It’s official: Phuket worst in Thailand for road accidents

[tuanku]

I wonder when they start realizing that something has to be done to stop this.

Thailand is allready in the top 10 of the world of having the most fatal roadaccidents.

When will that ever change? They even don't use indicators, drive against traffic, park wherever they want, stop where they like, cut eachothers of all the time.......

and there i drive with my 60 hours of drivinglessons with an instructor next to me in a car with double pedals for safety. And my driverslicense is not even valid here, i need to buy an international driverslicense every year.

Considering the alcohol related accidents only run at 30%, why are we not looking at the causes of the other 70%??

This is a band aid, as usual. Idiotic or non existant licencing standards, driver education and vehicle road worthiness need a lot more energy

than trotting out some breathalysers.

Think how many times you see the way people drive here and shake your head or worse.

How can we believe the % figure for alcohol related accidents? The whole article is about how they didn't have the equipment to determine whether drivers were drunk. I think this would have to be an underestimate.

[Maggusoil]

I wonder when they start realizing that something has to be done to stop this.

Thailand is allready in the top 10 of the world of having the most fatal roadaccidents.

When will that ever change? They even don't use indicators, drive against traffic, park wherever they want, stop where they like, cut eachothers of all the time.......

and there i drive with my 60 hours of drivinglessons with an instructor next to me in a car with double pedals for safety. And my driverslicense is not even valid here, i need to buy an international driverslicense every year.

Considering the alcohol related accidents only run at 30%, why are we not looking at the causes of the other 70%??

This is a band aid, as usual. Idiotic or non existant licencing standards, driver education and vehicle road worthiness need a lot more energy

than trotting out some breathalysers.

Think how many times you see the way people drive here and shake your head or worse.

How can we believe the % figure for alcohol related accidents? The whole article is about how they didn't have the equipment to determine whether drivers were drunk. I think this would have to be an underestimate.

My point exactly. You may not remember this but in the good old days before breathalysers, police had methods for deciding whether or not you had too much too drink for you own safety. Or, whether or not you were drunk. It is possible to have more than the prescibed alcohol level in your blood and still be fit to drive home. It is possible to have more than the prescibed alcohol level in your blood and in fact not be "drunk".

People have very different levels of tolerance to alcohol. Some are very high, like myself, which is why when we were young, I "always" got the job of driving everyone home after the party or the pub.

I think more to the point here is for the police to take a different attitude when attending to their duties. They are very lax.

Breathalyser will be used as yet another device for the police to get their tea money here.

[stevenl]

I wonder when they start realizing that something has to be done to stop this.

Thailand is allready in the top 10 of the world of having the most fatal roadaccidents.

When will that ever change? They even don't use indicators, drive against traffic, park wherever they want, stop where they like, cut eachothers of all the time.......

and there i drive with my 60 hours of drivinglessons with an instructor next to me in a car with double pedals for safety. And my driverslicense is not even valid here, i need to buy an international driverslicense every year.

Considering the alcohol related accidents only run at 30%, why are we not looking at the causes of the other 70%??

This is a band aid, as usual. Idiotic or non existant licencing standards, driver education and vehicle road worthiness need a lot more energy

than trotting out some breathalysers.

Think how many times you see the way people drive here and shake your head or worse.

How can we believe the % figure for alcohol related accidents? The whole article is about how they didn't have the equipment to determine whether drivers were drunk. I think this would have to be an underestimate.

My point exactly. You may not remember this but in the good old days before breathalysers, police had methods for deciding whether or not you had too much too drink for you own safety. Or, whether or not you were drunk. It is possible to have more than the prescibed alcohol level in your blood and still be fit to drive home. It is possible to have more than the prescibed alcohol level in your blood and in fact not be "drunk".

People have very different levels of tolerance to alcohol. Some are very high, like myself, which is why when we were young, I "always" got the job of driving everyone home after the party or the pub.

I think more to the point here is for the police to take a different attitude when attending to their duties. They are very lax.

Breathalyser will be used as yet another device for the police to get their tea money here.

Congratulations on being a good drunk driver.

[Old Croc]

To say that a new, efficient public transport system wouldn't be patronised because everyone here already have cars and bikes is probably quite true.

However, it still needs to be set up and supported financially, because it is the only long term answer to the problems. It may take a generational change before enough people stop buying new bikes for their 14yo to go to school, and the system begins to make a profit.

