Traffic Nightmare from BKK to Pattaya

[chicowoodduck]

So what the heck was going on today on the motorway from Bangkok to Pattaya??

Was bumper to bumper from near Ekamai to almost the out skirts of Pattaya....a whopping 80+ km stream of cars and trucks...took darn near 4 hours to get to North Pattaya Road. It was the worst I've seen in the last ten years I've been doing the deed....even worse than when it was only a two lane affair? Sucks the big one that is for sure..... Maybe it was a special holiday?? I'm clueless and pised of all at the same time....

[MrJohnson]

End of the month. Everyone is cashed up and going to Pattaya for the weekend. Not sure why.

[wprime]

End of the month. Everyone is cashed up and going to Pattaya for the weekend. Not sure why.

Obviously they don't like being cashed up, Pattaya has a way of fixing that.

[Songhua]

It's Saturday morning and payday for many.

You should see the beach here at BangSaen - they're parked three deep!

[lust]

Just drove from Hua Hin to BKK. Same, bumper to bumper traffic. 7.5 hours!!

The worst part was we stopped at KFC, and once I was driving again, I damn near (DELETED) my pants from being stuck in traffic. Nightmare. My gf was with me too which made it worse. Luckily a gas station appeared. Squat toilets with no bum guns. I had to walk over to the store to buy tissue and wet wipes to be clean. That was fun.

Edited March 28, 2015 by seedy
language

[CharlieH]

MOVED to Motoring

[JOC]

Just drove from Hua Hin to BKK. Same, bumper to bumper traffic. 7.5 hours!!

The worst part was we stopped at KFC, and once I was driving again, I damn near my pants from being stuck in traffic. Nightmare. My gf was with me too which made it worse. Luckily a gas station appeared. Squat toilets with no bum guns. I had to walk over to the store to buy tissue and wet wipes to be clean. That was fun.

My gf was with me too which made it worse.

The company of your GF was worse than (almost) (DELETED) your pants? She must be a very scary woman!!

Back on topic:

There are simply too many cars on the roads. All roads!! Just been Hua Hin -Surin up and down.

A drive I have done many times, and with 2 small breaks normally takes around 7 hours. This time, for no other reason than heavy traffic most of the way, it took 9 hours. (both ways)

Hope the gas prices will go up soon, to make people think twice before driving.

Edited March 28, 2015 by seedy
language

[jdinasia]

I believe that much of the increase in traffic is due to "cheng meng" - Chinese people heading to cemeteries to pay respects to their ancestors.

[JOC]

I believe that much of the increase in traffic is due to "cheng meng" - Chinese people heading to cemeteries to pay respects to their ancestors.

Qingming Festival is next week on the 5th of April.......................

[mogandave]

Just drove from Hua Hin to BKK. Same, bumper to bumper traffic. 7.5 hours!!

The worst part was we stopped at KFC, and once I was driving again, I damn near my pants from being stuck in traffic. Nightmare. My gf was with me too which made it worse. Luckily a gas station appeared. Squat toilets with no bum guns. I had to walk over to the store to buy tissue and wet wipes to be clean. That was fun.

Too much data...

[jdinasia]

I believe that much of the increase in traffic is due to "cheng meng" - Chinese people heading to cemeteries to pay respects to their ancestors.

Qingming Festival is next week on the 5th of April.......................

I know Thai Chinese celebrating this weekend. If I get the chance, I will run by the cemetery out here tomorrow. Traffic was certainly more intense than normal on the Nakhon Nayok /Saraburi loop today.

Edit - perhaps preparing and not "celebrating"? Most of the Chinese cemetery locations are a couple of hours outside of BKK where land for burial is way too expensive

Edited March 28, 2015 by jdinasia

[losworld]

Just drove from Hua Hin to BKK. Same, bumper to bumper traffic. 7.5 hours!!

The worst part was we stopped at KFC, and once I was driving again, I damn near (DELETED) my pants from being stuck in traffic. Nightmare. My gf was with me too which made it worse. Luckily a gas station appeared. Squat toilets with no bum guns. I had to walk over to the store to buy tissue and wet wipes to be clean. That was fun.

If it was songkran you could have just dropped your drawers.

[kannot]

Just drove from Hua Hin to BKK. Same, bumper to bumper traffic. 7.5 hours!!

The worst part was we stopped at KFC, and once I was driving again, I damn near (DELETED) my pants from being stuck in traffic. Nightmare. My gf was with me too which made it worse. Luckily a gas station appeared. Squat toilets with no bum guns. I had to walk over to the store to buy tissue and wet wipes to be clean. That was fun.

funny my Wife drove it too Pranburi to bkk 10 am start arrived 3 hours later in bkk?

[lust]

Just drove from Hua Hin to BKK. Same, bumper to bumper traffic. 7.5 hours!!

The worst part was we stopped at KFC, and once I was driving again, I damn near (DELETED) my pants from being stuck in traffic. Nightmare. My gf was with me too which made it worse. Luckily a gas station appeared. Squat toilets with no bum guns. I had to walk over to the store to buy tissue and wet wipes to be clean. That was fun.

If it was songkran you could have just dropped your drawers.

There was not even a place to pull over in emergency. The shoulder was being used for traffic too.

[bkkjames]

Payday, construction, trucks, add in a few accidents and a side of piss poor roads~ equals a recipe for disaster for those hoping to go to the beach to relax.

[arthurwait]

I believe that much of the increase in traffic is due to "cheng meng" - Chinese people heading to cemeteries to pay respects to their ancestors.

Qingming Festival is next week on the 5th of April.......................

According to the wife it goes on for about a month the period you can do it. They are doing it tomorrow.

Oh and the Sukhumvit was packed going south through Chonburi up to about 2pm.

