15 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Why are you commenting then if it doesn't affect you? Another armchair traveller?

It effects people I love.  Lived in Thailand for many years until getting fed up 2014.  It was a second home while doing contract work in other countries.  Still must come back from time to time, but no longer relish time spent in Thailand.  You may understand why.  Find it backward and the graveyard of ambition. 

1 minute ago, yellowboat said:

It effects people I love.  Lived in Thailand for many years until getting fed up 2014.  It was a second home while doing contract work in other countries.  Still must come back from time to time, but no longer relish time spent in Thailand.  You may understand why.  Find it backward and the graveyard of ambition. 

I retired here to get away from the over-governed, restrictive country I lived in. Police waiting to pounce and issue hefty fines for the slightest infringement. There is a sense of freedom here that my home country has lost.

11 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Because he has been pontificating about Thailand and Thailands laws ad nauseum, and now it appears that he has never been here and knows FA about the place. That's why.

We are both guilty of nauseum. 

 

It appears you live in a dilapidated run down part of the city that is unfamiliar to me.  My time is spent in Chinatown where the best food is when I must spend time in Thailand.  

Just now, giddyup said:

I retired here to get away from the over-governed, restrictive country I lived in. Police waiting to pounce and issue hefty fines for the slightest infringement. There is a sense of freedom here that my home country has lost.

You get to watch that happen again. 

Just now, yellowboat said:

We are both guilty of nauseum. 

 

It appears you live in a dilapidated run down part of the city that is unfamiliar to me.  My time is spent in Chinatown where the best food is when I must spend time in Thailand.  

Huh? I live in a dilapitated run down part of the city, what city is that pray tell?

1 minute ago, yellowboat said:

You get to watch that happen again. 

Not in my lifetime. In the 8 years I've been here, very little has changed.

Just now, giddyup said:

Huh? I live in a dilapitated run down part of the city, what city is that pray tell?

Bangkok. 

5 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

No, I meant a snide.

 

 

noun

 

1. 1.

   an unpleasant or underhanded person or remark.

 

Wow, kind of like "Snarky".  English is a great language to dis people, though Yiddish is right up there with the best.

 

snark·y

ˈsnärkē/

adjective

North Americaninformal

adjective: snarky; comparative adjective: snarkier; superlative adjective: snarkiest

1. (of a person, words, or a mood) sharply critical; cutting; snide.

   "the kid who makes snarky remarks in class"

   • cranky; irritable.

     "Bobby's always a bit snarky before his nap"

Just now, yellowboat said:

Bangkok. 

Wrong, and why would you suggest I lived in a run down part of town, when you have no idea where I live.

Just now, giddyup said:

Not in my lifetime. In the 8 years I've been here, very little has changed.

Many of us who do business in Asia have seen big changes in Thailand.  Believe the arm chair actually belongs to you. 

Just now, giddyup said:

Wrong, and why would you suggest I lived in a run down part of town, when you have no idea where I live.

Given your response to this article and your disgust with motorcycles, one can only assume.  In my six years of living in Bangkok, never have had a run in with motorcycles.  Saigon yes,  Bangkok no. 

Just now, yellowboat said:

Many of us who do business in Asia have seen big changes in Thailand.  Believe the arm chair actually belongs to you. 

I am living here and have done so for 8 years, so hardly armchair. What happens in the business community neither affects or interests me.  Anyway, I think I've had more than enough of exchanges with you.

3 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I am living here and have done so for 8 years, so hardly armchair. What happens in the business community neither affects or interests me.  Anyway, I think I've had more than enough of exchanges with you.

There we can agree.  I have to get back to work.  Happy snitching !

Here is one example of motorcycles on the sidewalk.

Back to the original post then - I am a farang who lives in Bkk with his wife. I soon leant that to travel anywhere in Bkk the car was best left at home if you wanted to arrive the same day. True the car had air-con, but sitting for ages behind a pickup with faulty injectors meant be cool and die of asphyxiation while consuming fuel without actually moving anywhere.

