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Patong's One-Way Wins Thumbs Up from Police
By Chutima Sidasathian Wednesday, January 19, 2011
TRAFFIC in Patong's new one-way system is flowing well with initial congestion solved quickly by reversing the direction in one crosstown soi, police Colonel Jakkawat Boontaveekulsawat said today.
''We discovered a problem on the first day and by that evening, the traffic was flowing perfectly well,'' said the colonel, who was in charge of implementing the new system.
''There haven't been any traffic flow problems since then. It's working even better than we anticipated.''
The change, which began on January 15, converted all crosstown sois in Patong's main block to one-ways.
The sois had been awkward links between beach road and Rat-U-Tit 200 Pi Road because they required motorists to change from driving on the left-hand side to the right-hand side, a confusing and dangerous manoeuvre.
Colonel Jakkawat said today that at the southern end of Rat-U-Tit 200 Pi, the conversion of the nearby Soi Ruamjai, which runs between the Burasari and the Courtyard resorts on one side and the Holiday Inn on the other, led to congestion there and around the Coconut Intersection, where Rat-U-Tit 200 Pi splits and goes left towards Karon and right to Patong beach.
''We had Soi Ruamjai flowing one-way away from the beach,'' the colonel said. ''Once we flipped the direction so traffic went the other way, towards the beach, Soi Ruamjai caused no further problems. It was a one-day concern.''
Under the change, Patong's famous Soi Bangla also became a one-way, flowing from the beach road to Rat-U-Tit 200 Pi Road. It continues to become a walking street from 6pm each night.
All other connecting sois are now also one-way.
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Comments
Comments have been disabled for this article.
Contrary to your report, the changes are a fiasco, to put it politely, especially at the south end of the beach.
RuamJai should go east NOT west.
All "adjacent" roads should go in "opposite" directions, not the "same" direction.
WB
Posted by
Anonymous
on
January 19, 2011 11:41
Editor Comment:
That was certainly the logic police used at the start, but it created too much congestion, so the direction was reversed. This leaves motorists from Patong's 'deep south' having to go all the way to Soi Bangla before they can get through and back to head to Karon.
If the new changes are viewed as a "success", I would dread to think what a "failure" would be like.
It doesn't bear thinking about.
Regarding the paint and white lines, is there a shortage of paint in Phuket or what?
Posted by
WB
on
January 19, 2011 11:51
Editor:
After 6pm when Bangla closes, all traffic from the south has to go all the way to Hat Patong.
This is an absolute nonsense.
Posted by
WB
on
January 19, 2011 11:55
Editor Comment:
That's the point that needs to be made - and will be made, we suspect - to Colonel Jakkawat. Reversing the entire one way system still seems to make sense.
Editor Comment:
"That was certainly the logic police used at the start, but it created too much congestion, so the direction was reversed. This leaves motorists from Patong's 'deep south' having to go all the way to Soi Bangla before they can get through and back to head to Karon."
And when Bangla closes you are faced with a trip all the way around Patong to get from the South end of the beach Southern end of Rat-U-Thit so adding to congestion.
Posted by
Soupdragon
on
January 19, 2011 12:15
Of course the system needs to be one way in the opposite direction, as was obvious to many from the very start.
But of course while one 'influential figure' from Soi Sansabai won't allow that the entire town has to suffer a inferior system.
Posted by
LivinLOS
on
January 19, 2011 12:20
I fail to understand how everyone seems to think that simply reversing the one-way system will somehow make it "better". It's perfectly obvious that it would suffer from the same set of problems, just in the opposite direction.
If any course of action here is actually going to help at all, then it needs to address problems like traffic flow on interconnecting sois, which you have to do the same for traffic from either direction.
Besides, this is all a moot subject since we are all only to familiar with the three real causes of congestion in Patong; 'illegal' parking, curb-crawling, and poor driving skills. Address these problems properly and the one-way system is unnecessary.
Posted by
CaptainJack
on
January 19, 2011 14:45
If you reverse the direction of the entire system, how do you deal with junction of Rat-U-Thit and Prachaukhro?
The traffic "going to" Karon will meet head on with traffic "coming from" Karon.
Traffic Lights?
Posted by
wb
on
January 19, 2011 14:57
Brilliant. So now the long rows of idling/parked tuktuk mafia cars causing the congestion on all roads in Patong is facing the OTHER way. Yeah, that'll help...not.
