All change again at Ratchayothin intersection - now police try no right turns

 

Image: Thai News Agency

 

BANGKOK:-- Police are trying a new idea to relieve traffic congestion at the Ratchayothin intersection in northern Bangkok.

 

This weekend there will be a trial for a new traffic flow idea - there will be no right turns allowed at all in any direction. 

 

Those wishing to turn right will have to go left and make a U-Turn or straight on and make a U-turn.

 

If the plan is a success it will be continued.

 

Deputy chief of the met's traffic Jiraphat Phoomijit said that traffic in the area had improved since the intersection was given a roundabout. 

 

The knock on effects to other areas were also improving, he claimed.

 

The roundabout came into operation on Tuesday and there was immediately some of the worst traffic chaos seen in the area that has been a traffic nightmare for months.

 

The overpass at the intersection has been taken down to make way for the Green Line extension of the skytrain from Mor Chit to Rangsit.

 

A tunnel is being constructed in its place.

 

Source: Thai News Agency

 

Whatever the cops try here won't work...you just cannot make strawberry jam out of horse crap!....and this area's crap for traffic any time!!

 

Nobody understands how to "do" roundabouts (it actually requires some judgement,  and a willingness to give way) so they give up rather than learn, and revert to their "tradition" of u turns.

 

Just as speed bumps had to be abandoned in Pattaya because road users couldn't get their simple minds around the concept of slowing down (the object of the exercise) in order to negotiate them without launching themselves into the air. 

 

Entirely unsurprising.

 

 

Planning and Thailand can't be used in the same sentence.

When will the authorities realise that if they want to relieve congestion then the very LAST thing they need is to make hundreds or thousands of cars a day go in a direction they don't want to go and then U-turn to double back adding to congestion on that side of the road too. I really can't understand the mentality and total lack of common sense here.

In Hua Hin, every holiday which brings more traffic to the town, the police close all U-turns and right turns leaving tour buses and others meandering around back streets trying to figure out how to get to their destination.  It's a crazy idea causing more chaos and more traffic jams on the main road.  Another idea exercised is switch off the traffic lights at pedestrian crossings.

A prime example of the twisted 'Thai logic'.

I don't understand why this is up to the police. This is a scientific problem.

The next generation of idiots at work. Those who have been around for a longer period of time will remember the very same attempt in 1988 which ......... miserably failed!
 

In other places they installed (completely overpriced) traffic lights which, after short run, are used to blink yellow 24/7. Reason given to me when asking the BiBs is hilarious. If the traffic light would run in green/yellow/red sequence they have accidents as some red lighters still pass the intersection while some soon-to-be-given-greenlighters leave ahead of light. Now IF the lamps blink yellow to each and every side they know to be (a little) more careful - result is that they have a few accidents less.

But an entire nation which cannot drive a car, as the driving test is for retarded crocodiles, traffic laws are not implemented but just serve to squeeze bakshish out of culprits and no Thai fails any test (even those they do not even attend) - you're doomed. Since this is Thailand and it is being screwed, raped and ransacked by its own people - what so you want?

Avoid such intersections if you can, use BTS, MRT, motorbike- and normal taxis of move out of Bangkok. There is no way that this will ever improve if you don't change the selfish, ignorant, save-face-over-everything-else attitude of Khon Thai! 

3 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

Nobody understands how to "do" roundabouts (it actually requires some judgement,  and a willingness to give way) so they give up rather than learn, and revert to their "tradition" of u turns.

 

Just as speed bumps had to be abandoned in Pattaya because road users couldn't get their simple minds around the concept of slowing down (the object of the exercise) in order to negotiate them without launching themselves into the air. 

 

Entirely unsurprising.

 

 

Topes work in Mexico. After the first launch you learn or screw up your vehicle big time. 

When they put speed bumps that are too high ,unsigned and unpainted so almost unseeable
until a couple of meters before you hit them they become just another thing making the Thai roads more dangerous..the ones in Pattaya/Jomtien caused a couple of fatal accidents to bikers....rumble strips would be much better IMHO.

9 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Whatever the cops try here won't work...you just cannot make strawberry jam out of horse crap!....and this area's crap for traffic any time!!

Probably. But at least they are trying this time. Normally it is just an ill-thought out f£@& up that they refuse to change for fear vof losing face. So someone with a brain is in charge of this one. As you say, traffic is always dreadful there anyway (I avoid it like the plague unless I am going to SCB Head Office) but hopefully it will not get any worse.

On 1/28/2017 at 1:36 PM, janhkt said:

I don't understand why this is up to the police. This is a scientific problem.

Correct. Any traffic engineer with a few working brain cells and a simple traffic model should be capable of determining what, under the circumstances, should be done to optimize the intersection’s capacity to handle traffic. It’s not rocket science.