Motorcycles banned from the bridge at Airport Plaza

[naboo]

Read in Thai news, as of the 1st May, motorbikes are banned from this bridge. Apparently it is dangerous.

Another step in the wrong direction imho. The busy double intersection below is more dangerous. And this will no doubt be followed by other bridges on Mahidol Road and the underpasses on the 11.

On the positive side, it probably won't be very well enforced afterthe first few months.

Edit: It is also the Don Kaew Underpass, which I think is the new one by Nakorn Ping Hospital.

Edited April 28, 2016 by naboo

[cmsally]

I think they are also banned on one of the underpasses according to news

[Tywais]

[naboo]

Thanks Tywais, that is the announcement for Don Kaew, this for the Airport bridge (if it works).

[Tywais]

Chiang Mai City News

CityNews – Chiang Mai Traffic Police have announced that motorbikes are no longer allowed on the Airport Road Flyover and the Don Kaew Underpass, to help prevent accidents and fix traffic problems.

The new laws will begin on May 1, 2016.

-- Chiang City News April 28, 2016

[Greenside]

Traffic problems are not an issue - certainly compared with the mess that changing the U Turns makes every morning, anyway. I've no doubt it's dangerous because even in a car it feels like there is a reverse camber on the corner that takes the road round towards the moat. Too much speed or anything slippery on the surface would have you upset in short order. Don't see the point of banning bikes from the underpass, though.

[ovenman]

Which one is the Don Kaew underpass?

[Tywais]

Which one is the Don Kaew underpass?

Looks like it may be this section on the way to Mae Rim - Google Maps

It matches the photo in the Chiang Mai CityNews article from January - http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/don-kaew-underpass-to-close-for-two-days/

[ovenman]

Which one is the Don Kaew underpass?

Looks like it may be this section on the way to Mae Rim - Google Maps

Ah, the new underpass. That's why I didn't recognize the name. Can't imagine why they singled that one out, at the moment it arguably gets the least traffic of the lot. I can't see what's particularly dangerous about riding a motorbike through any of the underpasses.

[CMKiwi]

Banning bike from Don Kaew underpass is just nuts. I ride thru that quite often. Nothing dangerous about it nor a great deal of traffic either.

I wonder what brain storming they did to come up with that idea? Oh wait....maybe they want to install toll gates? Seeing as it's too hot for the BiB to do their random licence checks.

Gotta get funds some how.

[northernjohn]

They have also banned them on the Iron Bridge unless you are going East.

They put posts up on the side walks so you can't get a motor bike on it both ends and both sides.

[Torrens54]

Excellent. Ban Motorbikes all together would sit just fine with me.

[amexpat]

Excellent. Ban Motorbikes all together would sit just fine with me.

Capital idea! Replace thousands of motorbikes with cars and more tuk tuks. That should work wonders for CM traffic.

[flare]

Great- once again, large-displacement motorcycles are getting lumped in with small scooters and are banned from certain roads (the bigger bikes aren't getting in the way of cars and are more than capable of keeping up with faster traffic). Sales of 'big bikes' have been increasing for years (and model selection has improved while prices have dropped), and now more restrictions are being placed on where they can be ridden- another brilliant government move which won't help the burgeoning domestic motorcycle manufacturing plants (Kawasaki, Ducati, BMW, and several others). If CM becomes as restrictive as Bangkok, get ready for even worse traffic at intersections, which will now be packed with bikes that have had to exit the main road in order to continue going straight on the access road, and which will now join traffic which has exited to turn right or left on the crossroad.

[daoyai]

Great- once again, large-displacement motorcycles are getting lumped in with small scooters and are banned from certain roads (the bigger bikes aren't getting in the way of cars and are more than capable of keeping up with faster traffic). Sales of 'big bikes' have been increasing for years (and model selection has improved while prices have dropped), and now more restrictions are being placed on where they can be ridden- another brilliant government move which won't help the burgeoning domestic motorcycle manufacturing plants (Kawasaki, Ducati, BMW, and several others). If CM becomes as restrictive as Bangkok, get ready for even worse traffic at intersections, which will now be packed with bikes that have had to exit the main road in order to continue going straight on the access road, and which will now join traffic which has exited to turn right or left on the crossroad.