 

So - we bought a motorbike, actually that popular bike here the Yamaha Fino. Spent a few thousand on it as it was a cheapo s/hand "bargain", new tyres, a service, front disc pads and new drive belt and clutch rollers, and a new back wheel rim and spokes - Thailand's roads are hard on bums, spines and bike wheels.

 

We found we could drive weaving through traffic often stationary or gridlocked, following the many hundreds of other bikes, arrive at destination, do what we came for - usually shopping - and go home again with minimal fuss. The game little bike with it's 115cc engine carrying old fatso (me) my shapely little wife, a 10kg sack of rice, a 25kg sack of dog food all across the front foot-well, with a bag of shopping on top, a 30 litre top box carefully packed full and my wife usually carrying another bag of eggs and bread we didn't want squashed. 2 hours round trip costs 2 litres of petrol. What it does highlight are the difficulties of driving in the city with critical U-turns very often blocked off so having to travel several kilometres to find a place to reverse direction. I refer of course to the multi-lane highways with a central reservation crossed only by U-turns.

 

Finding in several destinations that they are just past a U-turn by maybe 50 metres and with the next U-turn blocked off you can readily understand why motorbikes opt to drive back the 50 metres or more on the pavement or by going the wrong way up the road. They might otherwise find being able to make a U-turn well-nigh impossible for a bike as on-coming traffic will not slow or stop unless a bus or big truck forces them to stop thus allowing a bike to get out. 

 

I used to ride a 15m stretch of footpath along with hundreds of others to get into a market, the alternative being 3 sets of multi-way traffic lights and a U-turn in the middle just to get back to the entrance 15m down the road. Now we have to spend 15 minutes and several km of driving to get into the market. In such circumstances allocating a bike/motor-bike path space of say 1m along parts of the highway in well-used locations would stop all the temptation of riding bikes on the footpath trying to avoid pointless driving and U-turns. If you are in a car of course - too bad, you just have to suck it up!

 

One example near us involves accessing the highway, travelling 1 km to a U-turn, then 1km to the next U-turn, then 50 metres to go somewhere only 20m short of where we came out. A short bike lane would save a lot of hassle.

 

Just saying................................!

16 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

Back to the original post then - I am a farang who lives in Bkk with his wife. I soon leant that to travel anywhere in Bkk the car was best left at home if you wanted to arrive the same day. True the car had air-con, but sitting for ages behind a pickup with faulty injectors meant be cool and die of asphyxiation while consuming fuel without actually moving anywhere.

 

So - we bought a motorbike, actually that popular bike here the Yamaha Fino. Spent a few thousand on it as it was a cheapo s/hand "bargain", new tyres, a service, front disc pads and new drive belt and clutch rollers, and a new back wheel rim and spokes - Thailand's roads are hard on bums, spines and bike wheels.

 

We found we could drive weaving through traffic often stationary or gridlocked, following the many hundreds of other bikes, arrive at destination, do what we came for - usually shopping - and go home again with minimal fuss. The game little bike with it's 115cc engine carrying old fatso (me) my shapely little wife, a 10kg sack of rice, a 25kg sack of dog food all across the front foot-well, with a bag of shopping on top, a 30 litre top box carefully packed full and my wife usually carrying another bag of eggs and bread we didn't want squashed. 2 hours round trip costs 2 litres of petrol. What it does highlight are the difficulties of driving in the city with critical U-turns very often blocked off so having to travel several kilometres to find a place to reverse direction. I refer of course to the multi-lane highways with a central reservation crossed only by U-turns.

 

Finding in several destinations that they are just past a U-turn by maybe 50 metres and with the next U-turn blocked off you can readily understand why motorbikes opt to drive back the 50 metres or more on the pavement or by going the wrong way up the road. They might otherwise find being able to make a U-turn well-nigh impossible for a bike as on-coming traffic will not slow or stop unless a bus or big truck forces them to stop thus allowing a bike to get out. 