This is the legacy of death the mafia families in their greed and thuggery, inflicted on this island

[Rimmer]

Flame and reply removed

[NamKangMan]

To say that a new, efficient public transport system wouldn't be patronised because everyone here already have cars and bikes is probably quite true.

However, it still needs to be set up and supported financially, because it is the only long term answer to the problems. It may take a generational change before enough people stop buying new bikes for their 14yo to go to school, and the system begins to make a profit.

This is the legacy of death the mafia families in their greed and thuggery, inflicted on this island

Most expats here already have their work arounds, it's the tourists, and tourism industry, that would benefit the most from even the simplest implementation of a transport system here.

That said, if it was a reasonable flat fare system, similar to the Pattaya baht bus system, I think many expats who enjoy a drink, or two, would eventually use the system, as can be seen in Pattaya. If such pricing was affordable for Thai's, and the transport routes were reasonably comprehensive, you would then start to see Thai's use the system as well, once again, as can be seen in Pattaya.

"This is the legacy of death the mafia families in their greed and thuggery, inflicted on this island" - well said, and so true.

These criminals have inflicted untold suffering on the many families of the deceased and permanently injured here. Many of whom were innocent road users.

Also, we are now seeing the damage they have done to the tourism industry here, with many return visitors voting with their feet, and their baht.

Edited August 31, 2015 by NamKangMan

[wellred]

Half the people on the road should not even be allowed to drive in the 1st place. A better solution would be to revamp the safety rules of the road whereby they adopt western standards and then make everyone reapply for their drivers licence. That would at least force everyone to learn how to drive like a normal person.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KarenBravo]

The rules for safe driving are already there.

The problem is enforcement.

[schlog]

I would have to agree. Wet slippery roads during the rainy season are a factor in a number of road accidents. Very few people want to ride a motor bike in the rain and If there was an an affordable and reliable public transport system many would leave the bike at home.

As NKM says a jump of jump on baht bus system like Pattayas would also be a major factor for saving lives. If there was such a service many tourists would forgo the bike or car rental. Many locals would not need a motorbike or car.

As far as weaning locals off their bikes and cars I admit it wouldn't happen overnight but it would eventually happen. If monthly public transportation costs were a fraction of a bike or car loan payment then more people would opt for that.

A public bus system like Pattaya is simply not viable. It may be viable and happen locally, especially in Patong, but between other beaches: no, unless the government is willing to set it up and take the losses for a system like that.

Absolutely correct. It is only good in Towns like Patong or Phuket Town.

We need a big solution. Like today in the morning and like most days i and hundreds of people need 1h from Thalang to Central. So a bus system is not the solution for Airport-Thalang-Phuket-Chalong Route because this buses also go nowhere in this daily traffic jams.

I and sure many Thais would be happy to take sometimes a MRT or something like that and need only 15 min.

Sitting every day 2-3 h in this traffic is so annoying. It's time for a big change.

[KarenBravo]

I liked the cable-car idea that would run along the hills on the west-coast.

Still think it would work.

[robertthebruce]

I liked the cable-car idea that would run along the hills on the west-coast.

Still think it would work.

Yes great idea, but how well would it be built ??

Safety in any shape or form in Thailand is a non Starter.....

[tuanku]

Half the people on the road should not even be allowed to drive in the 1st place. A better solution would be to revamp the safety rules of the road whereby they adopt western standards and then make everyone reapply for their drivers licence. That would at least force everyone to learn how to drive like a normal person.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Allowed by whom? You? Prayuth?

Why would Thailand adopt Western standards when it has its own standards which it is immensely proud of?

How exactly do you propose to make everyone reapply for a driving licence about 60 % of them have in the first place?

Normal - define normal..............USA normal? UAE normal? Namibia normal?

Your comments have no substance .......... are you even aware that you are a guest in another country?

Yes driving standards here are different from the West.

Yes the death toll is outrageously high..........however people here as a whole accept that (at least until their next of kin are killed on the road) and don't seem to want to adopt other nations ideas of prudent behaviour . Just look at the number of families on bikes without helmets in the rural towns. I once did a casual survey while sitting in a roadside restaurant ............... in 30 minutes observation at a crossroads with traffic lights in the centre of a small town, more than 90% of drivers were clearly breaking the law in some way, helmets/ modified vehicles/ overloaded lorries/ more than 2 to a bike/ wrong side of the road/ speeding/ jumping the lights/ illegal u-turns/ underage, etc. I think that on an instinctive level most people here accept the risks if that is what it costs for them to be able to drive however they want to. A fatalistic acceptance of what happens is part of the culture. The most common safety precaution is to have your car blessed and to mount some dashboard monks and have flowers hanging from the mirror. It may not be more effective than enforcing safe driving practices - but it is what prevails and if you don't like it you can avoid travelling by road, but i doubt that you can preach a different approach to any real effect.

