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Re: The Road Toll - How much will we accept?
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No thanks, UBC
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Thai Highway Code: Road markings are purely decorative
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Baht first safety last
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Children’s day at the park
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Mott’s the best
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Proposed midnight closing
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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
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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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Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail are also on our website.
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It is noticed that the letters herein in no way reflect the opinions of the editor or writers for Pattaya Mail, but are unsolicited letters from our readers, expressing their own opinions. No anonymous letters or those without genuine addresses are printed, and, whilst we do not object to the use of a nom de plume, preference will be
given to those signed.
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