Niman to be one way from Dec 1st

[LivinLOS]

So says commander of CNX police.

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/one-way-system-comes-to-nimmanhaemin-road/

CityNews – According to Pol. Maj. Gen. Montri Sumboonnanondha, Commander of Chiang Mai Provincial Police, as of December 1st there will be a new one way system put in place in the Nimmanhaemin Area.

Nimmanhaemin Road itself will become a one way road with cars driving from Huay Kaew Road towards Suthep Road.

Sirimankalajarn Road will also be one way, bringing traffic back from Suthep to Huay Kaew Road.

Details are to be announced in the coming weeks and we will keep you posted

[arunsakda]

Probably a good idea but have we not heard this before?

[khwaibah]

Didn't they try this last year and it was a flop.

[Berkshire]

Sounds like a reasonable idea....if it ever happens.

[masuk]

Didn't they try this last year and it was a flop.

I checked the calendar, and it's not April 1st yet!

Maybe once again, they really mean that some of the sois will be one-way.

[kaptainrob]

Nimman itself will become one-way south to coincide with the extension thru to Wing41.

[heybruce]

Didn't they try this last year and it was a flop.

I think it was two or three years ago. First there was talk of making Nimmanhamin one-way, which was dropped. Then they temporarily made the sois connecting Nimmanhamin to Sirimankalajarn one-way--half one-way east, half one-way west. It didn't make much of a difference in Nimmanhamin traffic, but traffic on the sois moved a little better. Then everything went back to the chaotic normal.

The city planners, if they exist, have allowed the Nimmanhamin area and other areas to outgrow the infrastructure. There are no cheap and quick solutions to this problem, though enforcing parking rules and teaching Thai drivers not to stop in a traffic lane because it's a convenient place to stop would help.

Edited November 17, 2015 by heybruce

[fang37]

Go down Niman one way.

How do you get back to Huay Kaew?

[brommers]

Fang if you turn left onto Suthep and left into Sirimanklajarn you get back to H K! Just as was explained in the first post above.

[khwaibah]

Go down Niman one way.

How do you get back to Huay Kaew?

Nimmanhaemin Road itself will become a one way road with cars driving from Huay Kaew Road towards Suthep Road.

Sirimankalajarn Road will also be one way, bringing traffic back from Suthep to Huay Kaew Road.

[Greenside]

A) What happens to the traffic when it reaches Wing 41, I wonder? Unless they are going to streamline the entry process in some way there will be a bottleneck right there. I did hope that they were planning to somehow get the route to extend over to Canal Road which would make some sense but even if they succeed in getting more cars through W41 the extra burden will make the Airport Plaza junction worse than now. At least Hang Dong bound vehicles can use the (now one way) road in front of the airport that comes out opposite Tesco.

My guess is that at least half the cars coming from Suthep to Huay Kaew road via Nimmenhamen go onto the Superhighway. The stretch between Sirimankalajarn Road and Maya is full of queuing cars at almost all times of the day so adding the ones that used to use Nimmen is bound to make things worse.

It's a tough problem with no easy solutions but it would be nice to think that someone might one day connect the concepts of city planning and traffic management when allotting development approval.

No, you're right. some hope.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Greenside

[NancyL]

For much of the day it's quicker to walk from Kad Suan Kaew to Maya Mall than to ride a song thaew -- as Hubby reminds me as part of his effort to make sure I get daily exercise. This plan just means that all day it will be quicker to make that journey on foot because, as Greenside pointed out, the stretch of Huey Kaew from Sirimankalajarn Road to Maya Mall will be in absolute gridlock 24/7.

And to think I decried the lack of pedestrian flyovers at the Maya Mall intersection when it was under construction. Hah, silly me! Cars are at an absolute stop for so long at that intersection and there are some very nice traffic islands for waiting, so it's no problem for us walkers to cross. This plan will probably just make it "better" with cars queued up longer at Huey Kaew waiting to make a right turn onto the Superhighway.