[wellred]

Half the people on the road should not even be allowed to drive in the 1st place. A better solution would be to revamp the safety rules of the road whereby they adopt western standards and then make everyone reapply for their drivers licence. That would at least force everyone to learn how to drive like a normal person.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Allowed by whom? You? Prayuth?

Why would Thailand adopt Western standards when it has its own standards which it is immensely proud of?

How exactly do you propose to make everyone reapply for a driving licence about 60 % of them have in the first place?

Normal - define normal..............USA normal? UAE normal? Namibia normal?

Your comments have no substance .......... are you even aware that you are a guest in another country?

Yes driving standards here are different from the West.

Yes the death toll is outrageously high..........however people here as a whole accept that .

I don't think ones status as a guest in another country means they cannot make a suggestion on how they might improve on something. There is an obvious problem with road safety here (hint hint this thread?) so I'm not sure if it's anything to be 'proud' of. And by normal I suppose you could take your pick of any countries who don't feature anywhere near Thailand in a list of most dangerous places to drive, of which I'm sure Thailand is near the top.

It's not a pop at the country. I enjoy spending my time and money there during my holidays and I think the people who live there would benefit greatly from improved road safety.

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[Felt 35]

Half the people on the road should not even be allowed to drive in the 1st place. A better solution would be to revamp the safety rules of the road whereby they adopt western standards and then make everyone reapply for their drivers licence. That would at least force everyone to learn how to drive like a normal person.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Allowed by whom? You? Prayuth?

Why would Thailand adopt Western standards when it has its own standards which it is immensely proud of?

How exactly do you propose to make everyone reapply for a driving licence about 60 % of them have in the first place?

Normal - define normal..............USA normal? UAE normal? Namibia normal?

Your comments have no substance .......... are you even aware that you are a guest in another country?

Yes driving standards here are different from the West.

Yes the death toll is outrageously high..........however people here as a whole accept that (at least until their next of kin are killed on the road) and don't seem to want to adopt other nations ideas of prudent behaviour . Just look at the number of families on bikes without helmets in the rural towns. I once did a casual survey while sitting in a roadside restaurant ............... in 30 minutes observation at a crossroads with traffic lights in the centre of a small town, more than 90% of drivers were clearly breaking the law in some way, helmets/ modified vehicles/ overloaded lorries/ more than 2 to a bike/ wrong side of the road/ speeding/ jumping the lights/ illegal u-turns/ underage, etc. I think that on an instinctive level most people here accept the risks if that is what it costs for them to be able to drive however they want to. A fatalistic acceptance of what happens is part of the culture. The most common safety precaution is to have your car blessed and to mount some dashboard monks and have flowers hanging from the mirror. It may not be more effective than enforcing safe driving practices - but it is what prevails and if you don't like it you can avoid travelling by road, but i doubt that you can preach a different approach to any real effect.

Huh,,,,,,,part of the culture, yes with a iron fist through centuries ,for if we not know better and nobody want us to know better but actually live from the statues quo ,what do we do then............

[wellred]

Half the people on the road should not even be allowed to drive in the 1st place. A better solution would be to revamp the safety rules of the road whereby they adopt western standards and then make everyone reapply for their drivers licence. That would at least force everyone to learn how to drive like a normal person.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Allowed by whom? You? Prayuth?

Why would Thailand adopt Western standards when it has its own standards which it is immensely proud of?

How exactly do you propose to make everyone reapply for a driving licence about 60 % of them have in the first place?

Normal - define normal..............USA normal? UAE normal? Namibia normal?

Your comments have no substance .......... are you even aware that you are a guest in another country?

Yes driving standards here are different from the West.

Yes the death toll is outrageously high..........however people here as a whole accept that (at least until their next of kin are killed on the road) and don't seem to want to adopt other nations ideas of prudent behaviour . Just look at the number of families on bikes without helmets in the rural towns. I once did a casual survey while sitting in a roadside restaurant ............... in 30 minutes observation at a crossroads with traffic lights in the centre of a small town, more than 90% of drivers were clearly breaking the law in some way, helmets/ modified vehicles/ overloaded lorries/ more than 2 to a bike/ wrong side of the road/ speeding/ jumping the lights/ illegal u-turns/ underage, etc. I think that on an instinctive level most people here accept the risks if that is what it costs for them to be able to drive however they want to. A fatalistic acceptance of what happens is part of the culture. The most common safety precaution is to have your car blessed and to mount some dashboard monks and have flowers hanging from the mirror. It may not be more effective than enforcing safe driving practices - but it is what prevails and if you don't like it you can avoid travelling by road, but i doubt that you can preach a different approach to any real effect.

