PHUKET: Massive traffic snarls are already paralysing Phuket's traffic with worse to come as construction begins on a second traffic hub.
Phuketwan tested the traffic flow today down Phuket's main artery on the third day of construction of the underpass at the bypass road's Sarkoo Junction.
What we found at 10am was an enormous bumper to tail logjam of south-bound vehicles in the main Thepkasattri Road thoroughfare, stretching from the underpass dig back through the Heroines Monument to Srisoonthorn.
Authorities are bunkering down for worse to come, with the more difficult Chalong Circle underpass dig due to begin in the holiday island's south next month.
One official said that the Chalong underpass would not produce ''chaos'' but he was at a loss to find a better word for what's expected.
The island's first underpass is complete and open in the bypass road at Central Festival Phuket and the second underpass at the Tesco Lotus intersection in Phuket City should begin flowing early in the new year.
Trouble is brewing, though, at the new digs, which are more complicated and provide authorities with fewer diversions.
In Thepkasattri Road today on Day Three of the new underpass work, trouble-free motoring appeared to be an impossible outcome.
Even with police officers on duty at the key intersections, sometimes waving traffic through on red lights, the delays were massive and alarming.
With the prospects of at least two years' construction ahead and with Chalong Circle generally accepted as posing worse outcomes, it's probably too late for authorities to consider doing one project at a time.
Commuters will adjust their lives to the extra 20 minutes or so that it seemed to take to get from north of Heroines Monument to the bypass road intersection.
Anyone coming from Rawai or Chalong in the southernmost part of the holiday island who has to go through both bottlenecks will find travel a long, drawn-out nightmare once the second dig starts in September.
The good news is that the Central Festival underpass has cut traffic time and the Tesco Lotus underpass is bound to do the same.
But motorists are impatient, unforgiven, and subject to unreasonable rages if trapped in traffic for too long.
Any pretence that holiday islands are tranquil places free from urban problems and city traffic are likely to be dispelled quickly by people forced to travel along Thepkasattri Road or traverse Chalong Circle for the next couple of years.
Coupled with temporary issues are the remaining long-term issues. One does not need to be a traffic expert to see that a tram down the middle of Thepkasattri Road and south to Chalong Circle will be more of a hindrance than a help.
Phuket's motorists and motorcycle riders are never going to abandon the convenience of door-to-door travel for a long, slow tram ride with a walk at both ends.
Phuketwan suggests that an answer lies with a reappraisal of the island's traffic needs. Improving safety should also be a consideration.
To this end, phasing out large buses is essential.
Phuketwan recommends banning them completely within two years, substituting instead the mini-vans that tend to have better brakes, are less likely to run out of control down Patong Hill, and get from Point A to Point B with less hassles.
The only large buses on the island should be those on scheduled runs to Bangkok and other provincial destinations.
With Thepkasattri Road such an important conduit for all traffic moving on and off the island, it's time to consider ripping out the attractive palm-lined central strip and adding two lanes for traffic where possible.
Trams are great for places where the bulk of the businesses are on the same route and slow but safe is a popular preference. But for Phuket, where the west coast is where most tourists want to go as fast as possible, mini-vans provide the only practical solution.
With the central strip cleared for traffic, Phuket has a real chance of coping without road rage - or tram rage.
Test the snarling traffic along Thepkasattri Road at 10am one morning soon and see for yourself.
Phuketwan tested the traffic flow today down Phuket's main artery on the third day of construction of the underpass at the bypass road's Sarkoo Junction.
What we found at 10am was an enormous bumper to tail logjam of south-bound vehicles in the main Thepkasattri Road thoroughfare, stretching from the underpass dig back through the Heroines Monument to Srisoonthorn.
Authorities are bunkering down for worse to come, with the more difficult Chalong Circle underpass dig due to begin in the holiday island's south next month.
One official said that the Chalong underpass would not produce ''chaos'' but he was at a loss to find a better word for what's expected.
The island's first underpass is complete and open in the bypass road at Central Festival Phuket and the second underpass at the Tesco Lotus intersection in Phuket City should begin flowing early in the new year.
Trouble is brewing, though, at the new digs, which are more complicated and provide authorities with fewer diversions.
In Thepkasattri Road today on Day Three of the new underpass work, trouble-free motoring appeared to be an impossible outcome.
Even with police officers on duty at the key intersections, sometimes waving traffic through on red lights, the delays were massive and alarming.
With the prospects of at least two years' construction ahead and with Chalong Circle generally accepted as posing worse outcomes, it's probably too late for authorities to consider doing one project at a time.
Commuters will adjust their lives to the extra 20 minutes or so that it seemed to take to get from north of Heroines Monument to the bypass road intersection.
Anyone coming from Rawai or Chalong in the southernmost part of the holiday island who has to go through both bottlenecks will find travel a long, drawn-out nightmare once the second dig starts in September.
The good news is that the Central Festival underpass has cut traffic time and the Tesco Lotus underpass is bound to do the same.
But motorists are impatient, unforgiven, and subject to unreasonable rages if trapped in traffic for too long.
Any pretence that holiday islands are tranquil places free from urban problems and city traffic are likely to be dispelled quickly by people forced to travel along Thepkasattri Road or traverse Chalong Circle for the next couple of years.
Coupled with temporary issues are the remaining long-term issues. One does not need to be a traffic expert to see that a tram down the middle of Thepkasattri Road and south to Chalong Circle will be more of a hindrance than a help.
Phuket's motorists and motorcycle riders are never going to abandon the convenience of door-to-door travel for a long, slow tram ride with a walk at both ends.
Phuketwan suggests that an answer lies with a reappraisal of the island's traffic needs. Improving safety should also be a consideration.
To this end, phasing out large buses is essential.
Phuketwan recommends banning them completely within two years, substituting instead the mini-vans that tend to have better brakes, are less likely to run out of control down Patong Hill, and get from Point A to Point B with less hassles.
The only large buses on the island should be those on scheduled runs to Bangkok and other provincial destinations.
With Thepkasattri Road such an important conduit for all traffic moving on and off the island, it's time to consider ripping out the attractive palm-lined central strip and adding two lanes for traffic where possible.
Trams are great for places where the bulk of the businesses are on the same route and slow but safe is a popular preference. But for Phuket, where the west coast is where most tourists want to go as fast as possible, mini-vans provide the only practical solution.
With the central strip cleared for traffic, Phuket has a real chance of coping without road rage - or tram rage.
Test the snarling traffic along Thepkasattri Road at 10am one morning soon and see for yourself.
Good idea to ban the big coaches, since our Chinese friends arrived Rawai has become a coach park, they travel Wiset Road hogging both lanes, then try to U turn, blocking both ways ! They are simply too big and poorly driven for Phuket's inadequate roads.
Posted by Anonymous on August 19, 2015 15:15