Wrong-way driving to avoid paying toll

[Thaivisa News]

Bangkok: – Motorists have been avoiding toll charges for Bangkok Expressway by driving the wrong way at Phloenchit, causing traffic accidents, police said.

The southbound Din Daeng-Bangna Expressway has traffic jam during rush hours.

In order to tackle road snarls at the exit ramp for Rama IV Road, police and expressway authorities removed a section of traffic barriers to allow vehicles to passthrough the temporary exit to a lane running parallel to the expressway leading to Rama IV Road.

After the rush hours on weekdays, police would put traffic cones and light-weighted barriers to block motorists from leaving or entering the expressway before the exit ramp.

There would be no police or authorities on duty to monitor the temporary exit for weekends and off rush hours.

Lumpini Police Station’s Lieutenant ManoteSukchote said a number of motorists have taken advantage of the situation to drive a short distance against the traffic flow on the one-way lane to get on the expressway.

The traffic violations would be detected only if there was accident reported, Manote said.

In most cases, wrong-way driving would help motorists saving the toll charges.

The Lumpini police have the jurisdiction over the land and the expressway authorities are responsible for managing the toll way, including placing and removing the traffic cones.

This is a legal loophole on unclear mandate for which agency should deal with the rogue motorists.

Once the wrong-way motorists could get on the expressway, police had no mandate to chase and apprehend them. Furthermore, most incidents would happen so fast that police have no time to react.

[tingtongfarang]

Could,nt this problem be solved by just getting a bib out an aircon box and stand him at the exit where the offenders enter or am i missing something?

[winstonc]

easy lad common sense doesnt prevail here..mind your Ps and Qs....

[NE1]

Wash your mouth out.....

[tingtongfarang]

This same problem exists in other areas also, the frontage road from onnut road alongside the tollway has a makeshift entry/exit next to the last uturn under the tollway, the last maybe 400mtrs is one way on a fast blind left curve leading onto the bangna trat frontage road,

First time i noticed was early morning when a red ford pickup came shooting around the curve in the middle of the road straight at me, luck would have it i was awake enough to swerve to the right but it had my tires squealing and my heart pumping, i since noticed its something which happens every few minutes on this curve and now keep well to the right and slow.

[HeijoshinCool]

Once the wrong-way motorists could get on the expressway, police had no mandate to chase and apprehend them.

Furthermore, most incidents would happen so fast that police have no time to react.

Truly amazing.

Yet they can determine murder/suicide/natural death seconds after arriving on the scene, with just a glance.

[Pattaya28]

Unbelievable !!!

[Ceruhe]

police had no mandate to chase and apprehend them.

The only chase I've ever seen here is when they do their random motorcycle busting and furiously wave with the flashlight to "have them slow down and get what's coming to them". Oh yea, the police guy may actually step onto the road and walk/jog (powerwalk?) 2 steps after them before deeming that he can't get them to do what he wanted them and goes after the next ones coming. I hope I never end up in a chase like that, I might actually start pumping adrenaline for all the wrong reasons.

[jacko45k]

Wrong direction tyre shredders might be an idea?

[noitom]

What Thai fools would take this risk especially around that blind left curve referred to by another poster?

[WhizBang]

Ahhh, Thainess.

[Doc46]

What is the problem here? There are Laws in Thailand there are Police in Thailand,Get the Police of there butt and be there 24/7 they will make enough money to pay for their overtime.

[klauskunkel]

Furthermore, most incidents would happen so fast that police have no time to react.

Then you need to equip the officers with the fast-reaction-amulet

[cup-O-coffee]

The demonstration of the basic intelligence of foreigners here (all good ideas, by the way) amply demonstrates the utter lack of problem solving skills here at HUB Central, and takes a big chunk of credibility away from those who accuse others of Thai bashing. Commenting on people, who self-flagellate themselves on a daily basis, is by no means a form of bashing, and moreover an objective commentary on why birds fly into windows, or why deer stand in the middle of the road and watch the oncoming headlights. When solutions as simple as those suggested arise, and have not heretofore been engaged by the "HUB of all Thought Creation", then I am once again utterly beggared.

[tingtongfarang]

What Thai fools would take this risk especially around that blind left curve referred to by another poster?

Quite a lot of fools do it, i,m guessing they save on average 1 km in the process of putting so many lives in danger although some atleast put their hazards on and drive extreme left most do not,

I got used to motocycs coming at me in the wrong direction on this curve but the first car at high speed was a shock.

[ldiablo]

Thai people taking advantage of a situation. Highly unlikely. It must be a mistake and they mean those pesky farang.

[Time Traveller]

Wrong direction tyre shredders might be an idea?

sounds good in theory. In practice, the car going the wrong way will end up either causing an accident or blocking traffic until it gets towed away

[glasswort]

"....... police had no mandate to chase and apprehend them......"

I hope that the Royal Thai police force has a mandate to apprehend and arrest all felons. Driving the wrong way down any road is a felony, yet alone on an expressway.

Easy solution; make the barriers more substantial and/or post a policeman to stop the offenders. The "fines" levied will more than pay his legitimate wages.

[Sviss Geez]

What Thai fools would take this risk especially around that blind left curve referred to by another poster?

Motorists in general as stated in the report gets interpreted by you as "Thai fools". But I suppose that's what a ThaiVisa fool does.

[Nbarch]

A simple solution would be to do away with the tolls!

Put 50 satang on a liter of fuel to compensate for the loss of revenue and at the same time do away with the traffic jams at the toll booths.

(I write this having not taken my medication this morning)

[BB24]

Road rules? What road rules???

[thefactoryoutlet]

Is it so difficult to fine anybody with just their number plate here ?

It seems that people who are not caught on the sport are never caught later ! Why ?

[nevets]

I see many driving with out a number plate and some painted out.

[ratcatcher]

What Thai fools would take this risk especially around that blind left curve referred to by another poster?

Motorists in general as stated in the report gets interpreted by you as "Thai fools". But I suppose that's what a ThaiVisa fool does.

I do believe noitom was lacing his comment with a large dose of irony. Least wise that's the way I saw it.

[Tomtomtom69]

I keep saying that if idiotic Thai motorists, mainly motorcyclists of course but as this article proves, even cars, want to drive against the flow of traffic they can go to Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia and drive on the right hand side of the road over there. In Thailand traffic flows on the left, but unfortunately it seems that driving against the flow of traffic is so common here it's shocking. I've been to every country in the region and despite chaotic traffic in those countries, nowhere seems to be as bad as Thailand.