Bike driver dies following fall onto road under Pattaya Highway Bridge

[Keesters]

Perhaps that's why they are building the underpass, so that accidents like this don't happen. Just hope that users of the underpass know how to swim, when it is flooded !!

I am not sure how the underpass will have any impact on this whatsoever.....

The underpass is further south on Sukhumvit and designed to allow straight through traffic at the Klang junction to do just that.

Bikes are not supposed to use this flyover....... but many use it to get off Sukhumvit onto the railway line bypass, as it can feel safer than Sukhumvit for a bike.

The bend at the top is quite sharp, and a fast moving bike with a pillion passenger would struggle. Cars in a hurry to get to the motorway and impatient Bangkok drivers make it dangerous.

The current roadworks and diversions may be forcing more traffic that way.....

I agree. The closure of the Soi Siam CC turn makes the motorway bridge an obvious 'rat run' diversion. Anyone who is not familiar with it needs to exercise caution, not only on the bend but also when 'blending' back left to get to the railway road.

I can only suggest that the young driver saw the ramp as a racetrack - particularly if he was not a regular user.

But can you u-turn at siam c.c? If so then next left past tesco will take you to railway road. If not then next u-turn will find some road on the left that leads to railway road. There are many. If coming out of North road turn right on sukhumvit and there's a turn soon to the left that goes to railway road. So many ways to avoid the bridge.

[Oziex1]

Does the bend "Tighten"?

If it does it is a great way to create the necessary conditions for accidents to happen!

The laws of converservation of energy mean that as the radius of the bend reduces (tightens) the moving object will increase in speed

A sling shot!

Space probes use this as a method of increasing their speed.

Could we also guess that the young rider does not know that the front brake should be used in a 60:40 ratio to the back brake?

Note that he hit a slower moving bike in front of him!

Experienced motorcyclists know the value of the powerful front brakes on modern motorcycles even on scooters. Sadly machine handling skills of many riders here is lacking and the front brake is looked at as some sort of bling not for use.

Machine maintenance is also not something high on list of priorities.

[longstebe]

Does the bend "Tighten"?

If it does it is a great way to create the necessary conditions for accidents to happen!

The laws of converservation of energy mean that as the radius of the bend reduces (tightens) the moving object will increase in speed

A sling shot!

Space probes use this as a method of increasing their speed.

Could we also guess that the young rider does not know that the front brake should be used in a 60:40 ratio to the back brake?

Note that he hit a slower moving bike in front of him!

Experienced motorcyclists know the value of the powerful front brakes on modern motorcycles even on scooters. Sadly machine handling skills of many riders here is lacking and the front brake is looked at as some sort of bling not for use.

Machine maintenance is also not something high on list of priorities.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it something like 70% braking power on your front wheel.

[Anthony5]

That curve is a death trap. Every couple of months someone else has an accident and dies at that spot.

Barriers along the outer edge of the curve and a couple of nasty speed bumps going up the the start of the ramp may help. You can't prevent stupid, but you can try to limit the consequences of it.

They have already tried to prevent stupidity by placing a traffic sign " no motorbikes" at the entrance.

Or make up for a bad design. Would this overpass conform to international standards? While the drivers are to blame so is the bridge design. It's scary even at slow speed. Did it once and that was once too many.

I don't know if there is a problem with the design, because I also ignore the sign and take that curve with a big cruiser without problems. I also take it daily with a pick up, usually at a speed around 80 km/h, and again without issues or screaming tyres.

But what I notice is, a Thai with a Porsche or a Ferrari may enter the ramp at 150km/h and continue on the straight highway at 200km/h, but is only able to take the curve at 40Km/h.

I have over the years left many sports cars behind in my truck or Toyota Vios on highway entrances and exits, while at the same time I don't drive recklessly or move from my driving lane.

Maybe some real driving tests before handing out a driver license are at the order.

[Keesters]

Does the bend "Tighten"?

If it does it is a great way to create the necessary conditions for accidents to happen!

The laws of converservation of energy mean that as the radius of the bend reduces (tightens) the moving object will increase in speed

A sling shot!

Space probes use this as a method of increasing their speed.

Could we also guess that the young rider does not know that the front brake should be used in a 60:40 ratio to the back brake?

Note that he hit a slower moving bike in front of him!

Experienced motorcyclists know the value of the powerful front brakes on modern motorcycles even on scooters. Sadly machine handling skills of many riders here is lacking and the front brake is looked at as some sort of bling not for use.

Machine maintenance is also not something high on list of priorities.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it something like 70% braking power on your front wheel.

