HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Re: The Road Toll - How much will we accept?

No thanks, UBC

Thai Highway Code: Road markings are purely decorative

Baht first safety last

Children’s day at the park

Mott’s the best

Proposed midnight closing

Re: The Road Toll - How much will we accept?

Dear Sir or Madam:
I’m writing regarding Dr Iain Corness’ article in last week’s Pattaya Mail titled, “The Road Toll. How much will we accept?”. I disagree with his statement about “speed kills” with regard to the locally made motorbikes. It’s their lack of speed that has almost killed me on more occasions than I wish to remember.

I’ve ridden motorcycles from Pattaya to the Malaysian border at least half a dozen times, sometimes making the trip in one day, and can’t remember any close calls (except for that one buffalo calf that almost got me in Yala). Most of my close calls on motorcycles have been around Pattaya. I’ve ridden about 50,000 km on motorcycles in Thailand over the last ten years and the most dangerous stretch of highway has been on Highway One, Sukhumvit, from the Laem Chabang Port to Pattaya.

The motorbikes, ridding along at 30-40km on the left shoulder of the road will take a quick glance over their shoulder, looking maybe 20 meters behind them, then make a sudden right turn across both lanes, riding on the fast lane shoulder, in the wrong direction, until they come to the break in the median to turn, possibly a kilometer up the road. Of course you’d be lucky to find one in ten that had turn lights that worked, let alone used them. The same goes for the rest of their lights. At night they are particularly deadly, as they tend to ride more towards the center of the road, possibly thinking it’s all right because no one can see them.

If you are a law abiding citizen, ridding in the slow lane, as enforced by Pattaya’s finest, on a big motorcycle doing the legal speed limit, you’re dead meat if they decide to turn. Therefore, if you’re riding a big motorcycle doing the legal speed limit you have to ride in the fast lane to avoid an accident. Keeping up with traffic of course, but still in violation of the traffic law for not staying in the slow lane. At night there is another reason to break the law and ride your motorcycle in the fast lane, as you are less likely to run into a motorbike without lights.

Dr Iain Corness would be doing a great service to those of us riding full size imported motorcycles if he lobbied the traffic authorities to drop their dangerous insistence that all two wheeled vehicles must ride within one meter on the left side of the road. Any long distance, experienced motorcyclist will tell you that it’s much safer to ride a big powerful bike with the flow of traffic, then riding a small one, slowly on the shoulder of the road, constantly being passed, within inches by big trucks and buses. One month ago I witnessed a bicyclist riding legally, in the right direction, on Sukhumvit south of Pattaya, near Lotus, struck by a bus trying to squeeze by traffic on the left hand shoulder.

Thailand could learn a lot from Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines about motorcycle laws. In those countries, motorcycles (usually 400cc and above) have the same status as cars and trucks on all roads and expressways.

In Thailand, you can legally buy a new 130 hp, 250 km/hr motorcycle that costs close to one million baht. It’s not only absurd, but dangerous to expect these, and similar motorcycles, to obey laws written for the locally made under powered motorbikes that are a fraction of the size and cannot keep up with the slowest four wheeled vehicles. They should be banned from the highways.

Someday they will wise up, but probably not in my lifetime.
Art Savacool

No thanks, UBC

Editor;
On Sunday, January 11, 2004, an invoice from U.B.C. arrived. Surprise, surprise, an increase on last year! So much for my belief that nothing changes on U.B.C. from one year to the next, certainly not the English language programming. Can U.B.C. honestly claim that more than 50% of English language programs shown in 2003 had not been shown in 2002 and that the repeat figure for this year is less than 80%?

On Monday it rained, no signal. Tuesday and Wednesday no rain but low signal. Sound and picture on and off every few seconds, try to catch the news, I’m sure U.B.C. will reimburse me when their inability to provide any kind of service causes my TV to break down? Two minutes, had to turn it off, as the in/out signal was just unwatchable.

At this point I should apologise to the viewers/readers for using the words “honestly” and “service” when referring to anything to do with foreigners under the present regime. Hail Thaksin.

In summary, more money to watch the same tired old repeated programs but only when the weather allows. No thanks.