Huh,,,,,,,part of the culture, yes with a iron fist through centuries ,for if we not know better and nobody want us to know better but actually live from the statues quo ,what do we do then............

I'm sorry what? Serious question now. Is English your 1st language?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KarenBravo]

Yes, absolutely! Carnage on the roads and lives cut short by the ignorance and selfishness of drivers is a Thai cultural heritage.

How dare any foreigner stick their unwanted nose in and try to change, or, even comment on this precious heritage.

We are guests in this country and to critisize Thainess and all it's manifestations is rude at best and imperialistic and racist at worst.

If you don't like it, you should go back to where you came from.

Don't you agree tuanku?

[Felt 35]

Half the people on the road should not even be allowed to drive in the 1st place. A better solution would be to revamp the safety rules of the road whereby they adopt western standards and then make everyone reapply for their drivers licence. That would at least force everyone to learn how to drive like a normal person.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Allowed by whom? You? Prayuth?

Why would Thailand adopt Western standards when it has its own standards which it is immensely proud of?

How exactly do you propose to make everyone reapply for a driving licence about 60 % of them have in the first place?

Normal - define normal..............USA normal? UAE normal? Namibia normal?

Your comments have no substance .......... are you even aware that you are a guest in another country?

Yes driving standards here are different from the West.

Yes the death toll is outrageously high..........however people here as a whole accept that (at least until their next of kin are killed on the road) and don't seem to want to adopt other nations ideas of prudent behaviour . Just look at the number of families on bikes without helmets in the rural towns. I once did a casual survey while sitting in a roadside restaurant ............... in 30 minutes observation at a crossroads with traffic lights in the centre of a small town, more than 90% of drivers were clearly breaking the law in some way, helmets/ modified vehicles/ overloaded lorries/ more than 2 to a bike/ wrong side of the road/ speeding/ jumping the lights/ illegal u-turns/ underage, etc. I think that on an instinctive level most people here accept the risks if that is what it costs for them to be able to drive however they want to. A fatalistic acceptance of what happens is part of the culture. The most common safety precaution is to have your car blessed and to mount some dashboard monks and have flowers hanging from the mirror. It may not be more effective than enforcing safe driving practices - but it is what prevails and if you don't like it you can avoid travelling by road, but i doubt that you can preach a different approach to any real effect.

Huh,,,,,,,part of the culture, yes with a iron fist through centuries ,for if we not know better and nobody want us to know better but actually live from the statues quo ,what do we do then............

I'm sorry what? Serious question now. Is English your 1st language?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wellred. My reply was a ironic "reed between the lines" reply to tuanku., I.e. reed between the lines in this case refer to why things are like they are and why a Government in 2015 let the road carnage and a few other not so human " cultural" functions be as they are when they (Government) easily could do something with it

[NOC]

Considering the alcohol related accidents only run at 30%, why are we not looking at the causes of the other 70%??

This is a band aid, as usual. Idiotic or non existant licencing standards, driver education and vehicle road worthiness need a lot more energy

than trotting out some breathalysers.

Think how many times you see the way people drive here and shake your head or worse.

Or, to look at it another way and apply some logic; 30% of accidents are caused by drunk drivers whilst 70% are caused by sober drivers.

Far safer to drive drunk

says the owner of a bar...

[Valentine]

Considering the alcohol related accidents only run at 30%, why are we not looking at the causes of the other 70%??

This is a band aid, as usual. Idiotic or non existant licencing standards, driver education and vehicle road worthiness need a lot more energy

than trotting out some breathalysers.

Think how many times you see the way people drive here and shake your head or worse.

Or, to look at it another way and apply some logic; 30% of accidents are caused by drunk drivers whilst 70% are caused by sober drivers.

Far safer to drive drunk

says the owner of a bar...

KB owning a bar? News to me. I understand he supports a few bars with his libations.

[KarenBravo]

Considering the alcohol related accidents only run at 30%, why are we not looking at the causes of the other 70%??