Most scooters are now 125-150cc, so plenty of power to "keep up" with traffic flow you just feel sapecial for the big man bike? anyway lots of head scratching needed to see logic in most laws here.....

[flare]

Great- once again, large-displacement motorcycles are getting lumped in with small scooters and are banned from certain roads (the bigger bikes aren't getting in the way of cars and are more than capable of keeping up with faster traffic). Sales of 'big bikes' have been increasing for years (and model selection has improved while prices have dropped), and now more restrictions are being placed on where they can be ridden- another brilliant government move which won't help the burgeoning domestic motorcycle manufacturing plants (Kawasaki, Ducati, BMW, and several others). If CM becomes as restrictive as Bangkok, get ready for even worse traffic at intersections, which will now be packed with bikes that have had to exit the main road in order to continue going straight on the access road, and which will now join traffic which has exited to turn right or left on the crossroad.

Most scooters are now 125-150cc, so plenty of power to "keep up" with traffic flow you just feel sapecial for the big man bike? anyway lots of head scratching needed to see logic in most laws here.....

It has nothing to do with feeling 'special'- it has to do with experience. I've owned and ridden scooters (and motorcycles) in LOS for fifteen years (I still have one now, along with an actual motorcycle that makes more power than most cars), and I know exactly what they're capable of, and they don't have 'plenty of power' to keep up with traffic, especially when it's above 80kph and it's necessary not just to keep up, but to accelerate past that speed if it's called for (and many smaller bikes are out-riding their brakes at that speed). It's ridiculous that a 200hp motorcycle is limited to the same lane of traffic that a bicycle uses, but there certainly are roads (and lanes of traffic) that scooters don't belong on due to their lack of performance, and I avoid these roads/lanes on mine (though in CM all the roads should be scooter-accessible, and only certain lanes should be avoided- it's roads like the tollways in BKK where they should be- and are- restricted though larger-capacity bikes should have access, but they don't because they're lumped in with scooters).

That said, I don't agree with the new restrictions for any bikes including scooters, especially on the underpass. Look what's happening I. BKK now, where all bikes are now restricted from using bridges and flyovers that they've previously been able to access for years, adding a lot of time to many riders' commutes.

There's a reason that most countries have displacement limits (often a minimum of 250cc) for the use of certain roads and they don't lump all bikes in together.

Edited April 29, 2016 by flare

[arithai12]

It has nothing to do with feeling 'special'- it has to do with experience. I've owned and ridden scooters (and motorcycles) in LOS for fifteen years (I still have one now, along with an actual motorcycle that makes more power than most cars), and I know exactly what they're capable of, and they don't have 'plenty of power' to keep up with traffic, especially when it's above 80kph and it's necessary not just to keep up, but to accelerate past that speed if it's called for (and many smaller bikes are out-riding their brakes at that speed). It's ridiculous that a 200hp motorcycle is limited to the same lane of traffic that a bicycle uses, but there certainly are roads (and lanes of traffic) that scooters don't belong on due to their lack of performance, and I avoid these roads/lanes on mine (though in CM all the roads should be scooter-accessible, and only certain lanes should be avoided- it's roads like the tollways in BKK where they should be- and are- restricted though larger-capacity bikes should have access, but they don't because they're lumped in with scooters).

Actually, I cannot understand the point of having a 200hp vehicle in Thailand (car or motorbike). I can understand the feeling and the pleasure if you are into these things, but you don't "need" 200hp on the road.

Speaking about the city (clearly highways, mountain roads etc, are another story), modern 125cc scooters have sufficient power to do anything that the rest of the drivers can do. And they are, if properly maintained, a much better idea in terms of pollution, noise, traffic.

About the tollways and restricted lanes that you mention, you are right, a big bike should be allowed as a car.

