HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Understanding traffic laws

Re: Show me your brake lights

Thank you Thai Air

Dirty beaches need cleaned by machine not man

The rebirth of Burmese Democracy

Crossing 2nd Road is no easy task

Understanding traffic laws

Editor;
Having now lived in Pattaya for six years, I am beginning to understand the traffic laws.
Firstly bicycles. They obviously are not required to have lights at night, in fact I don’t know where they could buy them. So if, as a car driver you cannot see the cyclist in the pitch black at night that is your fault not theirs.
Now for motorbikes. It seems that these can carry as many passengers as you can fit on. I think the optimum so far is five adults and a dog, and you can drive a motorbike as soon as you can get on, around eight years old, then you can ride on either side of the road even on dual carriageways, and you can go the wrong way up one way streets. Lights at night are obviously optional, and even if you have lights you can put all your shopping in the front basket so no-one can see the light anyway. This apparently is all acceptable to the police, but beware, if you do not have a crash helmet, even a plastic one that gives no protection at all will do, you will have to make a donation to the police fund.
Cars, taxis and busses. Tour busses can stop anywhere, just put on their hazard flashers and all the traffic must find their way around, and not worry about the congestion caused. This applies to taxis as well but with the added problem they may swerve in front of you and stop without warning if there is the possibility of a fare waiting. If you are the police or a tour bus you can use the outside lane of a dual carriageway, but if you are a private car, and you dare stay in the outside lane you may well have to donate to the police fund.
Did you know that if you drive a car the wrong way up a one way street and have to go to the police station to pay a fine, if you are a farang you must pay 800 baht, which they kindly reduce to 600 baht, although clearly on the wall it states that driving the wrong way up a one way street is a 400 baht fine, but you will be told that is only for Thai drivers.
On to pedestrians, the most vulnerable of all. They seem to think that those white painted patches on the road are for people to cross the road; not at all, if you step out onto one of these you are just as likely to get run down as anywhere else. These pedestrians seem to think that with the money spent on various useless projects in Pattaya some could be spent on traffic lights for pedestrian crossings, obviously a silly idea. Why can’t they wait ten minutes or so for a gap to cross Second Road or Beach Road instead of inconveniencing the poor drivers?
Yours,
A traffic observer

Re: Show me your brake lights

Editor;
I feel compelled to reiterate the comments made by Mr. Rasmus regarding the pathetic state of motor vehicles here in Thailand. I can’t tell you how many scooters, trucks and vehicles of all sizes and shapes using the roads of Thailand that are in need of basic vehicle maintenance. On a daily basis going from one end of town to the other I see vehicles that are sans working head or tail lights, modified turn indicators and drivers that act as if they are indestructible. Add to this the perpetual driving with three, four or even more persons on a scooter and its no wonder this nation kills a couple of hundred of its residents each week.
About a year ago I recall seeing a translated interview with the Chonburi Province top police officer. According to the translation, this top cop said he was not asking his officers to be good but just less bad as I recall the broadcast. Well I want my police to be good. Part of being good is not being corrupt (read taking spot fines), enforcing the laws equally (Thai and foreigner), applying the law to ALL citizens and residents (including ALL police) and doing their best to make this place we call home a better place.
All too often police ride their scooters with no helmets as if they are above the law. Young people too young to have licenses are allowed to run rampant on scooters. When these people are stopped, their scooters should be impounded and the parents forced to come retrieve the scooter and the violator with a hefty fine. A repeat violation would result in the confiscation of the vehicle. Maybe this would cut down on some of the traffic and stupid driving.
People of all ages, including foreigners, ride scooters with three or more passengers (often times with infants) endangering the lives of all on board. Are these people naive or just stupid? The police stand around at designated spots and hand out tickets for helmet or passenger numbers violations or they sit in their police boxes. The public would be better served if the police were made to get out of the police boxes and their designated hiding places and roamed around the sois of Pattaya and citing drivers for legitimate violations. The “It’s not my job” mentality has to stop and a sense of duty needs to be instilled in the people hired to protect us.
The Highway Police need to better police the roads by citing drivers who consistently drive in excess of the posted speed limits, have obvious mechanical defects, not limited to lights and signals and overloaded vehicles. Thailand could do a lot for public safety by installing both stationary and roving truck scales. This would cut down on the amount of damage done to the roads and highways not to mention an increase in public safety.
Ok, I’m off my soapbox now,
JG

