I'm not trying to brag but I have a tremendous amount of freedom in my life. I can travel any time that I want to really, yet for the most part I choose not to. This isn't because I don't like excitement I just feel like a lot of the world or at least that parts of it that I have access to, no matter where you go most things are going to incorporate a lot of hassle to get anything done. I think that this is particularly evident in where I am visiting my friend in Phuket, Thailand.
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I recall that it was kind of like this back when I lived here around a decade ago but now, I can say with absolute certainty that it is much worse. There are far more people here than the roads can possibly accommodate and due to poor planning or perhaps because they were kind of overwhelmed at how quickly the popularity of this island absolutely blew up, the roads are highly inadequate for the level of people that live, work, and visit here.
I am here to visit my friend so obviously he wants to take me to do some stuff which of course I am happy to do. The problem is that no matter where we go it is likely going to take an hour in the car in order to make it happen. If we are going somewhere nearby it isn't so bad because the motorbikes can zip through traffic but if you are in a car? Well, you are going to have a bad time.
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Phuket is a relatively large island but the problem here is that almost all of the land is already used. We can sit here and complain about how "they need to build more roads" but honestly, where are they going to put them? Unless they were to take away people's property in long stretches of paths, there isn't anywhere to put roads anymore. They have already used everything that there is. Some of the more wealthy people that live here that are near the water take speedboat taxis to get from one end of the island to the other because going by road, ANY ROAD, is going to take forever.
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Nowhere is this most evident than a point in the south called Chalong where 5 different busy roads all convene on a single traffic circle. The above image was either doctored or taken with a drone during Covid because I can assure you, it doesn't ever look like that in the daytime. You have no choice but to use it as well because all the other possible shortcuts are occupied by properties.
The day before yesterday we were stuck in line at this traffic circle for at least 20 minutes as the traffic police have to get involved to do their best to keep things moving. It simply isn't possible and whoever's idea it was to have a traffic circle like this where 5 major roads all convene... that was a really dumb idea. There is no possible way to avoid it and if you are going anywhere you must go through here.
There are a lot of really nice beaches here in Phuket but if you want to go from one to another go ahead and get strapped in and prepared to be in the car for a long time. Public transport is almost non-existent and there is no mass transit of any sort. years ago they spoke of installing a light rail system here but once again, the question of "where the hell are you going to build it?" came up. I suppose they could build some sort of sky tram but even that would involve massive pylons that would have to be built on someone's land.
I sometimes complain about how there are too many people in Da Nang, Vietnam, which is where I live but at least in Da Nang they seem to have gotten ahead of the traffic demands that were eventually going to come. Here in Phuket it seems as though almost all traffic "solutions" were created after the fact and it was already too late at that point.
I guess you could say that visiting here has given me a new appreciation for Da Nang because even though there are over a million people living there, the roads are very good and aplenty. Here in Phuket however, the population continues to grow year by year and honestly, I don't think there is any possible solution.
I return to Da Nang tomorrow and although it has been nice visiting my oldest friend I have in SE Asia, I am ready for it to be over. Today he is at work and left me the keys to a motorbike but I have no intention of actually going anywhere. I just can't deal with that level of extreme hassle that is around every single corner here.
Travelling can be hard at most but to deal with traffic is a horrendous ordeal. I do not live in the Metro thankfully so I do not experience that congested flow traffic. But even being in a small City there is no escape. It consumes too much time and with summer coming it is going to be too hot and humid to handle. I am glad you got to visit there. There is nothing else to do but make the most out of the experience. Try to enjoy yourself
Forget the traffic, I can't get over the power and utility lines in that first photo! That's totally crazy! As much as you aren't a fan of that traffic circle, you should see people over here deal with them. It's a bit comical. My inlaws had a pretty big one put in near where they live and there was at least one accident every day in the circle because people couldn't figure out what they were supposed to do.
yes, there is an ongoing joke that Americans suck at traffic circles, they even featured that notion in a Chevy Chase Vacation movie where he gets stuck in a London traffic circle for the entire day. I've gotten used to them, as one tends to, but each country over here seems to have their own rules about how they work. I guess they are necessary because how else are you going to handle an intersection where 5 roads convene?