[flare]

It has nothing to do with feeling 'special'- it has to do with experience. I've owned and ridden scooters (and motorcycles) in LOS for fifteen years (I still have one now, along with an actual motorcycle that makes more power than most cars), and I know exactly what they're capable of, and they don't have 'plenty of power' to keep up with traffic, especially when it's above 80kph and it's necessary not just to keep up, but to accelerate past that speed if it's called for (and many smaller bikes are out-riding their brakes at that speed). It's ridiculous that a 200hp motorcycle is limited to the same lane of traffic that a bicycle uses, but there certainly are roads (and lanes of traffic) that scooters don't belong on due to their lack of performance, and I avoid these roads/lanes on mine (though in CM all the roads should be scooter-accessible, and only certain lanes should be avoided- it's roads like the tollways in BKK where they should be- and are- restricted though larger-capacity bikes should have access, but they don't because they're lumped in with scooters).

Actually, I cannot understand the point of having a 200hp vehicle in Thailand (car or motorbike). I can understand the feeling and the pleasure if you are into these things, but you don't "need" 200hp on the road.

Speaking about the city (clearly highways, mountain roads etc, are another story), modern 125cc scooters have sufficient power to do anything that the rest of the drivers can do. And they are, if properly maintained, a much better idea in terms of pollution, noise, traffic.

About the tollways and restricted lanes that you mention, you are right, a big bike should be allowed as a car.

Who said anything about 'need', and where did I mention city riding (where scooters are often a better choice than cars)? The point is that 125cc scooters don't have the power to do anything that cars can do, especially on faster roads where traffic flows at 100kph (I'm not talking legality, but reality)- 125cc scooters are at or near their top-speed at that point, and they give up one of the main safety features of a larger-capacity bike, which is the ability to effortlessly accelerate away from traffic (or at least speed up sufficiently in a short amount of time- I don't mean riding dangerously fast, but rather just staying ahead of a potential problem) if necessary. Yes, in the city, scooters are great, but I referring to the roads where restrictions are now being applied. As I said, I own and ride a scooter here, but I don't ride it everywhere.

I just had the opportunity to sit along the Middle Ring Road near Tesco near the airport, and I watched 150-200 scooters go by (as I waiting for my wife to order food, go to the pharmacy, etc etc...)- I saw five or six (a couple Forzas and some PCX's) which could adequately keep up with traffic just about anywhere- most (over 90%) were all in exactly the same class (Finos, Clicks, Scoopys, Waves, Dreams, etc, with the last two forming a large group of very old bikes as those models have been in production for decades) that wouldn't be able to handle riding in the right lane (which is why all bikes are restricted from using that lane for anything but passing or turning- it's a favorite reason the police have for pulling over 'big bikes') of most major roads in CM due to lack of power, and these are the bikes that are being legislated away from using certain sections of the road, and I think the grouping of all bikes (including bikes that can easily handle those sections) regardless of capacity is wrong and I'm bemoaning that fact.

Edited April 29, 2016 by flare

[northernjohn]

Great- once again, large-displacement motorcycles are getting lumped in with small scooters and are banned from certain roads (the bigger bikes aren't getting in the way of cars and are more than capable of keeping up with faster traffic). Sales of 'big bikes' have been increasing for years (and model selection has improved while prices have dropped), and now more restrictions are being placed on where they can be ridden- another brilliant government move which won't help the burgeoning domestic motorcycle manufacturing plants (Kawasaki, Ducati, BMW, and several others). If CM becomes as restrictive as Bangkok, get ready for even worse traffic at intersections, which will now be packed with bikes that have had to exit the main road in order to continue going straight on the access road, and which will now join traffic which has exited to turn right or left on the crossroad.

Most scooters are now 125-150cc, so plenty of power to "keep up" with traffic flow you just feel sapecial for the big man bike? anyway lots of head scratching needed to see logic in most laws here.....

In Canada and the States they are mostly big bikes and still get into accidents.

Size makes no difference it is the alertness of the rider that counts. Particularly in Thailand.

Other countries I would imagine have many bikes with the same problems.

I can't prove it but it is my belief that people who consider them selves as good riders

have more accidents than those who are not as good as them but alert

to all the possible things that can happen here in Thailand. Not the same as the western world.