[mogandave]

My family went today...

[lostinisaan]

I believe that much of the increase in traffic is due to "cheng meng" - Chinese people heading to cemeteries to pay respects to their ancestors.

Qingming Festival is next week on the 5th of April.......................

According to the wife it goes on for about a month the period you can do it. They are doing it tomorrow.

Oh and the Sukhumvit was packed going south through Chonburi up to about 2pm.

Which wife?

[konying]

End of the month. Everyone is cashed up and going to Pattaya for the weekend. Not sure why.

Payday is normally the 1st, today is 28th, I do not see how and why they would be cashed up 5 days before the payday.

[jdinasia]

End of the month. Everyone is cashed up and going to Pattaya for the weekend. Not sure why.

Payday is normally the 1st, today is 28th, I do not see how and why they would be cashed up 5 days before the payday.

I get paid on Tuesday, Monday at the earliest.

[Tywais]

End of the month. Everyone is cashed up and going to Pattaya for the weekend. Not sure why.

Payday is normally the 1st, today is 28th, I do not see how and why they would be cashed up 5 days before the payday.

I get paid on Tuesday, Monday at the earliest.

Same here. Only if the end of month is on a Sat or Sun then I get paid on preceding Friday.

[seedy]

One Troll / Flaming post removed

[craigt3365]

We travel to/from BKK from Pattaya several times a month. Mostly on weekends. Luckily, we're going TO BKK, so see the traffic mess on the other side of the road. My friend who comes here about once a month on Saturdays, says it can be a 4 hour drive if he's not on the road by 8am at the latest. Around 7am, he's here in 2 hours. I've seen 4km backups at those toll booths. Ugh.

[kaorop]

We travel to/from BKK from Pattaya several times a month. Mostly on weekends. Luckily, we're going TO BKK, so see the traffic mess on the other side of the road. My friend who comes here about once a month on Saturdays, says it can be a 4 hour drive if he's not on the road by 8am at the latest. Around 7am, he's here in 2 hours. I've seen 4km backups at those toll booths. Ugh.

its quite often the toll booths making the jams, from what i've seen

they have to get the auto systems in place, sooner of later, if for nothing else, to save the health of those booth operators!

[bkkjames]

We travel to/from BKK from Pattaya several times a month. Mostly on weekends. Luckily, we're going TO BKK, so see the traffic mess on the other side of the road. My friend who comes here about once a month on Saturdays, says it can be a 4 hour drive if he's not on the road by 8am at the latest. Around 7am, he's here in 2 hours. I've seen 4km backups at those toll booths. Ugh.

its quite often the toll booths making the jams, from what i've seen

they have to get the auto systems in place, sooner of later, if for nothing else, to save the health of those booth operators!

At least out there, there is a semblance of fresh air...compared to Bangkok toll booths

[ezzra]

I have Chinese In laws...still alive... can't wait to the time when I will finally Cheng Meng them too,

[KhunBENQ]

Friend just tells me about some Isan festival over the weekend.

No idea whether this is a good excuse for the traffic chaos.

I just wait for the day of complete gridlock. No way out and in from Pattaya. Sleep in the car

[DavisH]

I believe that much of the increase in traffic is due to "cheng meng" - Chinese people heading to cemeteries to pay respects to their ancestors.

Qingming Festival is next week on the 5th of April.......................

There will be a LOT of traffic on the roads next weekend. Unfortunately, I also have to partake. Is there a map of "big Chinese cemeteries" online? It's best to avoid those areas.

[Tomtomtom69]

I believe that much of the increase in traffic is due to "cheng meng" - Chinese people heading to cemeteries to pay respects to their ancestors.

Qingming Festival is next week on the 5th of April.......................

There will be a LOT of traffic on the roads next weekend. Unfortunately, I also have to partake. Is there a map of "big Chinese cemeteries" online? It's best to avoid those areas.

I hardly think that "tomb sweeping" is a big tradition in Thailand and certainly NOT the cause of major traffic jams. Chinese-Thais have integrated very well into Thai society and in keeping with this, most of their customs conform to the Thai customs. This also applies to death rituals. The vast majority of Thais, including Chinese-Thais cremate their dead and then take the remaining ashes to a natural place, usually a body of water such as a river and dispose of the ashes that way. My Thai family is also Chinese-Thai and this is exactly what happened when my fiancee's dad passed away. Of course there are also plenty of ceremonies to honour the dead at temples by praying for their souls, but that would require visits to temples, including Chinese ones, not cemeteries per se as they are very rare in Thailand.

Few Thais bury their dead in a cemetery, save for Muslims and possibly some Christians. Some Thais might put the remains of their loved ones inside tombs at Buddhist temples if they donated to them during their lives, but only in a minority of cases from what I've seen.

There are a few Chinese cemeteries around, but not that many considering the relatively large Chinese-Thai population. You just don't see Chinese tombs built into rice fields or other natural places in Thailand like you do in Vietnam, China and other countries. They exist but they are fairly rare.

[Tomtomtom69]

We travel to/from BKK from Pattaya several times a month. Mostly on weekends. Luckily, we're going TO BKK, so see the traffic mess on the other side of the road. My friend who comes here about once a month on Saturdays, says it can be a 4 hour drive if he's not on the road by 8am at the latest. Around 7am, he's here in 2 hours. I've seen 4km backups at those toll booths. Ugh.

its quite often the toll booths making the jams, from what i've seen

they have to get the auto systems in place, sooner of later, if for nothing else, to save the health of those booth operators!

And also to get into the 21st century. Australia and Singapore have had electronic toll systems in place for a number of years now and cash tolls were completely eliminated in Australia about 5-7 years ago now. Stop being "baan nok" Thailand, and get with the times. Electronic tolling is the way of the future.