Thanks for that Tamada, well said and all quite on point.tamada wrote: ↑July 21, 2017, 10:26 am
Although you 'won' that encounter, there's always the very real possibility that you may encounter a driver who for some reason or other refuses to give way. Two days ago, mid-afternoon and headed west on Phon Phisai in a long tailback due to the traffic lights ahead, an empty tuk-tuk/skylab came flying down the outside, forcing motorbikes to swerve and oncoming cars to pull over and stop. He was leaving about 6" clear either side and NOT slowing down; simply flying. Just before the traffic lights, he shot across and angle parked outside a shop. The motorbike driver that had been forced in behind me was muttering away so if a local is upset, you KNOW it's bad! As I passed the parked tuk-tuk, the drivers head was thrown back, eyes closed either passed out or sleeping. I shouted and he never stirred. I wanted to get out, walk across and plant one on him... or at least remove the keys but sense prevailed.
But for a moment, consider the folly of assuming that this guy was going to give way when you had the legal right of way. That and the following.
Riding the motorbike the last 12 years here and in other provinces I've lived, it's down to a million factors a minute, anything from from various road conditions / situations, or the split-second review of the directional intent of a given driver, I've even found myself reviewing on sight the disposition of various soi dogs at certain times / certain sois day or night, even combinations of soi dogs (not the stuck together ones), or whether their owner is nearby and they'll need to show off with a well-timed bite.
One night I even had to break right coming down our block after the rains as I could see a black scorpion in the road making ready to fight my front wheel from 30 feet away.
Oh and the time two large cattle came charging top speed out of an alley chased by two teenagers laughing it up. They almost flattened a mother/father / baby combo going slowly and carefully down the street. WTF.
Luckily, dealing with the humans here much easier by comparison. =D>
That said as I get older I consider the bike a statistic on two wheels, it's not down to "if", it's down to "when". Went past the barrier today and it looks like things have been reconfigured though I didn't give it time for an extended peek. I did have to weave past what appeared to be red plastic shards of broken tail lights.
p.s. I think I have encountered that tuk-tuk passed out driver you mention, -let me guess his name is somchai, and he lives by a temple that's near a 7-11