The ever-improving state of Hua Hin's roads

[hhfarang]

I assume that the reason the pump station is 2 floors, is, that pumps are ground level and electrics upstairs and out of harms way.

Probably everything's on the 2nd floor so it won't get flooded out every rainy season...

[Frank Hovis]

The extension to the canal 'super-highway' from the Prachaub-Petchaburi border to ChomPol Rd/Huay Sai Tai is coming along quite quickly.

The southbound carriageway from Palm Hills to approximately Soi 2 is almost complete but is being used for two-way traffic while the northbound carriageway is being constructed.

It would seem that the powers that be have realised that while a pavement/sidewalk for people to actually walk on was an admirable idea in theory, but, in practice no-one walks anywhere and the pavement takes up space that could be used for motorcycles (in either direction as the central divider "forces" people to drive in the wrong direction) so the new tarmac looks like it will be laid out as a two lane road with a hard-shoulder/motorcycle lane.

I'm not sure if the plan is to continue to build a dual carriageway north of Huay Sai Tai all the way to the Springfield Golf road, but as that particular road has also recently been dualled it would make sense to do so.

I remember when the canal road was just a dirt single track from about soi 6 northwards, so things are definitely improving.

What I'd really like to see are roundabouts replacing u-turns on the stretch of Petchkasem from Cha-Am to at least soi 6, but I doubt that will ever happen.

[GLCQuantum]

It's all gonna collapse and flood. It's all gonna be gridlocked. It's all gonna be chaos. It's all going to be stained with the blood of fatalities. It's all gonna be corrupt and shortcut in its build. It's all just gonna be very much of the sameness.

[dtaai-maai]

GLCQ, the forum's very own Private Fraser...

[Bristolian]

I loved that programme.. We're Doomed !!! Captain M reminds me of my father.

[Chazz14]

I cycle along the Canal Road (a.k.a. Kan Kong) every week.

Since the small roundabout has been constructed at the Kan Kong/Palm Hills junction I have seen cars start to drive around it and then stop actually on the roundabout on 3 occasions for 10-15 seconds!

The roundabout is not in use yet - (I think) but hard to tell because of the lack of signage. Also, as roundabouts are rare beasts in this country, maybe the majority of Thais don't really know to use them? I'm giving Thai drivers the benefit of the doubt here - maybe they are really just crap drivers...

[Frank Hovis]

It seems very common for Thai drivers to use the old 'French method'; giving way to cars entering the roundabout but even the French (bless them) eventually figured out that that was quite possibly the most stupid idea since Napoleon suggested invading Russia in 1812.

It happens at the roundabout on the the Pala-U road under the ChaAm-Pranburi bypass as well, so it's obviously deeply engrained in the Thai psyche.

No need to give the benefit of the doubt, you're second suggestion is much more believable.

[HHTel]

The roundabout at 112 can be fun to watch as drivers continue to gridlock the roundabout by stopping to let traffic enter. Once gridlocked then it takes a while to unlock themselves. Even the signs approaching the roundabout from each direction says in Thai that vehicles on the roundabout have the right of way. Doesn't matter what signage is there, it will be completely ignored.

Having said that, Most traffic that uses the one on 112 are beginning to comply with the rules. But it only takes one to cause havoc.

[jumusman]

Not sure about Hua Hin's roads but the road from Prachuap to Pranburi is probably one of the worst in the country. The surface of the moon is smoother.

Still, the provincial bigwigs have plenty of money to spend on more important things I guess.

Seeing as you mentioned Pranburi, I stayed there last weekend and drove my motorbike from Hua Hin. I love the road there now, seems allot smoother than before. Pranburi roads still look like shit and I am not sure how long they will take to fix, I have been there about 10 separate times over the past 4 years and they still don't seem closer to finishing the beach road. Maybe that's a good thing though, once its all fixed up they will just overbuild with new hotels and cheap condos... hope it does not happen there, such a beautiful quiet area right now.

[Frank Hovis]

An interesting development in the Klong road this morning near Palm Hills.

The left hand side/hard shoulder which I, wrongly, assumed was for motorcycles now has signs up saying it is for bicycles only (the hard shoulder is probably about 2 metres wide). To the right of the hard shoulder there appears to be markings for another lane, about 1 metre wide which I assume is going to be a motorcycle lane but not really wide enough for those three wheeled motorbike/sidecar things.

The strange thing is that the motorcycles I saw appeared to be taking notice of the signage and were not driving in the bicycle lane. I didn't see any bicycles though.

Whatever they do regarding lanes it is a huge improvement over the old road.

[hhinner]

But when the new stretch of road reaches the Hua Hin khlong road the bike lane will stop and there's a nearly useless footpath instead.

[Dannie Boy]

I'm not sure about other countries, but in the UK it's the same, dedicated bicycle lanes that end abruptly, so it's either continue on the road or go on the path.

[HHTel]

An interesting development in the Klong road this morning near Palm Hills.

The left hand side/hard shoulder which I, wrongly, assumed was for motorcycles now has signs up saying it is for bicycles only (the hard shoulder is probably about 2 metres wide). To the right of the hard shoulder there appears to be markings for another lane, about 1 metre wide which I assume is going to be a motorcycle lane but not really wide enough for those three wheeled motorbike/sidecar things.

The strange thing is that the motorcycles I saw appeared to be taking notice of the signage and were not driving in the bicycle lane. I didn't see any bicycles though.

Whatever they do regarding lanes it is a huge improvement over the old road.

I suspect that whoever put up the signs have got it wrong. The 'hard shoulder' separated from the main road by a solid white line is just that - an emergency lane and forbidden for traffic. The 'one metre' lane will be for bicycles. There is no such thing in law regarding a 'motorcycle lane'. Also, motorbikes and pick-ups are restricted to the nearside lane.

Have I ever seen the rules enforced ???----- of course not ---- TIT.

[Frank Hovis]

Regardless of the rules of the road (as most are) it's much safer for motorcycles to drive on the hard shoulder than to occupy the inside lane, particularly with their habit of driving against the flow of traffic rather than going to the next u-turn.

A similar cycle lane was created on the Petchkasem to Springfield road but it was physically separated from the main carriageway by large concrete kerbing blocks and has 'speed bumps' in the cycle lane. The blocks have been removed now (probably because anyone falling off a bicycle or motorcycle would be killed or severely injured by hitting them) but still almost no-one uses the bicycle lane, neither cyclists nor motorcyclists except for parking and even at that there are a few who can't quite manage to park a motorcycle in a bicycle lane without half the machine sticking out on the nearside lane.

[Bristolian]

^^ parking close to the curb is an acquired art that many Thais never perfect. Perhaps it's the fear of damaging the necessary magnesium alloy wheels.