Thank you Thai Air

Editor;
I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to the staff at Thai International Airways office in Pattaya.
On Wednesday, Sept. 19th I was in downtown Pattaya when I received a call on my mobile phone from London informing me my favourite Aunt had had a stroke and requesting my immediate return to London.
Being a frequent flyer on Thai Airways, and knowing I had an open business class return ticket at my Pattaya residence, but not with me, I went directly to the Thai Air office arriving at 4:55pm and explained my urgent need.
Thanks to the Thai Airways staff, they verified my open ticket, cancelled it and issued me a confirmed business class ticket on the first flight out of Bangkok the next day, Sept.20th. All this within 5 minutes of my arrival at the office.
This has solidified my resolve to remain a frequent flyer on Thai International Airways.
Ian McDicken
Pattaya

Dirty beaches need cleaned by machine not man

Hi,
Having recently a couple of weeks in Pattaya /Jomtien, as I do every year, I was disgusted to see how dirty the beach was, especially along the high tide mark. I see that deck chair vendors are doing their best to keep some areas clean, but their task is not easy, as there is too much beach for manual cleaning.
I was thinking, I have seen beach cleaning machines in other countries. Much of the rubbish seems to accumulate in a straight line at the high tide mark. Would it not be easy to drive such a tractor along the high tide mark once a day, with a beach cleaning machine attached, removing all the rubbish?
I strongly suggest the mayor of Pattaya invest in a beach / sand cleaner machines and drivers.
Best regards
Matthew

The rebirth of Burmese Democracy

Dear Sir,
With the coming re-birth of democracy in Burma, this only spells hard times ahead for Thailand. Commerce and industry apart, Burma enjoys some 500 Phuket-like islands, pristine and unspoiled just a few miles north of Thailand’s favourite tourist destination. Let’s hope that “attitudes” in Thailand improve greatly, whilst there is still time (is there still time, I wonder?), or I fear for the consequences which will be far reaching and difficult to change.
Can any country play Russian Roulette with its future? The Thai people deserve better, even if at the present time “they know not what they do”. It’s human to make mistakes, but to get the vast majority of decisions wrong, is inexcusable.
Dr. David Jones
Kidlington, Oxford

Crossing 2nd Road is no easy task

Mailbag;
As a former resident and frequent visitor to Pattaya since 1990 I have fortunately just returned home after my latest visit. I say fortunately, as after making the deadly crossing of 2nd Road several times each day I managed to return home alive and in 1 piece. I have seen the suggestion that a set of traffic lights be installed on 2nd Road around the Soi Yamato - Mike Shopping Mall area to allow safe passage across the road mentioned in this newspaper on many occasions. Everyone knows that is a safe and sensible idea from the pedestrian point of view. I wonder why with all the supposed improvements around the town that this has not happened?
The other issue that always gets to me as a tourist is why rental motorbikes are allowed to occupy 90% of the parking space from Walking Street to Soi 10. The congestion this causes is obvious (ever tried single parking a motorbike in Soi Post Office, I guess car drivers don’t even bother to try). It is easier to drive to the out of town shopping malls than to try and park outside Royal Garden and shop there. On the 2 occasions I remember that these rental bikes were removed from the front streets the entire area became a more relaxed and pleasant place to be. Surely a much cheaper way to improve the environment than constantly digging up Beach Road to make improvements.
These are both well discussed topics. Perhaps this newspaper would like to ask these questions of city hall?
George Seator

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