What is it about 3 wheel kitchens --- a nuisance

[Rimmer]

Off topic post and a reply removed

[Mojomor]

For your information, many of them are not poor, in fact quite rich.

I nominate this for the prize of most badly informed post of the year (so far, anyway!).

Yeah they do this only for fun

And when they park the 3-wheeler "kitchen" at the end of the working day they climb into their Benz's and drive home to their mansions.

Strange you should mention that. I knew a guy several years ago, who had several mobile kitchens, and decided he needed to be a manager of same. First he got the Mercedes, and then he felt he should have a Mia Noi, being a successful businessman. It only took his wife a few short weeks to figure it out, and the mobile kitchens all departed in convoy back to Isaan. Due to lack of money, the Mia Noi departed first, and then the Merc was repossesed. No Farangs involved at all.

[joepattaya1961]

Please, the police is in a constant dilemma here

The 3-wheelers are illegal, BUT they are 3-wheelers and driving in, on or at a 3-wheeler doesn't require a safety-helmet.

[MTH]

Most sidecars are illegal here, as they are modified bikes that hasn’t been registered after the modification.

However, it's possible to register a bike with a sidecar from the same manufacturer, then it’s legal.

Tiger used to sell a street legal bike with a sidecar.

As for the helmet law, haven’t heard or read anywhere official that bikes with a sidecar should be exempt.

As we all know even the BIB aren’t up to date on all traffic laws and sometime make them up as they go.

I was pulled over on Jomtien Beach Rd. close to Soi Wat Bun a few years ago at a helmet check.

As they were writing up my ticket I was chatting with a distraught lady driving one of these modified 3-wheelers, not only had they ticketed her for driving without a helmet but also her two passengers.

Edit: Spelling

Edited April 3, 2016 by MTH

[moonseeker]

A complete nuisance. Drivers at snail-speed in middle of the road without the slightest respect or concern for anybody else on the road. Erratic stopping, turning. Fumes and smoke that add even more to the polluted holiday-air. Dumping garbage & more into the drains to add to the famous Pattaya-perfume. Doing business in the most moronic locations etc. etc.

Have a look at the end of the Soi behind Avenue towards 3rd. Rd. or many other locations, where they prepare their food for the night shift around 16.00 onward under horrific conditions and "Bon Appetit".

There is no excuse for this in a "modern" already traffic overloaded city like Pattaya. Even the BIB must have started realizing and are chasing them to the back-roads, which now fills the Sois and Bouakao with hundreds of them. There must be a reason why BKK has and is setting up dedicated selling point/areas. Just part of Pattaya's lovely & respectful Thainess. Sorry, used to enjoy Pattaya. Certainly less & less these days. And yes, I still feel sorry for these poor Isaan people that have no other way to survive and make a living and yes, I still smile at them....Ain't their fault that Thailand provides first class education and opportunities for it's people :-)..>generations to go.... Had a rough day.....THX. MS>

[onemorechang]

A complete nuisance. Drivers at snail-speed in middle of the road without the slightest respect or concern for anybody else on the road. Erratic stopping, turning. Fumes and smoke that add even more to the polluted holiday-air. Dumping garbage & more into the drains to add to the famous Pattaya-perfume. Doing business in the most moronic locations etc. etc.

Have a look at the end of the Soi behind Avenue towards 3rd. Rd. or many other locations, where they prepare their food for the night shift around 16.00 onward under horrific conditions and "Bon Appetit".

There is no excuse for this in a "modern" already traffic overloaded city like Pattaya. Even the BIB must have started realizing and are chasing them to the back-roads, which now fills the Sois and Bouakao with hundreds of them. There must be a reason why BKK has and is setting up dedicated selling point/areas. Just part of Pattaya's lovely & respectful Thainess. Sorry, used to enjoy Pattaya. Certainly less & less these days. And yes, I still feel sorry for these poor Isaan people that have no other way to survive and make a living and yes, I still smile at them....Ain't their fault that Thailand provides first class education and opportunities for it's people :-)..>generations to go.... Had a rough day.....THX. MS>

Yes its all of that and more.

But come on, let people earn a living.

who cares if your trip out in a car or pick up is 5 minutes longer, big deal.

It will be a sad day, if you Wife, Girlfriend / Boyfriend cant just go get Somtam

from the cart at the side of the road.

You should all take a chill pill and relax

is this not why you all come to Thailand in the first place..

Edited April 3, 2016 by onemorechang

[1BADDAT]

who cares if your trip out in a car or pick up is 5 minutes longer, big deal.

