Patong residents rally against runaway Phuket tour buses

[webfact]

Patong residents rally against runaway Phuket tour buses

The Phuket News

 

Residents living at the bottom of Patong Hill have had enough of runaway tour buses and trucks crashing through their neighbourhood, where the children play on the streets.

 

PHUKET: -- A runaway tour bus ramming into a temple perimeter wall in Patong last night has reinvigorated a group of local residents in their push for authorities to redress the problem.

 

“We have 25 to 30 signatures already. After last night’s accident, we are heading out to gather more signatures today,” said Danish national Per Butler, who has lived in the Baan Mon community at the bottom of Patong Hill for 16 years.

 

“The driver deserves great credit as only his cool reaction prevented a fatal disaster by driving the bus up against the wall,” Mr Butler told The Phuket News today.

 

“Those who do not deserve great credit are the politicians that don’t want to fix this problem,” he added.

 

Mr Butler is only one of many in Baan Mon who are tired of having runaway tour buses wreaking deadly havoc as they continue to crash at the bottom of the hill.

 

He has already presented to Patong Municipality the group’s proposal for all heavy vehicles be diverted away from Phisit Koranee Rd, which is where most runaway vehicles end up crashing into houses and buildings before stopping.

 

To highlight the problem, the group has posted a compilation video on YouTube showing a litany of deadly accidents that have plagued the community in just the past handful of years. 

 

 

The proposal calls for traffic at the Wat Suwankhiriwong (Wat Patong) end of Phisit Koranee Rd to be made one-way only, exiting onto Phra Baramee Rd, which continues over Patong Hill.

 

The proposal also calls for some form of barrier to be installed to prevent any vehicles from entering Phisit Koranee Rd after descending the steep hill, either intentionally or otherwise.

 

“The mayor was not available, and the deputy mayor I spoke to almost threw it away immediately,” Mr Butler recalled.

 

“Another official at the Public Works Division just said, ‘Impossible... Impossible … Impossible ...’,” he added.

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/patong-residents-rally-against-runaway-phuket-tour-buses-58810.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2016-08-24

[Reigntax]

Are they protesting against the potential loss of life or the expected loss of income?

[Somtamnication]

Yeah, they will listen to the farangs! 

[douglasspade]

The hill road is a very dangerous way in and out of Patong. It is also the shortest route from the airport and from the northern side of Phuket city. I have had some close calls through there on a scooter, and some near misses in a taxi. (I never forget to honk passing the tiger temple though) It gets 10x more dangerous when it rains. They have put rough premix on some sections but that's it. With the amount of traffic that Patong gets in the high tourist months, it might be viable to build a safer road through the valley.

 

#ChineseLivesMatter

[Psimbo]

1 hour ago, Reigntax said:

Are they protesting against the potential loss of life or the expected loss of income?

Given the chaps name I would suggest neither.  Enjoy your mug of cynical this morning. Its attitudes like this that never see results.

[Reigntax]

40 minutes ago, Psimbo said:

Given the chaps name I would suggest neither.  Enjoy your mug of cynical this morning. Its attitudes like this that never see results.

 

Hardly cynical when the same situation has been occuring for decades and we all know will continue because there is no incentive to solve problems, just self promotion and its up to someone else to fix. Both you and I know there will be 10 more similar situations in the next 12 months and nothing will be done. 

 

Hint. Its not the road, its the skill level of the driver.

 

 

[jlwilliamsjr18]

2 words...SPEED BUMPS....OK 3 more words...RULE OF LAW

[robblok]

This should have been a Thai initiative the farang is stupid to get involved because of it this initiative will face more resistance. 

[sweatalot]

50 minutes ago, jlwilliamsjr18 said:

2 words...SPEED BUMPS....OK 3 more words...RULE OF LAW

another word skill of drivers (see post above)

[madmitch]

1 hour ago, jlwilliamsjr18 said:

2 words...SPEED BUMPS....OK 3 more words...RULE OF LAW

Have you seen the hill we're talking about? Speed bumps would make things more dangerous!

[Lokie]

My place is just around corner from here on Phisit Koranee;

Owing to the gradient down this section of the hill and the speed at which out of control vehicles fly down it, I fail to see what could really be done to prevent them crashing into something at the bottom?

 

Problem is they have to either make a sharp right onto Phra Baramee (main rd into Patong - always very busy) or the better looking option to a terrified driver is bear left into Phisit Koranee (which to someone not familiar with the area will look okay to do as it just runs on straight from base of hill but then has a sharp left blind bend after 20 meters) this shows on Video all the vehicles crashing/shedding load or rolling over owing to speed. I reckon anything built would be demolished with the first Cement truck to engage it (would require concrete blocks/walls over a meter thick)

 

Only solution would be the tunnel muted about for years through the hill or a total ban on heavy goods vehicles and buses which will never happen (making them come in from Surin end only moves problems to that side which already has its share of bad accidents) Obviosly giving professional driver training and a 'Real Driving Test' would negate most of these incidents but do you think anyone will bother with that?

 

This driver on the bus into the wall done a good job of it and prevented a major accident. But yes a dangerous place and suicidal in the rain

[PETERTHEEATER]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

“The driver deserves great credit as only his cool reaction prevented a fatal disaster by driving the bus up against the wall,” Mr Butler told The Phuket News today.

And what reaction would that be> A scream of "the brakes failed"?

[LivinginKata]

49 minutes ago, Lokie said:

<snip>

Problem is they have to either make a sharp right onto Phra Baramee (main rd into Patong - always very busy) or the better looking option to a terrified driver is bear left into Phisit Koranee (which to someone not familiar with the area will look okay to do as it just runs on straight from base of hill but then has a sharp left blind bend after 20 meters) this shows on Video all the vehicles crashing/shedding load or rolling over owing to speed. I reckon anything built would be demolished with the first Cement truck to engage it (would require concrete blocks/walls over a meter thick)

 

 

 

Look what happened when a runaway bus tried to tun the right corner. Squished a car, and I mean really squshed, driver died.

 

The solution being offered would only result in the narrow 'door' having to be repaired frequently.

 

Really it would take a major rethink, homes demolished and some sort of flattening of the 90 degree bend. Can't see that happening ....