Probably lots here that will tell me I'm wrong but in the course of a normal days riding I only use the front brake with most slowing down achieved by reduction of throttle and use of gears with front brake for the final stop. Rear brake only gets used in emergencies.

I call it reading the road ahead. Why approach a red light at full speed only to come to a brake screeching halt and a long wait. That's for those that stop on red I know a lot don't. I prefer to slow down approaching the light as it turns green while moving and get a fast takeoff through the junction leaving those who stopped on red standing trying to get the bike in gear or restart it because they stalled.

[Oziex1]

As for percentages of front rear brake power on a motorcycle, not sure just know i use the fronts in conjunction with the rear for serious speed reduction when I need/ want to slow down. The rear brake does not offer a lot of stopping power and is primarily used to keep the bike straight when braking heavily.

Some scooter manufacturers incorporate the front rear brake together, known as a combi brake. A system that uses 30% front brake when the rear brake lever is squeezed, I assume this is to give some extra brake stopping power to those not liking to use the front brakes. Can be a problem to the poorly skilled when unknowingly appling front brake pressure on poor or wet roads.

Driver training is long overdue in this country.

[Doc46]

First Question before any sympathy for the devil, Helmet or not???

[WhizBang]

The bikes are prohibited from using that road so what was he doing riding up that ramp anyway.....not that anyone pays any attention to the road signs...

Good point. Like you say though, most of them go ignored.

Do they still have the traffic lights on beach road what everyone ignores?

Yup. I was sitting in a restaurant a few days ago on Beach Road, when a motorist stopped for a pedestrian. The guy behind him got very incensed and was honking his horn profusely.

I have also watched people trying to cross when traffic had a red light, having to run to avoid being hit.

[WhizBang]

That curve is a death trap. Every couple of months someone else has an accident and dies at that spot.

Barriers along the outer edge of the curve and a couple of nasty speed bumps going up the the start of the ramp may help. You can't prevent stupid, but you can try to limit the consequences of it.

They have already tried to prevent stupidity by placing a traffic sign " no motorbikes" at the entrance.

Or make up for a bad design. Would this overpass conform to international standards? While the drivers are to blame so is the bridge design. It's scary even at slow speed. Did it once and that was once too many.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the design. I have been over that bridge many many times. The problem in it's entirety is Thai drivers. They are completely clueless. Not only have they never had any driver training, they never learned any kind of critical thinking to be able to judge road conditions, hazards or other traffic.

[torpedo1970]

I use this highway about three or four times a week and have seen numerous motorbikes on this highway including one coming against the traffic next to the middle dividing wall.

So obviously no notice has been taken of the "no motorbike" sign at the Sukhumvit entrance to the highway.

was just about to say....

(removed)

there is a no motorbike sign there for a reason stupid....

Edited March 9, 2015 by petercool
Thai-lish not allowed

[Keesters]

That curve is a death trap. Every couple of months someone else has an accident and dies at that spot.

Barriers along the outer edge of the curve and a couple of nasty speed bumps going up the the start of the ramp may help. You can't prevent stupid, but you can try to limit the consequences of it.

They have already tried to prevent stupidity by placing a traffic sign " no motorbikes" at the entrance.

Or make up for a bad design. Would this overpass conform to international standards? While the drivers are to blame so is the bridge design. It's scary even at slow speed. Did it once and that was once too many.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the design. I have been over that bridge many many times. The problem in it's entirety is Thai drivers. They are completely clueless. Not only have they never had any driver training, they never learned any kind of critical thinking to be able to judge road conditions, hazards or other traffic.

Could you please post a copy of your engineering degree and license together with proof that you've checked the drawings of the bridge as well as proof that you've surveyed the bridge to see if it conforms to design. I've travelled the world quite a bit and have never come across a bridge with such a sharp bend in it before. I'm no expert on bridges but I feel the design is lacking. Too easy just to blame the drivers when there could be other reasons contributing to all the accidents.

[dotpoom]

May he R.I.P. and prayers for his family and friends.

[lvr181]

I read reports from around this country of bends in the roads being a death trap, maybe if people knew how to drive/ ride they would simply steer their vehicle around the bend.

Of course it would require being at a safe speed and not being hideously overloaded, or just loaded.

Exactly. The road and its designers are not to blame. It's the simple inability of the user to ride or drive in a manner suitable to the conditions. How many times do we hear ' the bend is too sharp ' and ' the road was wet ' ? Reduce your speed and you'll be unlikely to have an accident. Maybe some of the B.I.B should stand there and enforce the road's restrictions.....

