a warning to pedestrians in Bangkok traffic

Bangkok, Sukhumvit Rd., 29-8-2007 16:20



Again, and I have seen already a lot, an unnecessary victim in the Bangkok madness: called the traffic!



Horrifying to see and again a warning which will never be a warning which sticks in the mind of the road-users unfortunately!



A warning from the side of the American Embassy in their WEB-site: "The
city of Bangkok has heavy traffic composed of motorcycles, cars,
trucks, buses, and three-wheeled tuk-tuks. For safety, pedestrians
should use overhead walkways whenever possible and should look
carefully in both directions before crossing streets, even when using a
marked crosswalk with a green “walk” light illuminated. Many
pedestrians have died crossing the street, and where several have been
seriously injured. The Embassy has instructed its employees to use the
pedestrian bridge to cross the road at all times, and other Americans
should do the same.”

(Is it not possible to refer to every human who intends to cross the road and not only the Americans??)



So, whenever possible use the pedestrian-bridges over the roads!! The
time it takes sometimes to reach one you loose anyway by waiting to try
to cross the road and to jump from one side to the other on the road to
avoid an attack of a road-user whilst crossing. It seems to me that the
drivers are more aware of the soi-dogs than the pedestrians. And when
really necessary look right and left, up and down and repeatedly! Don’t
forget that one all off a sudden can be confronted with a motorbike who
is getting his way through the queues or slow driving cars at a speed
as high as possible like a skier. Be aware that traffic lights are
mostly there to be ignored by the traffic and certainly by the
motorbikes, certainly when they have to turn left.

And whenever you are involved in an accident the first thing you should
do is to take the keys of the vehicle of the counter party involved. It
is known that people involved in an accident are fleeing the scene and
I have seen it myself with one of our clients at about 02.00 am.
Another client lost her Swiss husband in his late fifties: hit by a
taxi whilst trying to cross Raminthra Rd.. The driver fled the scene
and has never been found.



(photos like these are usually published in newspapers and at
television in Thailand in a shocking way. It fact it is not my style
but keep that in mind when judging the presentation please.)