Hua Hin "Walking Street"

[sandman67]

I like to sit on the outside of bars watching the world drift by, and recently have noticed how much traffic round the Binta Blok really does mess with tourists and residents walking about.

The roads are pretty narrow, and usually have a mix of parked bikes, street stalls and hand carts, as well as a constant stream of mopeds being driven at speed usually directly at walkers or weaving madly through the other street traffic. Add to that the Tuk Tuk drivers using the roads as their own private domain and driving just as stupidly down there and it all gets a bit much.

Ive also seen a moped drive into a tourist twice, had one clip me as it went past, and have also seen a 4WD bump a pushchair, and a 4WD knock over three parked bikes then drive on without stopping.

there seems, this year, to be a lot more families with small kids and pushchairs about....accidents waiting to happen.

basically its just downright dangerous

now

Id say that after 6pm NO cars or trucks should be driving around the Binta Blok streets. Mopeds are bad enough, but driving big trucks and cars down the narrow streets is just dumb - why the hell the drivers think its easier to drive down there rather than just get on the main road is beyond me.

Id propose that removable/locking posts, like we see in the UK, are put in so that 4 wheel traffic is blocked off from using all of Bintabaht, Poolsuk between Lucky Lukes corner and Selakam corner, one at the end of the street Johnny Walkers is on, and a further post put in at the corner of Selekam and Naret (Hilton Road) between 6pm and when the rubbish truck runs down Poolsuk (about 2am).

That would in effect block off the Bintablok whilst allowing the night market stall owners to still get their moped/trailer combos out onto the main road via the police station road.

Whole gates would be more preferable to cut out the stupid kids on mopeds using those roads as a racetrack....

anyone agree?

As to who would manage it....well thats another question.

[STEVE G]

It’s been suggested on here a couple of times before and you would think it would be a logical thing to do, but nothing ever seems to get done about it.
Driving a standard Thai pick-up truck around those streets is a real headache anyway as some of the corners are too tight to get past in one attempt.

[cookmanchef]

Think its a very good idea. I would definitely ban motorbikes as well though as they are the main cause of danger. Cars, (pick ups in particular), are a cause of irritation rather than danger.

Two traffic police fining 200 baht a time would very easily pay for itself. Good from a health point of view too as some of the lazy buggers would have to walk a few hundred metres!!

[richard]

It's been petitioned twice

The first was bounced the second is lodged

Don't hold your breath

[Randy Cornhole]

This has been talked about so many times I have lost count. Yes it is a good idea but will they do it...No!
Why? who knows? Probably because we as foreigners want it and Thais probably don't want to do anything just because jonny foreigner wants it and they don't want to pander to us at all, unless we pay for it 100 times over with hard cash...

[buksida]

Yep good idea, I also think there should be a proper car park to service HH but that's unlikely also.

[hhfarang]

I've had two very good friends killed here at an unguarded railroad crossing and have seen many fatal accidents at busy intersections that need some sort of traffic control.

If they won't even put gates at railroad crossings or traffic lights where they are needed to save lives, your chances of a getting an enforced walking street are nill I'm afraid.

[faq2mfh]

It's incredibly how the traffic problem never gets address in Hua Hin or any other part of Thailand for that matter. There needs to be parking downtown Hua Hin. Not along to road ways but proper parades. Car have to be stopped from parking along road ways choking 3 lanes into one . I've seen cars triple parked along Phethasem Rd with cops idly watching. This was a problem 10-years ago when I moved to Hu Hin. They basically have done nothing to improve the traffic problem.

[crazy88]

Why does everyone harp on about lack of parking spaces ? I have never had a problem finding one .The temple is only ever full when there is an event or multiple funerals .The Sofitel and the Hilton have ample parking .I have never seen the parking area near Buffalo Bills place full nor the railway station area .You can normally get a space close to the old shopping mall .The car park opposite the Ayudhya bank is never full .All of these are within a couple of minutes walk of the Binta Blok as are many other places to park .Furthest out,mentioned above, is the railway station which cannot be more than 500m at most ,less as the crow flies .Most of the others you could drop a golf ball into soi Bintabaht from with a PW .A putter in the case of the temple and the Hilton .



Crazy 88

[buksida]

If you're going into town at the weekend (which those that work invariably do) parking half a kilometer away from your destination with two toddlers is not a viable option. Neither is driving around for half hour looking for a nearer spot. Much less hassle and stress to stay out of town all together! There are plenty of good bars and restaurants out side of the mayhem these days.

[Chas]

One of the biggest bottlenecks is Naresdmri the ONLY access to the Hilton ( terrific planning guys!) You should see the tour busses negotiate that corner and that street. .made narrower by tuk tuks, motorcycles and pedicabs parking on it. That definitely should be made a walking street and the Hilton should work out an alternative access ( buy up some of those small bars/shops in that warren between it and the beach road)

I never park at the temple. .the parking attendant is an ogre and they like to charge you when you come in and when you leave. I park several blocks from the Hilton and walk in to the gym to avoid having to drive down Naresdamri, parking at the Hilton only as a last resort.

But they cant even keep the motorcycles out of the Night Market so there is not much hope for a walking street anywhere else.

This seemed to be successful in Pattaya when I visited though. . .wonder how they managed it.

[crazy88]

I am no fan of the car park attendant either .If you keep the parking receipt . you may not get asked a second time .

Crazy 88

[danthai]

We drive daily in HH often more times in our Izuzu D-MAX and have never had problems parking or getting around. It can take a while some times but not more than we find acceptable. I take sometimes two children to school 2 different places in HH. Never had problems in the heavy traffic morning around 8 or afternoon around 4 where ½ of the city are on the road in cars and on motorbikes. I find it very sensible that the police secure the roads around the schools at that time and accept the delay it gives.
The traffic jam is nothing compared to Copenhagen where i come from. I even enjoy the non aggressive attitude here compared to the crazy drivers in my home country.

[crazy88]

Have to agree with Buksi that there is a range of good quality bars and restuarants outside the bintablok area and Sadly,IMO,only a few in it . I have no objection to paying more for a beer in a prime location that is well run.the overheads are higher.I also accept that more attention will be paid to customers looking for something other than beer . But i'm not prepared to pay premium rates to be grunted at by bored looking bargirls with a mouth full of cockroaches and grubs when I try to order a beer and then watch them shuffle to the fridge at the pace of a sloth with face like a slapped arse because they have had to do some work .

Crazy 88

[usual suspect]

Good post Sandman.
Your thoughts on this matter reflect mine.
Bintabaat being pedestrianised is long overdue, but more-so now is Poolsuk Rd. You try walking from B'baat Soi to say London Lnge & its a constant flow of Pick-ups and Tuk-tuks,with the constant need to look behind you all the time. Then a kid on a clunk hits you comin from in fronta you while your heads turned.
But alas, as ever, any scheme implemented to reduce the likleyhood of accidents + improve Tourist safety in these areas is a non-starter cos in the view of the local authorities any person frequenting the bars are not
down in their book as 'Tourists'...are they??
(Also not 4get the 'Sukwilai-family' who nigh as damn-it own the BB Soi
will not allow any restriction of traffic to their ailling hotels)
Give it a few more years like this and there'll be no tourists to walk here anyway.