Hua Hin railway crossings

[rosebank]

I have been resident in Hua Hin for many years, but rarely post.
Saw something tonight that really annoyed/frustrated me.Don't no why!
Anyway waiting at the Soi 102 crossing barriers down ,train approaching!
All waiting ,Then along comes one on a scooter, trains about 200m away, has a quick look ducks round the barriers and away.
Thais you can almost forgive, its the way they are bought up ,believe etc. But no its a Falang!
Male ,about 60,pencil golf bag, so I would think resident.
The council are trying to improve things, more barriers, then you see this.
As I say, do not really know why this got to me. Rant over.

[usual suspect]

It's a fair rant tho'..you do indeed expect this kind of stunt from the Thais due to their in-breed inability to obey the laws of their country.
I suspect this farang will park his SUV where the hell he feels, never say thank you for any services recieved, never leaves a tip, never asks for an item..more like "give me" or "I want"..dare I say this town has many farang males living here, & a typical example is grey/white haired, golfer, drives a Fortuner..(nuff said), rides his m/bike without a helmet, willing smokes in restaurants..just an arrogant t**t that paints a bad picture here for the rest of us..Grr.
(One day his golf bag may snag on the barrier he's sneaking round..& the noise of that train will muffle the scream) Oo we do like a good rant!

[oakdale160]

It is no excuse but they do lower the barriers and flash the lights a LONG time before the train comes. I think this encourages disrespect. If I arrive just as the barrier lowers, I may stop my bike look carefully up and down the track, and you can see about one K in each direction, and if no train is to be seen I have crosed.
I have also stopped and timed how long before the train comes and it is a full two minutes.
BUT, usual suspect, I am polite to waitresses, people working in stores and bargirls and tip well

[HHTel]

What if your bike stalls whilst crossing or you fall off for some inexplicable reason (It happens....I've seen it). Then you find how quickly those 2 mins pass......... Plonker!

[taffinexile]

Today I was waiting in a queue on the way to Takiab . Crossing lights flashing barriers down and no end of bikes weaving across crossing. Disaster waiting to happen

[Lung Per]

It`s all in the hands of Bhudda.

[Gérard]

...
Thais you can almost forgive, its the way they are bought up ,believe etc. But no its a Falang!
Male ,about 60,pencil golf bag, so I would think resident.

Maybe we can see that as an example of perfect adaptation to this amazing Thailand ?

[usual suspect]

Only within the last couple of years there was an aweful train accident as a lady-friend of ours tried to cross the line as a train was coming..everyone waiting shouted at her to stop, but she was near her home & she crossed the line here many times daily..But this day as she proceeded her sidecar wheel dropped in-between a gap in the sleepers on the crossing & she was stuck there...
...in the sidecar were her children & dog..

[Terry]

...........I have also stopped and timed how long before the train comes and it is a full two minutes..............

And the reason for this is simple.

A train, loaded or unloaded, when compared to a car or motorbike is many times heavier.

When it is moving, (Even at SRT stately 55mph) it has a little thing called momentum and requires considerable braking effort to stop. Hence the timing and probably the positioning off the track circuits within the signaling is designed to allow for a possible stop if there is a crossing malfunction.

Unfortunately you cannot design for the brainless fu#^wits who think that they can cross in front of a moving train with impunity.

Which is why it is a pointless exercise building High Speed Trains at grade (Ground level), in a country that has no respect for the danger when a railway meets a road.

But I'm just an overcautious fussy farang

[Pleng]

Today I was waiting in a queue on the way to Takiab . Crossing lights flashing barriers down and no end of bikes weaving across crossing. Disaster waiting to happen

To be fair that train barrier is a perfect example of how to completely undo any effect that may have been felt from education and safety campaigns in just a few minutes.

I don't know if it's better now, but when I lived around that area a couple of years ago the crossing would regularly get 'stuck on'. 7/10 times I would arrive there and the barriers would be down, the lights flashing, and the sirens wailing. I would park up as far to the left as possible, to make way for all the bikes -and cars- that were weaving their way around the barriers, then give it a few minutes before finally giving in and following suit.

[Big Boy]

I don't know if it's better now, but when I lived around that area a couple of years ago the crossing would regularly get 'stuck on'. 7/10 times I would arrive there and the barriers would be down, the lights flashing, and the sirens wailing. I would park up as far to the left as possible, to make way for all the bikes -and cars- that were weaving their way around the barriers, then give it a few minutes before finally giving in and following suit.

I don't know, which is why I'm asking. These are only machines, so they will break from time to time. In the UK, there is a telephone at unmanned barriers for suck incidents. Is there something similar here (although my lack of Thai speech could make it difficult)?

[migrant]

In the UK, there is a telephone at unmanned barriers for suck incidents. Is there something similar here (although my lack of Thai speech could make it difficult)?

Where is that thread about out of context??

[Terry]

Not out of context at all - very relevant.

No BB - they don't have these phones here. It was tried out on the N.E. line a few years back - most of the locals tried calling home for free on the phone - so they were removed............

[TicTac]

Why are foreigners so concerned with other peoples' saftey. Live and let live

[STEVE G]

Live and let live

A depressing number of people don't live after trying to beat trains over those crossings.