Jomtien Beach said the experiment with a roundabout at the Jomtien Second Road-Soi Wat Boonkanchanaram intersection has failed and are asking for traffic lights to end the continual stream of accidents there.
The most-recent wreck came Feb. 12 when a pickup truck slammed into one of the cement barriers preventing people from driving straight through the intersection. The driver, who was unhurt, said he didn’t see the barrier because it was too dark.
Residents say the entire roundabout lacks sufficient lighting, due in part to the fact the neon lights installed on the barrier long ago burned out and were never replaced by city hall.
The 15-meter-wide traffic circle was set up – supposedly for a limited test – in August 2015, allowing vehicles from four directions to traverse the intersection more slowly and safely.
The move came after Chaiwat Kanthang Co. in July that year installed cement barriers to prevent traffic from crossing Soi Wat Boonkanchanaram to Jomtien Beach and Sukhumvit Road. Two lanes heading to downtown Pattaya and Sattahip remained open.
But the barriers actually made traffic worse and more large vehicles were seen barreling through the junction as they knew there was no cross-traffic.
Traffic lights at the intersection with Jomtien Second Road have been out of order since drainage pipes were first installed in 2013. The result has been serious traffic problems as it linked Sukhumvit, Thepprasit and Chaiyapruek roads to Jomtien Beach Road.
