?

[chanchao]

Maybe I was daydreaming, but I'd swear I saw a CHIANG MAI licensed meter taxi this evening. I know you sometimes get Bangkok meter taxis driving all the way up here, either being rented out long distance or perhaps the taxi dude's own family going for a holiday, but this one had a yellow license plate that was NOT Bangkok. (krungthep mahanakorn). Could have been 'Chiang Mai' but it was to far away to say for sure. Also the 'Taxi Meter' sign on the roof was yellow, not white like in Bangkok...

Tell me I was daydreaming........ My girlfriend next to me also saw it, I'm not crazy!! She managed to read 'Nakhorn Chiang Mai Bla Bla something' on the side too. Are we getting meter taxis?

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Johpa]

BUT Chiangmai will never enjoy "what could be" in the form of a continuation of the superhighway from Huay Kaew via Nimmanhaemin to Suthep Road and then continueing on via Wing 41 to the airport.

With the correct decals on your car and with a Thai driver one can take the shortcut through the Air Force base to CNX. I alway have my neighbor, who is a mia noi of a Thai general, drive me to the airport taking that route.

Happy Trails

Johpa

[Snark]

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