Just a thought.

[CMKiwi]

I dont consider my CRF250 to be a big bike, anything over 400cc I do. Do I ride like a crazy man? No. If I had a bigger bike like say a Ducati Hypermotard at 821cc would I ride like a maniac? No. On a bigger bike would I ride faster? At times yes.

So whats my point? Very similar to what Northernjohn is saying. Its a combination of several things/factors that keep you safe on the roads.

Rider skill (Being able to handle the bike),

Motorcycle capability (Scooters cannot handle higher speeds as safe as bigger bikes, less so when 2 up), and

Experience riding on various roads and in various traffic conditions

If one has also undertaken further formal training like Defensive Driving/Riding then that too helps you to stay alive on these roads.

It has already been said that a bigger capacity motorbike allows you to 'accelerate' away from possible danger areas. This is so true here in Thailand. Sometimes you see 'bad stuff' developing and in order to not become involved in it, if you have the bike with the capability then you can quickly increase your survivability (is that a word?)

My GF says that at times I ride too fast but I think she means I accelerate too quick. Again I like to get away from the mayhem that seems to be young kids on noisy scooters. They can be so unpredictable.

Dont get me wrong, scooters do have their place and are ideal for around town. I doubt Id use them for much more...but some do.

Anyways, I dont see the point in banning all motorcycles from an underpass esp the one out Mae Rim way. Its not logical to me, but then again many of the things that the bureacrasy do, are seemingly illogical...why change the record?

[arunsakda]

Do not understand even what so-called "problem" this intends to solve. Just more bad news for the tattoos and facial hair crowd. No reason bikes cannot safely negotiate flyovers and underpasses if they maintain a safe minimum speed. I would however like to see some of these more noisy monstrosities banned from public roads completely and relegated to drag-strips and race tracks.

Edited April 29, 2016 by arunsakda

[northernjohn]

Do not understand even what so-called "problem" this intends to solve. Just more bad news for the tattoos and facial hair crowd. No reason bikes cannot safely negotiate flyovers and underpasses if they maintain a safe minimum speed. I would however like to see some of these more noisy monstrosities banned from public roads completely and relegated to drag-strips and race tracks.

You used the word if. That is a wonderful word. It allows a person to make all kinds

of claims. Facts that is another story it follows when proper dedededee

edit I had to shorten my lines to allow all to read with out making the print small

or sliding the screen back and forth.

Edited April 29, 2016 by northernjohn

[mesquite]

Ban over:

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/motorbike-ban-shelved-police-u-turn-decision/

[Tywais]

Ban over:

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/motorbike-ban-shelved-police-u-turn-decision/

Social media strikes again.

[Rancid]

Good change from Police. Why take motorcycles off an overpass that usually runs quite freely and divert them into a congested intersection.

[northernjohn]

Ban over:

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/motorbike-ban-shelved-police-u-turn-decision/

Social media strikes again.

No the Iron Bridge is still closed to west bound bikes.

[Tywais]

Ban over:

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/motorbike-ban-shelved-police-u-turn-decision/

Social media strikes again.

No the Iron Bridge is still closed to west bound bikes.

AFAIK, that is a fairly old policy and may be more appropriate for that bridge? This is a new policy that got shut down before it could even get started.

[anto]

Ban over:

http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/news/motorbike-ban-shelved-police-u-turn-decision/

It was the most bizarre rule i ever heard .Especially the underpass one .Looks like sanity has returned .

[CMKiwi]

It looks that way but I won't be holding my breath just yet. U turns are becoming quite normal in the decision making process and a double u turn wouldn't surprise me any more.

I think the initial underpass decision was partially made because there are no 'cycle' lanes in the underpass.

If ma and pa are on their old motorcy (complete with freight car attached) and are weighed down with stock for their shop, it ilcan be difficult for quicker moving vehicles to get past them. And ma and pa can't get off the road our out of the way.

But that may only apply if both lanes are busy.

Edited April 29, 2016 by CMKiwi