Dear Editor,
Re: incident 12th September, Sukhumvit/ Wat Boom traffic lights.
At approximately 1-45 pm I was turning right from Sukhumvit into Soi Wat Boom. The lights had turned green and when the green right turn arrow light came on I proceeded to drive slowly towards Soi Wat Boom.
The traffic in Sukhumvit had stopped when suddenly in the left lane a line of seven to eight large tourist buses hurtled through the red light, which had been red for a good 30 seconds, within a few yards from my vehicle.
If I had not been cautious as I usually am at busy junctions such as this I would not be here now writing this letter to you. No police were around (as usual) and the lights were functioning as usual and no warning of any sort was given. I shudder to think what horrors would have ensued had the buses hit me as there must have been only a few feet between each bus which were going at least 60 to 70 mph. What sort of civilised country allows this sort of thing to happen? I know that train passengers take high risks when travelling on trains here but this driving is gross negligence from which Thailand authorities never seem to learn.
It is bad enough seeing families with young children, 5 on a motorbike. I have been driving for over 20 years on Thai roads and every day I see the most moronic incidents of bad driving which, with the increase of motor vehicles on the roads, are happening more and more often. The Thai people deserve better; much better!
Needless to say I did not sleep well last night and can only thank God again and again for looking after me.
Yours sincerely,
Stanley L Feldman
