Why is the outside (offside) lane so attractive?

[Big Boy]

Unfortunately, that is not uncommon there.

[HHTel]

The lines you talk about HHF is in fact a central reservation. No vehicles should be there but TIT. Slip lanes for making right turns into and out of Soi 88 are clearly marked. As with many road markings, a complete waste of paint. The government would save massive amounts of cash if they never put up another road sign and never paint any more lines. The standard of driving would not change!

[Frank Hovis]

As you go south from the main traffic light, when the middle barrier ends, there is a wide turning lane with diagonal yellow hashed stripes almost all the way to Market Village. In my mind this is a right turn lane, not a driving lane which many seem use it for to get around traffic pileups.

My understanding of those markings is that you are not supposed to drive in them at all, they are supposed to be a lane divider and where it is allowable to turn right the markings have a gap.
If that is their intention, I would not expect most drivers to pay any notice to them and certainly wouldn't consider it a 'safe zone' for pedestrians as one might in a country where such things are enforced.
You could have simply done the 'right' thing and double parked directly outside where you wanted to go instead of risking life and limb.

(as per HHTel says above)

On a side note, I noticed yesterday that the lights where both Chomsin (soi 55/70) and Damnoenkasem (soi 61/76) intersect Petchkasem now have filter arrows for turning left and microscopic signs that I think say 'wait for the green light'. They also now have pedestrian crossing 'green man' type lights. Eventually it may lead to safer road crossings but I think initially it will give tourists a false sense of safety.

[Terry]

I have been driving here for seven years. It's simple ..... the outside lane is reserved for coaches, mini buses, Mercs, red number plates, hopelessly overloaded pick-ups, youngsters with boot spoilers and matt black bonnets and of course the occasional person who may be turning right at some point within the next 20 kms.

The middle lane is for normal people who drive between 30km/hr and 160km/hr. It will also be used by a truck doing 80 km/hr who is overtaking another truck doing 79.99 km/hr. This truck may also need half of the outside lane to complete this particular manoeuvre.

The inside lane is for sensible truck drivers. It appears that buses are not allowed in this lane at all. However, if it is relatively smooth tarmac and hasn't been chewed up yet, then this is a good choice for minibuses on a tight time schedule.

The hard shoulder is for motorcycles travelling in either direction, and for on-coming cars who joined the main road but need to turn off again before the next U-turn. It is deemed okay to zip down the wrong carriageway for up to 2kms. Hazard lights should be on while attempting this. The hard shoulder is also ideal for selling sausages and bags of salt.

Easy peasy. Drive safe.

Spot on - couldn't agree more.

A useful tip for those driving North between Tha Yang and the turn off for Highway 35 (Rama II) and heading for Samut Sonkhran and Bangkok.
I thoroughly recommend using the right hand lane of the frontage road between Tha Yang and the Rama II turn off.
Why?
1) Because of the locals desire to always be in the outside or ‘fast’ lane of the main highway - and
2) Because truck drivers cannot read their signs in Thai telling them to use the frontage road
This often results in the main 3 lane section being slowed down due to the trucks (Who shouldn’t be there in the first place) in the inside lane and overtaking in the middle or outside lane. Also quite often, there will be an outside lane crunch due to idiots going too fast.
The road surface of the frontage outside lane is ok and not (as yet) rutted by trucks.
I can cruise quite comfortably at 100 – 120 along this stretch and often end up well in front of the ‘boy racers’
Just two cautions
1) Watch out for incoming slip traffic from RHS every few km and
2) At Petchhaburi, you will have to return to the main drag to avoid two roundabouts for the underpasses. Do so immediately after the slip flyover into Petchaburi and leave it after the slip flyover out of Petchaburi.
Be safe out there

[hhinner]

Agree with the two preceding posts. Just to add that on the stretch between Tha Yang and Phetchburi beware of drivers suddenly puling over to buy something at a roadside stall and also pulling out.

[buksida]

The only problem with using the frontage road is vehicles coming at you the wrong way - doesn't happen in the outside section.

[Frank Hovis]

doesn't happen in the outside section.

Doesn't happen AS OFTEN in the outside section.

There are two U-turns in the outside section quite close to a north bound exit from the outside section to the frontage road. I have seen a number of vehicles in the U-turn slip road pointing in the 'wrong' direction, waiting to drive over to the hard shoulder and proceed to the exit road.
There is also the habit of 'doubling-up' at U-turns, buses are particularly bad for that, effectively turning the outside lane into a second U-turn slip road.

It's not really a matter of expecting the unexpected, it's more of a matter of knowing that whatever bizarre manoeuvre you can think of will almost definitely be the norm.

[Terry]

Agree with the two preceding posts. Just to add that on the stretch between Tha Yang and Phetchburi beware of drivers suddenly puling over to buy something at a roadside stall and also pulling out.

That's why I suggest you keep to the 'outside' or RH lane of the frontage road.

The only problem with using the frontage road is vehicles coming at you the wrong way - doesn't happen in the outside section.

To a point that's true - but equally if you are on the main drag you will suffer several of the 'U' turns which are frankly deathtraps.

.........There is also the habit of 'doubling-up' at U-turns, buses (AND TRUCKS) are particularly bad for that, effectively turning the outside lane into a second U-turn slip road.

It's not really a matter of expecting the unexpected, it's more of a matter of knowing that whatever bizarre manoeuvre you can think of will almost definitely be the norm.

Too true..........

[Pleng]

On a side note, I noticed yesterday that the lights where both Chomsin (soi 55/70) and Damnoenkasem (soi 61/76) intersect Petchkasem now have filter arrows for turning left and microscopic signs that I think say 'wait for the green light'. They also now have pedestrian crossing 'green man' type lights. Eventually it may lead to safer road crossings but I think initially it will give tourists a false sense of safety.

They've been up for about a month now and have caused a whole heap of confusion.

The 'turn left' lights were never used at first (were they installed later), and there were (and still are) people turning left even when the 'no free left turn' signs had been put up. I would regularly get honked at from behind by impatient drivers who hadn't read the sign and were getting irritated with me for not turning.

Now you get a mix of people turning left when the light is red, and people who haven't realized there's a green "turn left" light sitting stationary believing they're doing the right thing, despite the chorus of horns honking behind them.

The green man is even worse. I haven't figured out if it happens all the time, or just in busy periods (when they change order of the traffic lights), but essentially the green man is incorrectly synced and often lights up when traffic is turning across from either the right or left hand side. Beware of holidaymakers walking out in front of you, having misplaced their trust in the crossing!