Powerline are almost exclusively above ground in SE Asia. The only exception that I have seen was in Hanoi, which appears to have gone to great length (at least in the downtown area) to keep things underground.
I think a lot of places are moving to underground lines just for the reliability. I remember that scene from European vacation. I personally like traffic circles. We still call them roundabouts here. I think they keep traffic moving more freely and if people gave them a chance they would understand how beneficial they are.
If you ever find yourself in Australia you will see that it is a land of a crazy amount of roundabouts. It's basically every intersection. Once the population understands how they operate it is a superior method of intersection management.
They have a lot of them down in Columbus where my inlaws live. They even have the "stacked" ones where you leave one just to enter another one. Those are next level intense!
Wow, that's all nuts. Yeah, building more roads never helps. Sounds like a complete redesign is needed, and/or a greater reliance on mass transit.
The roads here in Japan are terrible too. Not quite as bad as there it looks like, but not great. Thank god we have a pretty decent train system.
trains are game-changers. When I first moved to Thailand back in the early 2000's there was no train system in Bangkok and going anywhere was a maddening experience. With the trains now in that city, everything has changed and I no longer hate going there.
That's really the sad effect of over tourism. When an island is super popular, tourists from all over the world flock and the place become congested. Once a paradise island becomes a metropolitan area🥲. Hope local authority implement strict rules to better manage the area.
Oh! There is too much traffic now in Phuket, maybe it's the rapid growth in tourism. I think Phuket has become a victim of its own popularity. I've been to Phuket years ago, the roads weren't as crowded and stressful as it is now. I hope you still enjoy the nice beaches 😊
Yeah I kind of enjoyed the beach but I have lived at or very near beaches for nearly 2 decades so their natural beauty is kind of lost on me. People that live in beautiful places tend to take those things for granted.
Oh! That makes a lot of sense when you're living in a beautiful place for a long time it blends into your routine. I think that's human nature if we see it every day 😀 Happy to hear you still enjoy the beach 😍
It is sad to see these beautiful tropical islands become so over developed. I have only been to the main town and beach in Phuket, but it was too crowded and dirty for me. Maybe there are better beaches on the island, I hope to explore more next time I visit.
You probably when to Patong, which is a lovely beach but completely overrun with tourists year-round. The better beaches IMO are in the south such as Kata, Karaon and especially Nai Harn, but again, unless you never leave these areas you are subjected to 1-hour+ taxi rides that cost a relative fortune.
Yup, Patong is where I was! Thanks for the recommendations, I will be sure to check out the beaches you mentioned next time I visit. I am not too worried about the cab ride, as I enjoy renting a motorbike any time I visit Thailand.
Traffic can be challenging, especially for tourists unfamiliar with it. Properly planning ahead can save you valuable time. I can relate to you, traffic also here in our place is a headache. That is why I plan my travel ahead of time.
Well it sounds like they are permanently screwed with no room to change or improve any road lay outs as they have passed the point of no return.
yep, it's only going to get worse from here. To make matters even worse, the roads are filled with potholes and crudely repaved sections because they couldn't possibly close down really any of the roads that they have here without shutting down the entire city.
I heard that only the northern part of Thailand is less crowded. Other than that, every major cities or islands are packed.
Yeah, for the most part. Krabi, where I lived for a very long time, is not at all congested outside of this one road where the local road meets the highway that ironically, is the only way to get to Phuket from there.
When i lived in Chiang Mai the roads were clearly planned out very well and because of that, getting around was really easy. Here in Phuket the roads are a maze of 1-ways, traffic cones denying turns and just general gridlock at all times. I would lose my mind if I lived here.
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