Sagging wires cause traffic mayhem in South Pattaya

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One of Pattaya’s infamous jumbles of power and utility wires finally sagged low enough to cause an accident when a tour bus snagged lines hanging over the Bali Hai Pier flyover, pulling down two utility poles and bringing traffic to a standstill.

No one was injured Jan. 22 when the bus knocked down the two poles on the bridge, but nearby residents were forced to redirect traffic to keep motorists away from the downed lines.

A tour bus snagged lines hanging over the Bali Hai Pier flyover, pulling down two utility poles and bringing traffic to a standstill.A tour bus snagged lines hanging over the Bali Hai Pier flyover, pulling down two utility poles and bringing traffic to a standstill.

The incident actually began hours before, local motorbike taxi drivers said, when one tour bus snagged low-hanging wires without causing further damage.

That changed when a second bus came through the area later and hit the same jumble of wires, now sagging even lower, and yanked them hard enough to bring down the utility poles.

Bundles of cable television, telephone, Internet and electric wires have been a continual source of complaints in the city, with residents warning they will, one day, cause a serious accident or fire.

Pattaya City Council members who have tried to solve the problem say the jumbles are a result of utility company workers being too lazy to remove unused lines and carelessly stringing up new cables without regard to safety.