This is a band aid, as usual. Idiotic or non existant licencing standards, driver education and vehicle road worthiness need a lot more energy

than trotting out some breathalysers.

Think how many times you see the way people drive here and shake your head or worse.

Or, to look at it another way and apply some logic; 30% of accidents are caused by drunk drivers whilst 70% are caused by sober drivers.

Far safer to drive drunk

says the owner of a bar...

Owner of a bar?

Me?

Nah......I'm to be found on the other side.

[NamKangMan]

Half the people on the road should not even be allowed to drive in the 1st place. A better solution would be to revamp the safety rules of the road whereby they adopt western standards and then make everyone reapply for their drivers licence. That would at least force everyone to learn how to drive like a normal person.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Allowed by whom? You? Prayuth?

Why would Thailand adopt Western standards when it has its own standards which it is immensely proud of?

How exactly do you propose to make everyone reapply for a driving licence about 60 % of them have in the first place?

Normal - define normal..............USA normal? UAE normal? Namibia normal?

Your comments have no substance .......... are you even aware that you are a guest in another country?

Yes driving standards here are different from the West.

Yes the death toll is outrageously high..........however people here as a whole accept that (at least until their next of kin are killed on the road) and don't seem to want to adopt other nations ideas of prudent behaviour . Just look at the number of families on bikes without helmets in the rural towns. I once did a casual survey while sitting in a roadside restaurant ............... in 30 minutes observation at a crossroads with traffic lights in the centre of a small town, more than 90% of drivers were clearly breaking the law in some way, helmets/ modified vehicles/ overloaded lorries/ more than 2 to a bike/ wrong side of the road/ speeding/ jumping the lights/ illegal u-turns/ underage, etc. I think that on an instinctive level most people here accept the risks if that is what it costs for them to be able to drive however they want to. A fatalistic acceptance of what happens is part of the culture. The most common safety precaution is to have your car blessed and to mount some dashboard monks and have flowers hanging from the mirror. It may not be more effective than enforcing safe driving practices - but it is what prevails and if you don't like it you can avoid travelling by road, but i doubt that you can preach a different approach to any real effect.

"Why would Thailand adopt Western standards when it has its own standards which it is immensely proud of?" - Singapore "adopted Western standards" and look at the difference between Singapore and Thailand.

[NamKangMan]

I would have to agree. Wet slippery roads during the rainy season are a factor in a number of road accidents. Very few people want to ride a motor bike in the rain and If there was an an affordable and reliable public transport system many would leave the bike at home.

As NKM says a jump of jump on baht bus system like Pattayas would also be a major factor for saving lives. If there was such a service many tourists would forgo the bike or car rental. Many locals would not need a motorbike or car.

As far as weaning locals off their bikes and cars I admit it wouldn't happen overnight but it would eventually happen. If monthly public transportation costs were a fraction of a bike or car loan payment then more people would opt for that.

A public bus system like Pattaya is simply not viable. It may be viable and happen locally, especially in Patong, but between other beaches: no, unless the government is willing to set it up and take the losses for a system like that.

Absolutely correct. It is only good in Towns like Patong or Phuket Town.

We need a big solution. Like today in the morning and like most days i and hundreds of people need 1h from Thalang to Central. So a bus system is not the solution for Airport-Thalang-Phuket-Chalong Route because this buses also go nowhere in this daily traffic jams.

I and sure many Thais would be happy to take sometimes a MRT or something like that and need only 15 min.

Sitting every day 2-3 h in this traffic is so annoying. It's time for a big change.

Did it ever occur to you if you put 30 people in one vehicle, instead of 30 people in / on 30 vehicles, there would be less traffic, therefore less accidents, and you, and "hundreds of people" would not "need 1h from Thalang to Central?"

Currently, everyone must has access to a vehicle on Phuket. There is no proper public transport system here. This is why we have traffic, parking, and road death / injury problems here.

[KarenBravo]

The flaw in your argument is thinking people will give up their personal transport for a public bus. Most of them won't.

How many Thai people do you see on the public buses that go to Phuket Town? Hardly any, they are full of tourists.

Your theory is at least twenty years out of date.

[Maggusoil]

Considering the alcohol related accidents only run at 30%, why are we not looking at the causes of the other 70%??

This is a band aid, as usual. Idiotic or non existant licencing standards, driver education and vehicle road worthiness need a lot more energy

than trotting out some breathalysers.

Think how many times you see the way people drive here and shake your head or worse.