PO’ed in Pattaya

Thai Highway Code: Road markings are purely decorative

Sir,
I too have searched high and low for an English translation of the Thai Highway Code, to no avail. So, based on the principle that everyone is driving within the law, I set out to deduce what the code must be through many observations. So far, this is what I have found:

As cars have the steering wheel on the right, that implies that the traffic moves nominally on the left of the road. However, motorbikes, not being handed as such, are free to travel on any side, in any direction. They are also not required to slow down in built up areas, which is why speed bumps have a gap in the middle to permit them free access. These features, and the low cost, make motorbikes very popular; they can also carry more people than a car. Although a small child clipped on the handlebars is not compulsory, it is highly recommended to reduce injury to the driver’s ribs in the event of an accident. There is no age limit to ride a motorbike, though there seems to be a height limit of about 1.2 metres.

Signals: A flashing (usually) amber light on one side of a vehicle can have one of three meanings: “I may make a turn today” or “I have made a turn today” and on a highway, “I have just changed lanes”. There is no apparent correlation between the side flashing, and the direction of turn. Both sides flashing means: “I’m lost.” Frantic flashing of headlights means: “My brakes have failed.”

On the road, flashing red or amber lights means traffic from all directions has right of way. There’s a simple rule that the larger the vehicle, the more right of way it has. Road markings are purely decorative; they give the country an international feel. Though for pedestrians, broad white stripes across the road means a dangerous place to cross, and you should find somewhere else.

Those unfamiliar with the motorways here should take extra care to avoid the voluntary euthanasia programme that operates on these roads.

The opportunistic, anarchic, selfish style of driving is taught here to reduce the flow of traffic. If everyone drove in an orderly fashion, vehicles would move much faster, and accidents would be more severe.

There is much more, but I hope this short description will help the newer visitors here.
Gwyn Parfitt

Baht first safety last

Dear Sirs,
I am disabled farang lady staying in Pattaya. I recently stayed at a “colorful mansion” (guesthouse) on Soi Kor Pai South Pattaya. One evening I attempted to open the sliding glass door leading onto my balcony. I opened the door 2 inches and it fell out falling onto me. Luckily the glass cracked and did not shatter, the door was very heavy and I was very lucky not to be hurt.

I reported the incident to the staff, but instead of receiving an apology, I was told I would have to pay 1200 baht for the glass. Whilst checking out 2 days later, 2 members of staff blocked my way and ordered that I pay the money. Being disabled I was in no position to fight my way past them so I gave them 1000 baht. Safety should come first, not last, I doubt safety checks are a regular thing in this establishment. A big thank you to the staff for your caring safe hospitality. May the baht be with you.
Miss Som Ayres

Children’s day at the park

Dear Sir,
I was encouraged to take some local children to Pattaya Park, the idea being that they would swim (for free), and I would quietly read and sunbathe until they got tired out. Most of Pattaya had the same idea! On the one hand, you could argue that thanks to the kindness of the Pattaya Park authorities, many children had a great time on what is their day throughout Thailand.

Unfortunately, as a European well used to European health and safety laws, I thought that same Park authorities should look very carefully at repeating this next year. There were hundreds of youngsters and adults enjoying the water, so many that proper swimming and fun and games were impossible. The slide areas were too crowded, with large numbers coming down the slides at one go, ejecting into the crowded space at the bottom. One of the children that I took was hurt by being hit by a larger teenager. In all areas of the water, there were so many people that the lifeguards on duty would have been unable to spot a swimmer in difficulty.

Lastly, does the water filtration and circulation process cope with keeping the water in the pools clean? Normally, I hope the answer would be yes; on Children’s day I doubt it. This is made more difficult by the touching Thai habit of swimming in their street clothes, soiled underwear included.

So if you weren’t quietly drowning, you might be hit by rogue sliders, and if you survived that, then easily pick up a virus from the dirty water.

So Pattaya Park, a great day for most I am sure, but limit the numbers in future, and enforce some sort of rule about what you can swim in.

Regards,
A regular reader

Mott’s the best

Hi Mott,
I still love reading your web site stuff and your CD reviews are great! Keep up the good stuff ... (it’s below 0 here in fun loving NYC).

Peace,
Robert Silverstein
Music Web Express 3000
Little Neck, N.Y.

Proposed midnight closing

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to your excellent and informative paper to express my horror of reading about the proposed 12 midnight bar closing. I am a very regular visitor to Pattaya (for last 14 years) and myself and friends look forward to a long night out as a major part of any holiday. If this early closing is introduced, then with deep regret, other countries will benefit from my “tourist dollar”.

It seems that the authorities will cause lots of local businesses to close if this, somewhat ill advised, early closing is introduced.

Regards,
John Edwards (UK)

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