One thing that hasn't changed in BKK the last 2 years...

[elzach]

The motobike taxis riding on the ..... sidewalks.

 

Just 15 min ago at 4:30 pm (which makes it the start of rush hour on both asphalt and sidewalk) one zoomed by (with a passenger in the back) at maybe 15-20 km/h, which may not seem a lot, but on a busy sidewalk it is.

 

You may not see them in places like Sukhumvit any more, but they are up and down on Ratchadapisek for example like they always have been.

 

Now, what would happen if he hit me? If he hit me and I was ok, I may want to make sure that he never rides that thing again by breaking a few of his limbs plus his bike. Of course I'll have to remember that he'll call on his 20 buddies to resolve the dispute as Thai men (Asian men) believe always in a fair fight.

Edited August 8, 2016 by elzach

[JJGreen]

ONE bike passed u on the footpath??

Last week in a 1klm stretch of footpath I had over 40 motorcycles pass me in both directions.

40 motorcycles on an average 8am morning. Half were taxis. There was even one farang who I have seen do it a number of times.

Getting angry doesn't help.

[Boycie]

elzach, no need to start a new topic of your complaint , you should of posted here 

[HooHaa]

2 hours ago, JJGreen said:

ONE bike passed u on the footpath??

Last week in a 1klm stretch of footpath I had over 40 motorcycles pass me in both directions.

40 motorcycles on an average 8am morning. Half were taxis. There was even one farang who I have seen do it a number of times.

Getting angry doesn't help.

 

No getting angry doesn't  help, but getting to work on time time does.

[mcfish]

I had 450 pass me in one hour all doing around 70 km. It was scary. Now I never leave my condo

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[thai3]

It's not illegal to ride bikes on the pavements here, if it were they would still do it of course

[Thian]

On Ratchadaphisek rd i even saw motocy taxi's wearing a full balaclava at night, they were transporting tourists.

 

Why do they have to wear a balaclava while working with tourists? Those guys must have an issue i guess.

[fishbrando]

For me, driving motorcycles on the sidewalk is a sign that there is still a third-world mentality in place.

 

Strangely, they still drive motorcycles on the sidewalk in Seoul.

[NoshowJones]

18 hours ago, JJGreen said:

ONE bike passed u on the footpath??

Last week in a 1klm stretch of footpath I had over 40 motorcycles pass me in both directions.

40 motorcycles on an average 8am morning. Half were taxis. There was even one farang who I have seen do it a number of times.

Getting angry doesn't help.

There is one thing I can promise you, If any Farang rides on the sidewalk near me, I think you will know the rest.

[JJGreen]

There is one thing I can promise you, If any Farang rides on the sidewalk near me, I think you will know the rest.

stop and make a friend?

[NoshowJones]

15 hours ago, thai3 said:

It's not illegal to ride bikes on the pavements here, if it were they would still do it of course

Yes it is, the Thaivisa lawyer said so.

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, JJGreen said:

stop and make a friend?

Aye right.

1 minute ago, JJGreen said:

stop and make a friend?

 

[JJGreen]

 

Bit of special forces retribution action?

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, JJGreen said:

Bit of special forces retribution action?

Sorry, I do not understand this post, can you please clarify better? I mean who are the special forces?

[JJGreen]

Sorry, I do not understand this post, can you please clarify better? I mean who are the special forces?

U said if any Farang rides near u on the sidewalk we would know the rest...

trying to figure out what u meant

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, JJGreen said:

U said if any Farang rides near u on the sidewalk we would know the rest...

trying to figure out what u meant

I cannot really say for obvious reasons.

[elzach]

Thanks all for your input and opinions.

 

I didn't mean "one" motor bike passed me, just that this one startled me because I didn't see him.

 

Actually last night, on the same stretch of Ratchadapisek, 3 motobike taxis zoomed by in the space of 15 seconds(!), one of them honking, presumably to remind me that I'm occupying his lane.

 

I think we can agree that, given the state of the vast majority of sidewalks in BKK, this practice should have been banned (and enforced) long ago.

 

Edited August 9, 2016 by elzach
forgot to add

[JJGreen]

Actually last night, on the same stretch of Ratchadapisek, 3 motobike taxis zoomed by in the space of 15 seconds(!), one of them honking, presumably to remind me that I'm occupying his lane.

 

They also like to honk to show u they are available ...as if u are crazy for actually walking 100 metres

[DogNo1]

Yes, motorcycles on the sidewalk are irritating but I don't think that I want to start a quarrel after all of the stabbings and shootings I've seen the TV pages recently;  however, in the old days when the "cowboys" would run us down on the sidewalks of Saigon, some of us carried walking sticks that we would jam in the spokes of their wheel as they roared past.  Unless you were in a remote spot like Khanh Hoi or the back streets of Cho Lon, you could get away with it.  I always had my 45 strapped on so I was prepared for knife attacks.  Of course, in those days the "cowboys" didn't carry guns.  Now probably some of the Thai motorcyclists do.  I won't mess with them!

[Johnnyngai]

It is a common thing in any third world country.

[elzach]

10 hours ago, Johnnyngai said:

It is a common thing in any third world country.

 

They do it in China, but not as conspicuously as here. Maybe 100 meters from/to where they park it.

 

In Vietnam in Hanoi (with probably the highest ratio of motorbikes per capita) I don't remember this kind of situation.

 

In Manila I think it's not anywhere as bad as here either.

 

In KL in numerous visits I've seen it maybe a couple of times.

 

 

[JJGreen]

No motorcycles on the footpath past a certain point tonight.

 

Might have had something to do with a couple of police waiting on the sidewalk and pulling them over and fining them.

[sniffdog]

Anyone wondered why so many pavements feature ramps?

[dukeandduke]

On 8/10/2016 at 9:15 AM, Johnnyngai said:

It is a common thing in any third world country.

 

I haven't seen it in Laos or Malaysia.  I don't remember seeing it in Vietnam, either.  Never in Mexico.

[Pacificperson]

I was in China not too long ago. Almost all of the motorcycles have been converted to electric. They were riding them down the sidewalks at night with the lights off. You couldn't see them and you couldn't hear them. I got serious startled more than once.

[elzach]

2 hours ago, Pacificperson said:

I was in China not too long ago. Almost all of the motorcycles have been converted to electric. They were riding them down the sidewalks at night with the lights off. You couldn't see them and you couldn't hear them. I got serious startled more than once.

They are not "converted". They are electric scooters basically. Real motorcycles (anything over 200 cc) are banned in all big cities in China.

[Pacificperson]

I know that it was not a physical conversion. I meant it in a social sense. They are still scary in the dark.

[Johnnyngai]

13 hours ago, Pacificperson said:

I was in China not too long ago. Almost all of the motorcycles have been converted to electric. They were riding them down the sidewalks at night with the lights off. You couldn't see them and you couldn't hear them. I got serious startled more than once.

I got the same surprise in China. 

[Johnnyngai]

13 hours ago, dukeandduke said:

 

I haven't seen it in Laos or Malaysia.  I don't remember seeing it in Vietnam, either.  Never in Mexico.

Venture a little further into the average citizen neighborhoods, you will see them. 

[dukeandduke]

5 hours ago, Johnnyngai said:

Venture a little further into the average citizen neighborhoods, you will see them. 

 

The idea is to avoid them.  If they don't affect my walks, they don't bother me.