Maybe the BIB would fall off their bikes as well? I have, in the past, seen a few of them riding around Bangkok with their helmets not strapped up!

[lvr181]

"I'm no expert on bridges but I feel the design is lacking. Too easy just to blame the drivers when there could be other reasons contributing to all the accidents."

No driver/rider = no accident. Therefore not entirely the fault of the bridge. Drivers/riders need to learn to drive/ride to the conditions of the road, sharp bends, wet, etc. Not rocket science!

[chrissables]

That curve is a death trap. Every couple of months someone else has an accident and dies at that spot.

Barriers along the outer edge of the curve and a couple of nasty speed bumps going up the the start of the ramp may help. You can't prevent stupid, but you can try to limit the consequences of it.

They have already tried to prevent stupidity by placing a traffic sign " no motorbikes" at the entrance.

The problem is that sign should have been placed 100 meters before the ramp, to give a motorbike rider who did not know time to filter left.

[Keesters]

"I'm no expert on bridges but I feel the design is lacking. Too easy just to blame the drivers when there could be other reasons contributing to all the accidents."

No driver/rider = no accident. Therefore not entirely the fault of the bridge. Drivers/riders need to learn to drive/ride to the conditions of the road, sharp bends, wet, etc. Not rocket science!

Did you not read the word 'contributing'. Never said 'entirely'. I'll leave you to look up the meanings. Hope you can comprehend the difference and not misinterpret another of my posts. No Phd in English required. Edited March 9, 2015 by Keesters

[Keesters]

That curve is a death trap. Every couple of months someone else has an accident and dies at that spot.

Barriers along the outer edge of the curve and a couple of nasty speed bumps going up the the start of the ramp may help. You can't prevent stupid, but you can try to limit the consequences of it.

They have already tried to prevent stupidity by placing a traffic sign " no motorbikes" at the entrance.

The problem is that sign should have been placed 100 meters before the ramp, to give a motorbike rider who did not know time to filter left.

Well spotted and a valid point. So motorcyclists can be forgiven for using it once. Let's just hope that it is not their last day out biking.

[peecee]

I use this highway about three or four times a week and have seen numerous motorbikes on this highway including one coming against the traffic next to the middle dividing wall.

So obviously no notice has been taken of the "no motorbike" sign at the Sukhumvit entrance to the highway.

I would have thought it was a good spot for the police to make a few bob!

[TomYumpoochai]

Perhaps that's why they are building the underpass, so that accidents like this don't happen. Just hope that users of the underpass know how to swim, when it is flooded !!

I am not sure how the underpass will have any impact on this whatsoever.....

The underpass is further south on Sukhumvit and designed to allow straight through traffic at the Klang junction to do just that.

Bikes are not supposed to use this flyover....... but many use it to get off Sukhumvit onto the railway line bypass, as it can feel safer than Sukhumvit for a bike.

The bend at the top is quite sharp, and a fast moving bike with a pillion passenger would struggle. Cars in a hurry to get to the motorway and impatient Bangkok drivers make it dangerous.

The current roadworks and diversions may be forcing more traffic that way.....

Struggle? Ive got round it @ 68mph although me n dorris tame it down to 55mph. Its the same old story...someone riding a bike with no skills. I reckon they should paint a target on the road below so the rescue guys can have a bet on where the next 1 hits.....

[montereyjp]

Amazingly I have use that flyover regularly over the last 4 years since I live in east Pattaya and I have never noticed that sign.. I have a truck and motorcycle and drive both on the flyover frequently but of course not at the same time.. It is dangerous and painting it red with some anti-skid paint did not make it any safer. I always take that curve with lots of caution. I drive defensively having ridden motorcycles all my life and since moving to Thailand I drive my car defensively too.. For those of you who may not know what defense driving is.. It means be alert for road hazards like a sharp turn and stuff on the road like oil, rocks, pieces of tires. suspect all other vehicles will not follow the rules so always look for a way out when approaching intersections and start slowing down in case someone does pull out in front of you, stay out of others blind spots, and do not assume others drivers see you especially on a motorcycle and remain alert at all times and pay attention to whats going on behind so you can try and get out of the way if it looks like vehicle approaching will run into you..

I often see the locals driving very unsafely.. I do the best I can to stay out of their way. RIP to the young man who died.. as others have pointed out, it had nothing to do with the curve of the flyover..it was simply reckless driving..

That curve is a death trap. Every couple of months someone else has an accident and dies at that spot.

Barriers along the outer edge of the curve and a couple of nasty speed bumps going up the the start of the ramp may help. You can't prevent stupid, but you can try to limit the consequences of it.

