Phuket
Battle brewing over U-turn closure

RASSADA: Residents of Village 2 are threatening to protest if Rassada Municipality moves ahead with a plan to permanently close down the U-turn on Thepkrasattri Rd, just north of Supercheap.
At a meeting of Village 2 residents and local officials yesterday morning, residents led by spokesman Anurak Hongwongpaisarn said the plan to close the U-turn announced by Rassada Municipality last week is unacceptable to local residents.
Under the plan, the U-turn would be permanently blocked for safety reasons. Those needing to reverse directions after shopping at Supercheap would have to travel another kilometer north to the new U-turn, located near the turnoff to the access road to Laem Hin.
“Closing the U-turn will cause a great deal of hardship to local people. Also, the new U-turn is located in a dark and desolate area. It will be dangerous for women returning home from work after dark,” he said.
Mr Anurak said the Supercheap U-turn was not intrinsically dangerous. The many accidents that occur there are the result of unsafe driving, so the municipality should instruct motorists to obey traffic laws rather than close the U-turn, he said.
Rassada Mayor Suratin Lian-udom said the plan to close the Supercheap U-turn followed complaints made by motorists about the dangerous conditions and frequency of accidents there. Accidents occur there on a daily basis, with most resulting in serious injury due to the high speeds involved, he said.
“When we send our kids off to school or out to buy something, we never know if they’ll make it home alive,” he said.
Mayor Suratin said a poll of local residents found that 184 respondents favored closing the U-turn, compared to 116 people opposed.
The poll results will be presented to Phuket City Police and the Phuket Provincial Highways Office for consideration before any final decision on the matter is made, he said.
“I also will present the objections of those opposed to the closure,” he said.
Get more from The Thaiger
Join the conversation and have your say on Thailand news published on The Thaiger.
Thaiger Talk is our new Thaiger Community where you can join the discussion on everything happening in Thailand right now.
Please note that articles are not posted to the forum instantly and can take up to 20 min before being visible. Click for more information and the Thaiger Talk Guidelines.

-
Best of3 days ago
Beachfront restaurants in Phuket to dine with a view (2022)
-
Best of3 days ago
Italian restaurants in Koh Samui for pasta, pizza, red sauce, and everything else
-
Thailand4 days ago
Thailand introduces fine for not wearing seat belt in the back seat
-
Thailand3 days ago
UPDATE: Thailand introduces fine for not wearing seat belt in the back seat
-
Thailand3 days ago
CCSA to give thumbs up to 4am licensing in Thailand next week
-
Thailand4 days ago
Thailand to consider Chinese engines for S26T Yuan submarine
-
Thailand4 days ago
Toad travels from Thailand to Wales in student’s suitcase
-
Phuket4 days ago
TikTok post accuses Phuket restaurant of unfair, unlisted prices