If the gooberment ever decides to get rid of the permanent arterial plaque of tuktuks that lines the roads of Patong, perhaps they'll also see the wisdom in refusing to let scooter & jeep rental guys dominate beach parking with their ENTIRE stock. Do those airhead rental guys really think that suddenly a flock of tourists will descend on them and request 30 or 40 scooters at the same time?!? Force 'em to have no more than 5 rental scooters or 2 jeeps per rental company. Then maybe the beach will once again be open for tourist parking.
Posted by
tired of the act
on
January 19, 2011 15:11
Has a professional traffic census ever been done, instead of this ad hoc approach?
Through traffic from Karon, Kamala, and Phuket Town should use the New Road (phang muang sai kor road)(after it has been re-tarmaced) and Pra Barami. Then the one way system would be more local traffic, and hence take the pressure off it a bit.
Don't forget the congestion caused at the southern end by visiting cruise ships in the high season. This congestion needs to be filtered off instead of funnelling it all half the length of the beach.
The section of beach road between bangla and sawatdirak is too narrow and causes bottlenecks. Strict no-parking should apply here.
The zebra crossing at bangla/rat-u-thit causes congestion after 5.00pm (years ago, traffic lights effectively controlled it)
Posted by
wb
on
January 19, 2011 15:15
Oh come on guys what's with all these sensible solutions? Not one of them would allow the tuk tuks to hike their prices again, as they've already done to take in the extra meters they have to drive!!
Posted by
Mister ree
on
January 19, 2011 15:28
Personally I liked the old system, I liked the way it made the traffic flow.
It only took me a few minutes to get used to the 'turn right, stay right' rule,I just imagined the street blocks as big rectangular roundabouts.
As a pedestrian you soon learn to look both ways before you cross a street. It also gave the best outcome for everyone to access all areas of Patong relatively easily, especially on a motorbike.
As a driver, if you couldn't cope with this well marked, well signposted system, then imho, you shouldn't be driving.
Let's not forget, the traffic direction has been played with a few times over the last 20years. The 'turn right stay right' system has evolved over that 20 years as the best way to handle the ever increasing traffic in Patong.
Posted by
Antz Pantz
on
January 19, 2011 22:53
... meanwhile, this morning at about 9 a clock Bangla Rd. was two way again.
Posted by
Malpelo
on
January 20, 2011 10:25
Editor Comment:
Police say you have it wrong. Soi Bangla remains one way, away from the beach.
"Editor Comment:
Police say you have it wrong. Soi Bangla remains one way, away from the beach."
Yeah, I apologize for the false alarm, this evening at about 6 pm when I got home was one way.
However, this morning I saw several vehicles traveling both way, was probably an exceptional situation lasted for a little while.
Posted by
Malpelo
on
January 20, 2011 23:10
Editor Comment:
Perhaps they're allowing supply vehicles in
Editor: "Perhaps they're allowing supply vehicles in."
Perhaps the supply vehicles don't give a sh*t.
Posted by
Mike Boyd
on
January 21, 2011 11:02
Dear Sir,
I have a question, since I will going to stay at the Amari Hotel in Patong, I wonder if I've correctly understood that after 6pm, when Bangla Road becoming pedestrian only, if I need to go for example to meet some friends at Le Meridien, I will therefore need to go all the way up to the beach front road until the football stadium, then turn right and finally comeback on the 200 Pee Rd., obviously managing with the notorious traffic jam. Am I right? How long do you think this journey can take me? Thank you.
Posted by
Dr. Donghi
on
January 23, 2011 14:19
Editor Comment:
I have no experience of that particular detour but some other Patong reader may be able to help you.
@Dr. Donghi:
At about 8pm it may well take you about half an hour or more.
Posted by
Fritz Pinguin
on
January 28, 2011 20:10
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Contrary to your report, the changes are a fiasco, to put it politely, especially at the south end of the beach.
RuamJai should go east NOT west.
All "adjacent" roads should go in "opposite" directions, not the "same" direction.
WB
Posted by Anonymous on January 19, 2011 11:41
Editor Comment:
That was certainly the logic police used at the start, but it created too much congestion, so the direction was reversed. This leaves motorists from Patong's 'deep south' having to go all the way to Soi Bangla before they can get through and back to head to Karon.