[Berkshire]

My guess is that at least half the cars coming from Suthep to Huay Kaew road via Nimmenhamen go onto the Superhighway. The stretch between Sirimankalajarn Road and Maya is full of queuing cars at almost all times of the day so adding the ones that used to use Nimmen is bound to make things worse.

One bright spot might be that since Nimman will be one-way, that intersection at Maya shouldn't be as long a wait as there will only be three roads entering instead of four....although yes, more cars coming from Sirimankalajarn.

[NancyL]

My guess is that at least half the cars coming from Suthep to Huay Kaew road via Nimmenhamen go onto the Superhighway. The stretch between Sirimankalajarn Road and Maya is full of queuing cars at almost all times of the day so adding the ones that used to use Nimmen is bound to make things worse.

One bright spot might be that since Nimman will be one-way, that intersection at Maya shouldn't be as long a wait as there will only be three roads entering instead of four....although yes, more cars coming from Sirimankalajarn.

Oh yes, another plus for us pedestrians at the Maya intersection.

[PostmanPat]

Are we sure that this isnt another practical joke. Example. Ambulance with "customer" finds itself on Huay Kaew Road near Kad Suan Kaew. It is heading to the hospitals on Suthep Road. As of now, it turns left at Sirimankalajarn Road and speeds to the hospitals.....but in future it will join the gridlock going towards Maya intersection, then turn left down Nimman, then turn left onto Suthep Road......yeah, right, thats going to work I dont think.....and in the meantime the extra 20 minutes could be crucial for the ambulance "customer"

Do you have to be a congenital idiot to be the head of traffic regulation in Chiang Mai !!!!!?????

[TheSiemReaper]

Whoever took that photo needs to learn to use lightroom... it's dreadful.

[bangmai]

It seems like northbound, thru traffic would use the canal rd., and bypass the whole mess, somewhat.

[eyecatcher]

on a normal day Sirimangklajarn is choked from the lights at the Huay Kaew end certainly up to soi7 the entrance to the shopping mall, thats about a 1/3 of the way along.

If they force all the traffic from Suthep along here then its not beyond possiblilty (being only a narrow 2 way road) that the road will be at a standstill from lights at HK upto the lights at Suthep. cuasing absolute chaos on Suthep.

Nothing can pass at all, bar a short stretch around the uni/victoria hotel.

There are 3no 7/11s on this road who seem to make deliveries involving at lease two "trucks" for half an hour. thats just one example of how traffic is going to become stationary. Then theres 300 hundred students that are trying to exit the colleges or the dorms.....and another 300 trying to cross the road on the zebra that everyone ignores.

i suppose the authorities have given guidance to 7/11 deliveries; like on foot or only after 9pm.

[eyecatcher]

It seems like northbound, thru traffic would use the canal rd., and bypass the whole mess, somewhat.

The canal road already has its own "clientele" and those who use it obviously dont need to mess about along Nimmen.

No doubt the canal road will get much more congested, but consider who is using Nimmen and Siri at the moment. i think most likely to be travellers up Suthep road or people from the intermediary sois who want to use either road as a short cut to getting on the Highway at Maya.

Highly unlikely that people coming up Suthep will want to wait for hours whilst 2 lanes of traffic enters from Nimmen.

[Bill97]

IF it happens, it won't last long.

[true blue]

must admit something must be done,about traffic in cnx its getting to be a joke the congestion is all over,the town,unfortunally its a picture of the popularity of chaing mai,there is more car number plates from outside the province than inside and i feel poor little chiang mai is going to end up like bangkok,soon traffic jams on a major scale.no joy in driving now its getting horrendous.and loy katong here soon.

[JaseTheBass]

Thank Christ I moved to Niman so I don't have to drive every day. It's like living in the Muppet show being in Chiang Mai.

[kaptainrob]

Traffic engineering in CM can be trial and error, often the latter, however they do get it right occasionally. Airport service road for example.