They have already tried to prevent stupidity by placing a traffic sign " no motorbikes" at the entrance.

[TomYumpoochai]

That curve is a death trap. Every couple of months someone else has an accident and dies at that spot.

Barriers along the outer edge of the curve and a couple of nasty speed bumps going up the the start of the ramp may help. You can't prevent stupid, but you can try to limit the consequences of it.

They have already tried to prevent stupidity by placing a traffic sign " no motorbikes" at the entrance.

The problem is that sign should have been placed 100 meters before the ramp, to give a motorbike rider who did not know time to filter left.

Well spotted and a valid point. So motorcyclists can be forgiven for using it once. Let's just hope that it is not their last day out biking.

Get real you bunch of pansies! I use it any time im off to ban chang or the darkside. Its just a right turn with a few bumps in it. You can see the average car driver cant even manage it by the amount of bumper scrapes on the barriers.

[wump]

The driver must have been drunk out of his mind to not be able to handle the curve. There is no way on earth you can get up there on more than 90 kph on a Click, and with this speed, you would be able to handle it quite okay on a normal day.

If you do illegal stuff (like going down the opposite way on a one-way street or - drive up a prohibited on-ramp), you might as well go nice and slow and take care of what you're doing.

[Keesters]

That curve is a death trap. Every couple of months someone else has an accident and dies at that spot.

Barriers along the outer edge of the curve and a couple of nasty speed bumps going up the the start of the ramp may help. You can't prevent stupid, but you can try to limit the consequences of it.

They have already tried to prevent stupidity by placing a traffic sign " no motorbikes" at the entrance.

The problem is that sign should have been placed 100 meters before the ramp, to give a motorbike rider who did not know time to filter left.

Well spotted and a valid point. So motorcyclists can be forgiven for using it once. Let's just hope that it is not their last day out biking.

Get real you bunch of pansies! I use it any time im off to ban chang or the darkside. Its just a right turn with a few bumps in it. You can see the average car driver cant even manage it by the amount of bumper scrapes on the barriers.

Another motorcycle accident waiting to happen perhaps. Your language is uncalled for. Please show some restraint.

[ableguy]

Ref all the comments, just another day in the life in Thailand, no three country in the world for traffic deaths most of them on motor bikes , and we all know how they drive, why is this even news.

[Keesters]

Ref all the comments, just another day in the life in Thailand, no three country in the world for traffic deaths most of them on motor bikes , and we all know how they drive, why is this even news.

Do you want these accidents not to be reported so Thailand eventually reaches no 1 slot for accidents. Reporting creates awareness. When people are aware of the dangers hopefully they will do something about it. Edited March 9, 2015 by Keesters

[Keesters]

Just spoke with a friend. He's used it once on his motorcycle. Said that he had to slow down to 40kmph before he could take the bend. Reckons it is the most severe elevated bend he has ever come across. Won't use it again.

[roger101]

I was under the impression that originally the road was going to be a Toll Road (motorway) so motorbikes were forbidden. After it was finished it was realised that a Toll Road there would not work so the idea was scrapped. The signs were already in place and nobody has ever bothered to take them down. Coming from Pattaya Nua to the 7 also has a sign forbidding mtorbikes and this cant have anything to to do with a bridge or a sharp turn.

[Anthony5]

I was under the impression that originally the road was going to be a Toll Road (motorway) so motorbikes were forbidden. After it was finished it was realised that a Toll Road there would not work so the idea was scrapped. The signs were already in place and nobody has ever bothered to take them down. Coming from Pattaya Nua to the 7 also has a sign forbidding mtorbikes and this cant have anything to to do with a bridge or a sharp turn.

So you think they are building those toll booth stations in Nongprue to waste money?

[balo]

No helmet I guess, a cheap BIG C helmet wouldn't save him anyway.

Stupid, reckless drivers sooner or later end up like this.

[wump]

I was under the impression that originally the road was going to be a Toll Road (motorway) so motorbikes were forbidden. After it was finished it was realised that a Toll Road there would not work so the idea was scrapped. The signs were already in place and nobody has ever bothered to take them down. Coming from Pattaya Nua to the 7 also has a sign forbidding mtorbikes and this cant have anything to to do with a bridge or a sharp turn.

So if you can use the road for free and there still is a sign "no motorbikes" you think it's okay to use it? I really do think the sign is there for a reason.

That said, I read these stories of motorbikes falling off the onramp every 3-6 months. The drivers usually die in the process and that's why I wonder why they don't put proper barriers there if everyone is going to ignore the signs anyway.