 

I used to ride a 15m stretch of footpath along with hundreds of others to get into a market, the alternative being 3 sets of multi-way traffic lights and a U-turn in the middle just to get back to the entrance 15m down the road. Now we have to spend 15 minutes and several km of driving to get into the market. In such circumstances allocating a bike/motor-bike path space of say 1m along parts of the highway in well-used locations would stop all the temptation of riding bikes on the footpath trying to avoid pointless driving and U-turns. If you are in a car of course - too bad, you just have to suck it up!

 

One example near us involves accessing the highway, travelling 1 km to a U-turn, then 1km to the next U-turn, then 50 metres to go somewhere only 20m short of where we came out. A short bike lane would save a lot of hassle.

 

Just saying................................!

 

Of course, every scooter rider on any footpath has a similiar sob story to justify why they need to disobey the law. "It's so much shorter" "there's no nearby street parking" etc etc.

 

Don't worry about the pedestrians. Bugger'em. They'll move.

 

If this was happening back in our home country, we'd be rightly disappointed and upset. "Please, someone put a stop to this" would be the cry.

 

Now, the Authorities here are trying a novel approach to see if it makes a difference. It's a small useful step in the right direction and it's self funding.

 

The only ones that will be inconvenienced are people that knowingly disobey the law in the first place.

 

What's not to like ?

 

 

Shame on those posters who criticize  people who report ("rat") on sidewalk motorcyclists who endanger -- and even badly injure or kill -- pedestrians. You silly boys have watched too many gangster movies.

On 8/19/2017 at 5:28 PM, Thaiwrath said:

250 baht for being a snide !

Don't spend it all at once ! 

250 baht (a time!) for being a snide! 2 reports a day and there's  more than a day's wages if you are on the minimum wage!

Well I'm just gonna find a foreigner friendly bar on a busy intersection or congested bit of road, sit back with my Archa and snap away all afternoon, upload the pics on the line app and have a ball  I really don't care about those of you that think it's a bad idea, I just see it as a way of financing my addiction 

 

So suck it up you bikers of the pavement, G T is on the case, and I don't care if you're Thai or Falang 

2 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

Well I'm just gonna find a foreigner friendly bar on a busy intersection or congested bit of road, sit back with my Archa and snap away all afternoon, upload the pics on the line app and have a ball  I really don't care about those of you that think it's a bad idea, I just see it as a way of financing my addiction 

 

So suck it up you bikers of the pavement, G T is on the case, and I don't care if you're Thai or Falang 

We will try not to laugh when a gang of moto taxis smash your phone and leave you in the hospital... 

 

Farang snapping numberplates might become a hazardous occupation lol

11 hours ago, electric said:

 

Of course, every scooter rider on any footpath has a similiar sob story to justify why they need to disobey the law. "It's so much shorter" "there's no nearby street parking" etc etc.

 

Don't worry about the pedestrians. Bugger'em. They'll move.

 

If this was happening back in our home country, we'd be rightly disappointed and upset. "Please, someone put a stop to this" would be the cry.

 

Now, the Authorities here are trying a novel approach to see if it makes a difference. It's a small useful step in the right direction and it's self funding.

 

The only ones that will be inconvenienced are people that knowingly disobey the law in the first place.

 

What's not to like ?

 

 

where did he say anything about not being concerned with pedestrians?

if im in a similar situation i give way, travel very slowly and am extremely vigilant for children, elderly etc.

of course not all ride like that, but the fact is its "not back home" its here and free for all out there and you take your chances traveling anywhere anytime by any means.

2 hours ago, kaorop said:

where did he say anything about not being concerned with pedestrians?

if im in a similar situation i give way, travel very slowly and am extremely vigilant for children, elderly etc.

of course not all ride like that, but the fact is its "not back home" its here and free for all out there and you take your chances traveling anywhere anytime by any means.

The point is that like riding a motor bike without a helmet, and regardless of whether you are "extremely vigilant for children, elderly etc.",  it is quite rightly against the law, and you have no right to complain if you get fined for doing it - in fact 500 baht is a slap on the wrist for what is actually a very dangerous practice.

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 3:28 AM, Thaiwrath said:

250 baht for being a snide !

Don't spend it all at once ! 

