Pattaya officials met to brainstorm how to fix road problems and improve traffic safety but ended up just bickering over three Third Road barriers.
Anupong Phutanawarat of the Department of Peace and Stability Maintenance chaired the Oct. 10 meeting with police and city council members.
Councilman Sanit Boonmachai suggested that one way to improve traffic on Third Road would be to remove three barriers blocking cross traffic at sois Sophon, Korphai, Bongkot.
Even though the concrete barriers are out there to keep people from cutting across dangerous traffic, many motorcycle drivers just ignore them and instead make u-turns around them.
Sanit said the barriers are made of cement and create more traffic problems than they solve. He said signs would suffice.
Anupong disagreed, claiming the barriers prevent accidents by slowing speeding motorbikes. He said the obstacles make people more cautious. And they are made of cement, he said, to prevent people from moving them, as happened with water-filled plastic barriers.
The meeting ended with no change in the barrier policy. However, they likely will be repainted to be more obvious and officials will monitor accidents in their proximity for three months, then reevaluate.
