Fun at the traffic lights

[Galee]

The other day I headed into town for a fry-up and was waiting to turn right at the traffic lights near McDonalds. Being at the front I could see a convoy of about 10 coaches approaching from the other direction. Knowing that the lights would change to green at 54 seconds i estimated that the first bus would get there just as they turned red for them. Sure enough, lights turn green, first bus ploughs through the red light. Knowing that the rest would just follow, I thought, "well fluck you mr bus driver, I've right of way and I'm coming through". Flash my lights and start to turn right. This really pissed off the second coach driver who continued through the red but had to turn left to avoid me. he creeps up level with me, winds his window down and starts arm waving. I wind my window down and smile at him. He drives off and I inch across the road a bit more, the third bus tried to go to the right of me, but I was to far across the road so he let me go. As I looked up the road there was chaos as the other buses were all at different angles as they tried to over take each other and continue the convoy through the red lights.
Oh the fun of driving in Thailand.

[jackspratt]

Love ya' work Galee. =D>

No doubt the bus drivers under these circumstances have the arrogant belief that the law is only applicable to other road users.

[UdonExpat]

Great work.

The should be an expats medal for traffic bravery.

[parrot]

I've played chicken a few times myself while driving in Thailand. But it bears remembering that there are some drivers (orange buses, big trucks, and who knows what else) who don't really care if the light is red or if they're in your lane and you have no where to go except in a ditch. A Brit friend of ours (Happy Jack) paid a heavy price for playing chicken with a vehicle in his lane. Lucky, he survived. I try to remember his story whenever I see that Loei bus barreling down in my lane leaving me precious little room to pull over.

[JimboPSM]

All of which reminds me of a road safety poem from the my younger days:

• Here lies the body of Jonathan Ray,
  He died defending his right of way.
  He was right, dead right, as he drove along,
  But he's just as dead as if as if he'd been wrong

[Galee]

I was expecting some negative comments when I posted this topic. It was posted for some light hearted fun to discuss driving in Thailand.
For the do-gooders, this was not on the ring road, it was in the town centre where the oncoming speed of the coaches was 5-10mph. Hardly life threatening.

[parrot]

Nothing negative intended, Galee.....just some food for thought and experience from a friend who found out the hard way .

[mrbeerlao]

Welldone keep up the good work.....

[lee]

What annoys me at this junction is that most on-coming traffic run the red light and you only have approximately 30 seconds to turn right, by the time you have waited for everyone to pass the light turns red again. I usually ignore the lights otherwise you could wait there all day.

The police could make a killing at this junction!

[JimboPSM]

....... The police could make a killing at this junction!

Well, if they don't. the coaches, trucks and cars certainly will

[old-timer]

OT got nicked at this junction. The police put bollards on the line where you are supposed to stop. I was going to run the red light but bottled out and stopped over the line. I got nicked and paid the fine at the roadside, and got a receipt. Some months later I went to tax the car I was told about an unpaid fine. I had to go to the police station to sort it out, I thought it was a parking fine or something. However it turned out to be for this. I'd lost the receipt by then but did manage to make the policeman at the station believe me that I had already paid.

Am I on subject here, I think OTs' waffling.

OT..........

[Khun Paul]

In response to the line of buses going down the road, thinking they have the right of way no matter what. A couple of years ago, there I was driving along as one does, when lo and behold, I came up behind a convoy of buses, me being me, did no more than start to overtake them one at a time, they were not impressed and started to flash and bear down on me, however being a trained man i kept my nerve and proceeded down the line, I was just about to overtake the last one in front, when the bastard behind me, did the most appalling thing, came right up behind me and blasted his horn,
Me I stamped on the brakes the coach almost crashed but recovered,then I saw a turning to my right, just as a long line of traffic was coming the other way, so I positioned myself, so no-one could pass me on the nearside, and indicated to turn ( where I was going I had no idea. I stopped and so did all the bloody coaches behind me, when the traffic cleared from the other direction, I moved off so slowly that I think the driver behind me had a heart attack, this was some 5-6 mins after the coach in front had gone. As I moved I put my hand out of the window and waved, poetic justice, later I carried on on the same road, and one of the coaches had broken down, sad oh so sad, probably blew a piston trying to catch up.

[Texpat]

The worst offenders are the Thai Rath ไทยรัฐ newspaper delivery trucks.

Big green and white jobs that look like armored bank trucks.

I don't think I've ever seen one going less than 100 kph.

[Jello]

Funny story Galee, but you may be surprised to know you were both in the wrong!

Land traffic Act
Section 22 Meaning of traffic light:
GREEN ARROW: The driver shall drive according to the direction of the green arrow, but shall be careful to
give way to crossing pedestrians or other vehicles.

The complete document was posted on Udonmap by Bumper (thanks Bumper) back around February of this year.
Give it a read.

[jackspratt]

I doubt the "other vehicles" refers to vehicles which are themselves facing a red light.

[Jello]

I agree Jack, that would be the logical interpretation. But, TIT.

How would the BIB interpret it? Why would there be a green light arrow if there wasn't a red light for the oncoming traffic? Where would the "other vehicles" be crossing from if not the opposite direction?

To yield on a green light when making a right turn makes sense, but on a green arrow?

[cryptic]

Jello, the tourist here for the first time is travelling down Phosri Rd and wants to turn right at McDonalds to go to the train station. He is unaware of the time phases and directional arrows of this intersection and he is the first vehicle to make the right turn. The lights facing him go from red to the green arrow to proceed ahead, how does he or she know that a green arrow is to come on, at this stage from the 97sec to 55 secs, that right turn arrow should be red so as to alert the tourist he cannot make his right turn. The traffic department has failed to provide the red arrow, imo.

Drivers should know the traffic laws, but at this juncture, common sense should prevail.

[JR]

Jello, the tourist here for the first time is travelling down Phosri Rd and wants to turn right at McDonalds to go to the train station. He is unaware of the time phases and directional arrows of this intersection and he is the first vehicle to make the right turn. The lights facing him go from red to the green arrow to proceed ahead, how does he or she know that a green arrow is to come on, at this stage from the 97sec to 55 secs, that right turn arrow should be red so as to alert the tourist he cannot make his right turn. The traffic department has failed to provide the red arrow, imo.

Drivers should know the traffic laws, but at this juncture, common sense should prevail.

That section of the Traffic Law was not written with this particular crossing in Udon in mind. And furthermore, you forget that there is no such thing as "common sense" in Thailand.

[parrot]

"common sense"

Let's say you're riding a bicycle in the motorcycle lane of a highway. A motorcycle approaches you (on the wrong side of the road). Common sense tells me that (this being Thailand), I don't play chicken with the motorcycle and I should bear to the left (nearest the shoulder and away from the traffic). Right?
Wrong.

Common sense tells me if I'm turning right, to expect motorcycles to be on my left hand side or to be behind me. Right? Wrong again.

Following common sense on the roads here doesn't make any sense.