Or, to look at it another way and apply some logic; 30% of accidents are caused by drunk drivers whilst 70% are caused by sober drivers.

Far safer to drive drunk

says the owner of a bar...

KB owning a bar? News to me. I understand he supports a few bars with his libations.

Yes Karen Bravo. Now that is using logic the way it is meant to be used. But you are joking of course. That's a shame.

I like it.

[schlog]

I would have to agree. Wet slippery roads during the rainy season are a factor in a number of road accidents. Very few people want to ride a motor bike in the rain and If there was an an affordable and reliable public transport system many would leave the bike at home.

As NKM says a jump of jump on baht bus system like Pattayas would also be a major factor for saving lives. If there was such a service many tourists would forgo the bike or car rental. Many locals would not need a motorbike or car.

As far as weaning locals off their bikes and cars I admit it wouldn't happen overnight but it would eventually happen. If monthly public transportation costs were a fraction of a bike or car loan payment then more people would opt for that.

A public bus system like Pattaya is simply not viable. It may be viable and happen locally, especially in Patong, but between other beaches: no, unless the government is willing to set it up and take the losses for a system like that.

Absolutely correct. It is only good in Towns like Patong or Phuket Town.

We need a big solution. Like today in the morning and like most days i and hundreds of people need 1h from Thalang to Central. So a bus system is not the solution for Airport-Thalang-Phuket-Chalong Route because this buses also go nowhere in this daily traffic jams.

I and sure many Thais would be happy to take sometimes a MRT or something like that and need only 15 min.

Sitting every day 2-3 h in this traffic is so annoying. It's time for a big change.

Did it ever occur to you if you put 30 people in one vehicle, instead of 30 people in / on 30 vehicles, there would be less traffic, therefore less accidents, and you, and "hundreds of people" would not "need 1h from Thalang to Central?"

Currently, everyone must has access to a vehicle on Phuket. There is no proper public transport system here. This is why we have traffic, parking, and road death / injury problems here.

If i have to choose between MRT/Skybus or your favorite pattaya songtew, i take the MRT and sure the most do the same.

20 years ago i took many times a songtew for the 45 min from Maikhaw to Phuket Town. Nowadays no way sitting in the heat for 1.5 h. Did you ever drive with them a real route?

Songtews are only for Burmeses and Tourists a cheap solution.

We are in 2015 and need a modern way of transport.

Edited September 1, 2015 by schlog

[Crazy chef 1]

I recently move to Phuket and honestly I don't find it that bad...but maybe I am used already to the daily mayhem...

[Old Croc]

I recently move to Phuket and honestly I don't find it that bad...but maybe I am used already to the daily mayhem...

Just remember to never closely follow a tourist bus nor concrete truck when going over the steep hills.

And keep an eye on the rear vision mirror when descending.

[NamKangMan]

The flaw in your argument is thinking people will give up their personal transport for a public bus. Most of them won't.

How many Thai people do you see on the public buses that go to Phuket Town? Hardly any, they are full of tourists.

Your theory is at least twenty years out of date.

"Your theory is at least twenty years out of date." - strange. Just a matter of weeks ago I was transiting through Pattaya, on a visa run out of Bangkok.

My "theory" that "is at least twenty years out of date" seems to be doing well for the Pattaya tourism industry, the drivers, and the passangers, of which was made up of locals, expats, and tourists.

Meanwhile, Phuekt has terrible road death statistics and no transport system in sight.

Perhaps your "theory" on what transport a "world class tourist destination" should provide is "twenty years out of date."

[NamKangMan]

@ schlog

People are dying on Phuket roads, NOW.

Sure, an MRT / Skybus would be preferable, but in the interim, which would be years, a baht bus system could be implemented, as soon as next week.

This system has been in operation in Pattaya for years. It's nothing new.

What would be "NEW" is telling Phuket transport operators that they are now no longer able to rip off EVERYONE, thus pushing them into / onto their own vehicle, and continuing to cause the "Phuket Roads Killing Fields" that they have caused here for years.

[richard_smith237]

The flaw in your argument is thinking people will give up their personal transport for a public bus. Most of them won't.

How many Thai people do you see on the public buses that go to Phuket Town? Hardly any, they are full of tourists.

Your theory is at least twenty years out of date.

"A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation"

This is true of most major cities in Developed Nations....

Of course, Phuket is sorely lacking an effective Public Transport system - It has the money, it has the roads, it lacks the impetus from those in decision making positions, those who should, but really don't care.