With Nimman, given major flow/congestion is southbound, the new system may work IF northbound ex Wing41 is funneled onto Canal Rd, not eastbound on Suthep.

[naboo]

Last time this was proposed, it was Niman one way and Sirimankajarn two-way.

This is a much better idea, and I would imagine a trial over the new year holiday along with the usual/modified restrictions on the traffic lights along Huay Kaew. Eventually someone will realise the solution to traffic in Chiang Mai involves roundabouts and education

[WaiLai]

So Nimmen... now not only becomes the newest "drag-strip" in town but double-parking in the traffic lanes will become a minor issue?

Will they rename the street as "Nimmenhamin Business By-Pass"?

[masuk]

Traffic engineering in CM can be trial and error, often the latter, however they do get it right occasionally. Airport service road for example.

With Nimman, given major flow/congestion is southbound, the new system may work IF northbound ex Wing41 is funneled onto Canal Rd, not eastbound on Suthep.

Many major Western cities have overcome problems such as this, by introducing a "Congestion Tax".

I'm sure the Thais would love it. If you REALLY need to drive into the city, then you pay a tax made electronically.

Of course, the City Planners would have to build decent parking areas on the outskirts of the city, so that folk can park their cars outside of the city and come in on a bus service.

No, I can't see it working, but as we all know, the streets are becoming so congested that many are blocked most of the day. There are no emergency lanes, so ambulances and other emergency vehicles have to wait for a few changes of lights before they can make it to a hospital, fire or accident.

I'm sure we've all noticed that about 40% of the traffic are red vans. They move about 8 people at a time. A nice air con bus, would hold 60 - 80 people . But there are no bus lanes!

Why do I get the feeling that Town Planning is lacking somewhere?

[Saraphee]

Nimmanhaemin - years since I've been there - too noisy and congested. Changing the traffic flow is not likely to make the area more user friendly.

Neither will it alter the congestion problems, just move them to other bottlenecks

[kaptainrob]

Traffic engineering in CM can be trial and error, often the latter, however they do get it right occasionally. Airport service road for example.

With Nimman, given major flow/congestion is southbound, the new system may work IF northbound ex Wing41 is funneled onto Canal Rd, not eastbound on Suthep.

Many major Western cities have overcome problems such as this, by introducing a "Congestion Tax".

I'm sure the Thais would love it. If you REALLY need to drive into the city, then you pay a tax made electronically.

Of course, the City Planners would have to build decent parking areas on the outskirts of the city, so that folk can park their cars outside of the city and come in on a bus service.

No, I can't see it working, but as we all know, the streets are becoming so congested that many are blocked most of the day. There are no emergency lanes, so ambulances and other emergency vehicles have to wait for a few changes of lights before they can make it to a hospital, fire or accident.

I'm sure we've all noticed that about 40% of the traffic are red vans. They move about 8 people at a time. A nice air con bus, would hold 60 - 80 people . But there are no bus lanes!

Why do I get the feeling that Town Planning is lacking somewhere?

2 points you raise in my mind ... songteaws (red pickups) create much of the congestion by stopping middle of road, double parking, stopping on red/white corners ... anywhere they choose. Another problem is lack of 'bus stop' bays... eg outside Airport Central where ample (concrete sidewalk) space exists instead of songteaws taking up one whole lane.

Having just returned from Hanoi I can't complain about our traffic ever again 555 ... we have it easy, but road engineers could improve things.

[Cheesekraft]

given how bad the traffic is around the moat with the awful U-Turn system, I can't imagine this being a good system. The Niman light can easily run 15 minutes (literally) if you catch it during prime time, and the traffic is stop and go from as early as noon in high season on Huay Kaew and Suthep.

[Mousehound]

Thank Christ I moved to Niman so I don't have to drive every day. It's like living in the Muppet show being in Chiang Mai.

I rather like the Muppets. Are you Grouch?