what happened, with a police box there, this thing might have been a huge money maker as 90% of local drivers don't understand roundabouts.

Lately there's been a stationary patrol up Bun Alley just off 2nd Rd. going towards Sukhumvit.  Not sure what they've been doing there.  Occasionally they'll be talking with a motorist.  This has been going on for a few weeks off and on.  

6 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Yep, is there anything more dangerous than a straight trough path at a traffic light at night in Thailand?

I have no idea why so many people are against the roundabout.

At least it forces them to slow down.

 

Maybe many don't know how to use them.

 

 

^ Agreed, love roundabouts in the UK (If you need one) as opposed to lights.

 

Living on Wat Boon and having to run this gauntlet multiple times per day, lights are the safest option.

4 hours ago, bangkokairportlink said:

 

Maybe many don't know how to use them.

 

 

I was told many years ago to be very careful at roundabouts because the Thai way gives preference to traffic entering the roundabout and not traffic on the roundabout.

Why not install a square roundabout or in the shape of a parallelogram as a behavioural study......

I never had any problems with the roundabout , been driving both a car and riding a bicycle almost daily last year .  Just go with the flow , thai drivers understand that .  

They also understand they have to slow down unless they want to crash . So the roundabout worked. 

Now with traffic lights were back to speedy driving , especially at night and we will read about the first deadly accident within a year, no I'll give it 6 months.   Speed kills. 

 

  

 

 

I have been here over a year and only the accidents I hear about are on line>

17 hours ago, bobbin said:

Well, depending on whether the light is green or red for you, you might have to stop at the traffic lights. Quelle surprise..

 

The roundabout was a free for all. The fact that it worked at all is because nobody understood how it worked..

Maybe true but in Thailand lights are also only considered a recommendation. Personally I liked the round about

there. It possibly needed some rumble strips (not speed bumps) on the second road section to alert drivers they

were approaching a round about so they would not just barrel through. Americans are not that familiar with them

but they do work well. In regards to lights, even if you have the green slow down and make sure traffic has

stopped for the red light. Certainly not a given here in Thailand.

3 minutes ago, Ulic said:

Americans are not that familiar with them

3 hours ago, Ulic said:

Maybe true but in Thailand lights are also only considered a recommendation. Personally I liked the round about

there. It possibly needed some rumble strips (not speed bumps) on the second road section to alert drivers they

were approaching a round about so they would not just barrel through. Americans are not that familiar with them

but they do work well. In regards to lights, even if you have the green slow down and make sure traffic has

stopped for the red light. Certainly not a given here in Thailand.

It's because in the US, they are called roundabouts......it's roundabout the time you figured that out!

21 hours ago, gmac said:

Why?  The roundabout worked so much better than traffic lights.  I always come into town that way when I need to visit Jomtien immigration  and usually waste 2+ minutes sitting at the earlier traffic light which holds every one up sitting waiting for a green light to appear from a direction that actually has some traffic.  The roundabout on the other hand was always completely clear no hold up at all.

Other than the slight danger that you would get knocked off by someone coming straight on without giving way I agree with you. I too use this as a route to immigration, it avoided many of those damned long-wait lights around town.

I prefer roundabouts to traffic lights. But then I know how to use them. Thais it seems have no concept of 'give way'.

 

 

They give way to the biggest vehicle thats why the double decker tour bus,cement lorries
And "for too nas" zoom around like they own the road....at least the roundabout confused most drivers enough to slow down a bit...though some of the tour busses just barreled on straight through...just like they do at red lights.

18 hours ago, crystal sauce said:

Why do you live with them!

Probably because he's not living at/near/on a roundabout. 

There's more in Thai life than taking roundabouts.

 

Besides that, most Thais but most foreigners as well don't know how to 'take' a roundabout. 

In most Western (read: European and the UK) countries there's no uniform way.

 

 

22 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Yep, is there anything more dangerous than a straight trough path at a traffic light at night in Thailand?

How about a sharp end at the end of a long straight?

In most Western (read: European and the UK) countries there's no uniform way.  

Of course there is a "uniform way"
In the UK (and other left had drive countries) when approaching the "roundabout" your focus of attention is on other vehicles already on the roundabout that are coming from your right (there shouldn't be any coming from the left but best to look) if there is a vehicle to your right then you stop at the marked white lines and wait till there is no traffic to the right or there is enough distance to pull out onto the roundabout without making anyone slam on their brakes...If everyone follows these simple rules then roundabouts work extremely well.

They can still suffer from gridlock when an exit is not clear and the tail back blocks everyone from going anywhere frequently seen at the North Pattaya Dolphin roundabout.

12 hours ago, crystal sauce said:

I have been here over a year and only the accidents I hear about are on line>

That puts you up one step,   from a two week tourist.

There are many steps in Thailand.

13 hours ago, tazly said:

Why not install a square roundabout or in the shape of a parallelogram as a behavioural study......

 Benjy and Frankie mouse,  maybe interested in your concept.

They have some previous experience of this in the past / future

 

3 hours ago, johng said:

They can still suffer from gridlock when an exit is not clear and the tail back blocks everyone from going anywhere frequently seen at the North Pattaya Dolphin roundabout.

In the UK, when a tailback starts to form across a roundabout, most drivers will stop behind the white line or try and leave a gap so as not to impede any cross flow. The pillocks here will dive into the last place on an already stuck roundabout and bugger the whole thing up.

The pillocks here will dive into the last place on an already stuck roundabout and bugger the whole thing up.

Yes that happens 100% of the time at Dolphin roundabout North Pattaya....the one on Wat Boon was working ok..ish

51 minutes ago, johng said:

 

Yes that happens 100% of the time at Dolphin roundabout North Pattaya....the one on Wat Boon was working ok..ish

 

Big difference is that the Wat Boon one was proper roundabout with traffic flow helped by traffic from all directions, the Dolphin North Pattaya version is not a proper roundabout in that two of the roads can only be used in one direction which negates the usual traffic flow benefits a roundabout should provide.

I think it's stupid that people on the roundabout stop to let the ones waiting come inside.

 

 

I think it's stupid that people on the roundabout stop to let the ones waiting come inside.
 
 

Yes its stupid because thats not how roundabouts a supposed to work !

the Dolphin North Pattaya version is not a proper roundabout

Its also not even a 100% roundabout
In that you can't go round it 360 degrees because of the blocked off
North pattaya road exit.

6 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

 Benjy and Frankie mouse,  maybe interested in your concept.

They have some previous experience of this in the past / future

 

Are you referring to the pandimensional beings?

11 hours ago, joepattaya1961 said:

Probably because he's not living at/near/on a roundabout. 

There's more in Thai life than taking roundabouts.

 

Besides that, most Thais but most foreigners as well don't know how to 'take' a roundabout. 

In most Western (read: European and the UK) countries there's no uniform way.

 

 

Well the way to use them in the Uk and many countries is definitely different by definition since they drive on different sides of the road.....sorry I am a bit of a stickler for detail

1 hour ago, johng said:

Its also not even a 100% roundabout
In that you can't go round it 360 degrees because of the blocked off
North pattaya road exit.
 

good point....what would that be called, partial roundabout, halfway roundabout, a 75er?

2 hours ago, johng said:

Yes its stupid because thats not how roundabouts a supposed to work !

Who made the international rules you are referring to?  Is this the international roundabout federation?

6 hours ago, johng said:

Yes its stupid because thats not how roundabouts a supposed to work !

 

Yes, I don't know how they must be used where you come from, but the genius where I come from give priority to people who already are on the roundabout, which is a lost smarter, but certainly too much for Thailand.