It will be a sad day, if you Wife, Girlfriend / Boyfriend cant just go get Somtam

from the cart at the side of the road.

You should all take a chill pill and relax

is this not why you all come to Thailand in the first place..

What if instead of my trip taking five minutes longer, I accidentally killed on of them because they have no regard for traffic safety or awareness of other vehicles. Should I then just take a chill pill and relax?

[topt]

who cares if your trip out in a car or pick up is 5 minutes longer, big deal.

It will be a sad day, if you Wife, Girlfriend / Boyfriend cant just go get Somtam

from the cart at the side of the road.

You should all take a chill pill and relax

is this not why you all come to Thailand in the first place..

What if instead of my trip taking five minutes longer, I accidentally killed on of them because they have no regard for traffic safety or awareness of other vehicles. Should I then just take a chill pill and relax?

Unfortunately you could make that comment about almost all types of road users/vehicles......both Thai and foreigners...........

[onemorechang]

who cares if your trip out in a car or pick up is 5 minutes longer, big deal.

It will be a sad day, if you Wife, Girlfriend / Boyfriend cant just go get Somtam

from the cart at the side of the road.

You should all take a chill pill and relax

is this not why you all come to Thailand in the first place..

What if instead of my trip taking five minutes longer, I accidentally killed on of them because they have no regard for traffic safety or awareness of other vehicles. Should I then just take a chill pill and relax?

You sound like part of the problem

Aggressive impatient drivers in Thailand

Yes take a chill pill . you wont be so angry, it will make you survive longer on the roads .

[1BADDAT]

who cares if your trip out in a car or pick up is 5 minutes longer, big deal.

It will be a sad day, if you Wife, Girlfriend / Boyfriend cant just go get Somtam

from the cart at the side of the road.

You should all take a chill pill and relax

is this not why you all come to Thailand in the first place..

What if instead of my trip taking five minutes longer, I accidentally killed on of them because they have no regard for traffic safety or awareness of other vehicles. Should I then just take a chill pill and relax?

Unfortunately you could make that comment about almost all types of road users/vehicles......both Thai and foreigners...........

I really don't understand the obsession with some people to boil things down to the point where everything is the same in Thailand and also that Thailand is the same as the rest of the world.

Motorbikes are more dangerous than cars. Motorbikes with home made sidecars made out of angle iron and re-bar are considerably more dangerous. You would be hard pressed to prove otherwise.

The whole argument about Thai drivers and foreign drivers being the same is ridiculous. The average foreigner in Thailand has driven a car and a motorbike in more than one country. Do you think that is the same as an average Thai?

[topt]

who cares if your trip out in a car or pick up is 5 minutes longer, big deal.

It will be a sad day, if you Wife, Girlfriend / Boyfriend cant just go get Somtam

from the cart at the side of the road.

You should all take a chill pill and relax

is this not why you all come to Thailand in the first place..

What if instead of my trip taking five minutes longer, I accidentally killed on of them because they have no regard for traffic safety or awareness of other vehicles. Should I then just take a chill pill and relax?

Unfortunately you could make that comment about almost all types of road users/vehicles......both Thai and foreigners...........

I really don't understand the obsession with some people to boil things down to the point where everything is the same in Thailand and also that Thailand is the same as the rest of the world.

Motorbikes are more dangerous than cars. Motorbikes with home made sidecars made out of angle iron and re-bar are considerably more dangerous. You would be hard pressed to prove otherwise.

The whole argument about Thai drivers and foreign drivers being the same is ridiculous. The average foreigner in Thailand has driven a car and a motorbike in more than one country. Do you think that is the same as an average Thai?

I was only referring to Thailand not the ROW so sorry if that was not clear.

Agree and my main issue was mc drivers but, and here I tend to disagree, many foreigners have not driven a mc in other countries. This is pretty obvious from the way I see many of them behave here including dangerously running red lights.. Anybody would think some of them are trying to be Thaier than Thai.......

Generally the mc with sidecars are much slower and in my experience a lot easier to avoid then mcs only. I don't like them but as mentioned in one of my earlier posts I have come to accept them. I do not think the drivers of these contraptions have any less regard for traffic safety or awareness than many other drivers especially those on mcs.

[1BADDAT]

I really don't understand the obsession with some people to boil things down to the point where everything is the same in Thailand and also that Thailand is the same as the rest of the world.

Motorbikes are more dangerous than cars. Motorbikes with home made sidecars made out of angle iron and re-bar are considerably more dangerous. You would be hard pressed to prove otherwise.

The whole argument about Thai drivers and foreign drivers being the same is ridiculous. The average foreigner in Thailand has driven a car and a motorbike in more than one country. Do you think that is the same as an average Thai?