And nothing for snarky comments and a cute little emoji; what a shame.  To a great many Thais, the 250B might be worth their trouble (and I'm not sure I'd recommend involvement in this to foreigners).  If it gets motorcycles off the sidewalks where they obviously don't belong, then I'm all for it.  'Don't see that being a "snide" is any worse than being a scofflaw and a human hazard to pedestrians.

 

 

13 hours ago, kaorop said:

where did he say anything about not being concerned with pedestrians?

if im in a similar situation i give way, travel very slowly and am extremely vigilant for children, elderly etc.

of course not all ride like that, but the fact is its "not back home" its here and free for all out there and you take your chances traveling anywhere anytime by any means.

Please respond with your licence plate number and a description of your bike.

On 8/21/2017 at 3:52 AM, Thaiwrath said:

No, I meant a snide.

 

 

noun

 

1. 1.

   an unpleasant or underhanded person or remark.

 

Thanks for the English lesson. i only knew of the remark. I like it!

On 8/20/2017 at 6:59 PM, giddyup said:

Why does Thailand have this problem in the first place? It's because there are many, many things in Thailand that have been allowed to exist. Why are school children allowed to ride motorbikes to school, why are people allowed to ride motorbikes with 3 or 4 passengers, why are m'bikes allowed to ride on the wrong side of the road? Surprised that you feel the need to ask such an obvious question.

So why not allow rewards for the serious crimes you mentioned? 

When there is a financial gain involved corruption is invited. 

On 8/21/2017 at 10:45 AM, electric said:

 

Of course, every scooter rider on any footpath has a similiar sob story to justify why they need to disobey the law. "It's so much shorter" "there's no nearby street parking" etc etc.

 

Don't worry about the pedestrians. Bugger'em. They'll move.

 

If this was happening back in our home country, we'd be rightly disappointed and upset. "Please, someone put a stop to this" would be the cry.

 

Now, the Authorities here are trying a novel approach to see if it makes a difference. It's a small useful step in the right direction and it's self funding.

 

The only ones that will be inconvenienced are people that knowingly disobey the law in the first place.

 

What's not to like ?

 

 

 Have come to the conclusion traffic laws here are more suggestions. Seldom are violators prosecuted unless a local mig (man in gray I have never seen a blue police uniform in Thailand) how often do you see people make turns or run red lights when there is no traffic? At 3am zero traffic so make a u-turn against a red light? Unheard of in the USA perhaps. 

 

Here is an interesting what if:

it takes forever for an ambulance to navigate Bkk traffic so many paramedics use motorbikes. imagine a blocked street while attempting to get to a heart attack victim, the sidewalk is the only open passage, an individual looking to make an easy ฿250 takes a photo of this deadly violation (sarc) the photo doesn't show the emergency lights... how much will the snitch lose for a day in court for the rightfully contested violation report? 

22 minutes ago, Grumpy Duck said:

 Have come to the conclusion traffic laws here are more suggestions. Seldom are violators prosecuted unless a local mig (man in gray I have never seen a blue police uniform in Thailand) how often do you see people make turns or run red lights when there is no traffic? At 3am zero traffic so make a u-turn against a red light? Unheard of in the USA perhaps. 

 

Here is an interesting what if:

it takes forever for an ambulance to navigate Bkk traffic so many paramedics use motorbikes. imagine a blocked street while attempting to get to a heart attack victim, the sidewalk is the only open passage, an individual looking to make an easy ฿250 takes a photo of this deadly violation (sarc) the photo doesn't show the emergency lights... how much will the snitch lose for a day in court for the rightfully contested violation report? 

 

Ambulance vehicles should be marked, fitted with sirens and red and blue flashing lights and paramedics should wear uniforms 

 

Should be easy to spot the legit ones 

On 8/19/2017 at 8:38 PM, jimstar1 said:

Great Idea all for it got my wife out now with camera easy money  better then trying to sell food on street

Are you trying to get rid of her? 

Just waiting until we all get an even better pay if reporting corruption or illegalities in police of military, sorry, forgot, that most likely will land you in jail