I was only referring to Thailand not the ROW so sorry if that was not clear.

Agree and my main issue was mc drivers but, and here I tend to disagree, many foreigners have not driven a mc in other countries. This is pretty obvious from the way I see many of them behave here including dangerously running red lights.. Anybody would think some of them are trying to be Thaier than Thai.......

Generally the mc with sidecars are much slower and in my experience a lot easier to avoid then mcs only. I don't like them but as mentioned in one of my earlier posts I have come to accept them. I do not think the drivers of these contraptions have any less regard for traffic safety or awareness than many other drivers especially those on mcs.

Guess I missed the point of your post completely before.

I would say that the Foreign driver is more skilled overall and better trained in different environments as well as vehicles (cars, motorbikes), but that doesn't mean they will use that training in the right way.

My main issue with the the bikes with sidecars or kitchens attached is they just plain are more dangerous for everyone. They have limited visibility and maneuverability and because of that they drive very differently than the rest of traffic. The tend to drive slowly near the middle of the road which cause motorbikes and cars to be passing on either side sometimes.

Edited April 4, 2016 by 1BADDAT

[onemorechang]

Guess I missed the point of your post completely before.

I would say that the Foreign driver is more skilled overall and better trained in different environments as well as vehicles (cars, motorbikes), but that doesn't mean they will use that training in the right way.

My main issue with the the bikes with sidecars or kitchens attached is they just plain are more dangerous for everyone. They have limited visibility and maneuverability and because of that they drive very differently than the rest of traffic. The tend to drive slowly near the middle of the road which cause motorbikes and cars to be passing on either side sometimes.

Guess you just don't like them.

Let them be, and earn a living, way more dangerous stuff goes on, on the roads

here, motor cycle sidecars are way down the list. slow moving and annoying, so what.

good luck to the people of Thailand that use these vehicles for a living.

i do wish, they would not drive the wrong way up a carriageway, but its not just them.

the rest i can deal with.

Edited April 6, 2016 by onemorechang

[tropo]

I have no choice, but to adjust my speed, usually to about 5kmph. Beach Road in Jomtien is 5 kms long. Do you think it should take 1 hour to travel on it ??

You can avoid the pain by using a motorcycle for transport. I would have thought that anyone who drives around Pattaya in a car should have a lot of patience. In a lot of places street carts are the least of your holdups. I don't know how you guys do it.

[asdecas]

Is there anything the disgruntled farang will not moan about, at the same time enjoying the many and varied exotic fruits that this country has to offer?

[Gandtee]

Many years ago I nearly sent a charcoal seller to that great charcoal oven in the sky. I was driving along a dark soi on the outskirts of Bangkok and he was in front of me. No lights and black as Newgate's Knocker. Very good camouflage! Fortunately, I missed. Must try harder.

[NoshowJones]

TiT, stop complaining, you come to thailand to discover/ enjoy the asian ways and then moan, its their country, go home and complain about your country.

The "if you don't like it then go home brigade" strike again.

[bazza40]

I'm unsure whether it's the three-wheelers who need the attitude adjustment, or the complaining falangs on this thread.

[NoshowJones]

>>Exempt from wearing helmets? Are you sure? <<...Yes ,very sure ..Want to bet me on that ?...

sure as I am a betting man. As far as I know the 3 wheels vehicles are not legal anyway as they are modified from the original factory motorbikes with 2 wheels . Does that make them exempt from following the rules of the road?

What rules of the road? They mean nothing, and don't get enforced except when it's tea money time.

[KC 71]

Never given it much thought to be honest

[does]

Have you considered a bike?

More importantly, have you considered the fact that these people make about 400 baht a day, which you probably spend on lunch? Do you known the meaning of the word "empathy"?

I have no choice, but to adjust my speed, usually to about 5kmph. Beach Road in Jomtien is 5 kms long. Do you think it should take 1 hour to travel on it ??

Edited April 6, 2016 by does

[dotpoom]

On one occasion I was moaning in exactly the same way to my wife as we were been held up behind one......She said to me "Do you not think they would like to have shop instead, if they had the money"? I have never forgotten that remark....not only for the truthfulness in the question.....but it is the only logical thing I ever heard her say....either before or since 555.

[tropo]

I'm unsure whether it's the three-wheelers who need the attitude adjustment, or the complaining falangs on this thread.

No one is going to stop the street carts from doing what street carts do, so it's a no-brainer about who makes the "attitude adjustment".

Personally I always thought of street carts cluttering the streets as one of the unique elements of Thai culture that makes this place different and less sterile than it is back at home, and have never considered them an inconvenience.

[tomyumchai]

the only thing to note about those things is that theyre often shackled to a stinking old 2 stroke......i suppose it adds to the flavour...

[Ronuk]

For your information, many of them are not poor, in fact quite rich. They rarely wear crash helmets and yet the BIB take no interest. Why or how do you think that happens??.

The bikes they drive are unsafe. They often have huge loads on board, with the original crap brakes, which means they cannot stop quickly.

The whole thing is a bad joke. To the people that advised me to go somewhere else, good luck to you. Imagine, I would never of thought of that myself !!

I reckon you make a great neighbour

[Classic Ray]

I just think how lucky I am not to have to work as hard as them just to survive. I am also glad I am not a migrant construction worker, transported from site to site like cattle in the back of a pickup, having to work in the hot sun all day, or a farmer bent over in the rice fields. So cut them some slack and have another cold one!

[roger101]

I have no choice, but to adjust my speed, usually to about 5kmph. Beach Road in Jomtien is 5 kms long. Do you think it should take 1 hour to travel on it ??

Bull--it, in 10 years I have never taken that long to drive from one end to the other.

[ericthai]

For your information, many of them are not poor, in fact quite rich. They rarely wear crash helmets and yet the BIB take no interest. Why or how do you think that happens??.

The bikes they drive are unsafe. They often have huge loads on board, with the original crap brakes, which means they cannot stop quickly.

The whole thing is a bad joke. To the people that advised me to go somewhere else, good luck to you. Imagine, I would never of thought of that myself !!

They are rich...ha ha that made my day. You really think someone selling soup on the street is rich? If so then you and I have a totally different opinion of what rich is. To me rich is having $5 million USD or more. I bet most street vendors make between 500-1000B a day net.

Now as for your post I dont know what you are thinking. You think you are just going to complain on TV and something will change. I assume you have not been in Thailand that long, nothing changes in Thailand. People hate change and Thai's really hate change. As it is said TIT (Thai is Thailand) go with the flow. Getting upset is not going to change anything and getting upset with THai will just make things worse. Sit back and enjoy the ride Thailand has to offer.

[Ondral]

It seems to me that 3 wheel kitchens are a total menace on the roads. In my view more than 50% of them have not got proper lights. They pull out into traffic without the slightest regard for other road users. They slow down all traffic on busy weekends like this. They often stop in outside lanes and don't care about anyone else. Have they got trading licenses or hygiene checks?? They are a total nuisance.

Oh yes. Why can't the natives do things the proper way. The way things are supposed to be done. The way we do things in England. Oh the white man's burden is so heavy. We bare so much hardship here in Thailand. The sacrifices we make to live here are so great. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[Andreas2]

It seems to me there is quite a large crowd out here with the mindset: It's "their" country (Whoever these posters refer to with "they"; Politicians? The police? The military? Men? Women? Bureaucrats? The majority of Thais? ...), embrace it. It's "their" way of life, it's "their" culture. The hard-core guys here even add: If you don't like it, leave! (Do they really like and embrace such things? Really?)

Interestingly I never read these "arguments" in such threads as the "Pattaya Bridge club", the "Pattaya tunnel project", the "jet ski scams", the "runaways after an accident", the "red light runners", the "drunk drivers" or even the K. T. murders.

Are these not also parts of "their" culture as a whole? Are greed, cowardliness, incompetence, racism, selective law enforcement, corruption, thousands of dead and injured people in traffic accidents... not also part of "their" culture? (Again, who is "they"?)

No offence intended, but why do I never read these "arguments" in other really hot threads? As far as I know, these "three wheel bikes" are illegal... and as you already guessed it correctly... illegal only for foreigners. Anyway, what license do they have to drive these 3-wheelers?

Btw: My Thai wife is also sick and tired of these vehicles... So, does she by definition not belong to "them"?

These 3-wheelers are a nuisance and they are dangerous, as many other illegal or otherwise unsafe things here, too. I only hope that I (or each of you for that matter) will never have an accident with one of them. I'm just tired of such "arguments" as: It's "their" country. It's bloodily dangerous and produces jams, but embrace it - or leave. This is a really weak "argument" - Even if it's easy, convenient and sounds sympathetic.

Hey, TIT, embrace all the here or leave... No, I don't. If something is a dangerous nuisance, it must be allowed to be called a dangerous nuisance without the expectation to embrace it.

PS: Yes, I know, these 3-wheelers are important, affordable vehicles for many people here and I'm against outlawing them... But still, they are too often dangerous (not fit for traffic) nuisances.