Udon Traffic

[tamada]

No sign of cops or cones this morning Phosi@railroad so back to normal. Maybe just an experiment after all.

Outbound on Hwy 2 to Nong Khai, the left-hand ditch digging, replacement or whatever slowly creeps northward. Sometimes it gets down to single-lane during the day but it does appear they try to do the bulk of the work between the morning and late afternoon peak hours. It has just passed the turn off to UCS school so the next bottleneck will be opposite the u-turn and the bridge just after the PTT station.

[mak]

The new bollards and barriers on Nittayo Road, Nong Bua section, just hinder the flow of traffic. There has been a bottleneck there all week on the morning and afternoon school runs.

[tamada]

The new bollards and barriers on Nittayo Road, Nong Bua section, just hinder the flow of traffic. There has been a bottleneck there all week on the morning and afternoon school runs.

I turned onto Phosi from Nongbua mid-afternoon yesterday and I saw workers doing something with the lamp standards on the central median. Maybe there's some extra lane-discipline signage going up? Or replacement of the wide, solid, concrete central median with something that yields a few more centimeters?

[Niggly]

After having the misfortune to travel on Nittayo Road southbound from the rail crossing to Soi Nong Bua traffic lights twice today I have concluded I have absolutely no idea why the third lane is bollarded (is that a word?) off.
There is absolutely no signage to tell you to use it if turning right at the traffic lights & everyone ignores this suggestion anyway.
The bollards from the lights to the first u turn serve no purpose whatsoever. It can’t be for getting people in lane to u turn because nobody does this unless it’s the infrequent visitors to the 2 or 3 shops & they won’t have put a special lane in for them, would they?

I also found myself in ToolPro & can report there is no way out of there other than the through the single file bridge works. This would probably flow a bit more freely if the 2 into 1 merge was before the contra flow not actually in it

On a positive note, the cars blocking the Big C underpass seem to have been cleared up. No queues other than red lights

[tamada]

While on a mid-morning run to our rice mill on the Sam Phrao road, I discovered the disruption due to the extensive new storm drainage being laid on the south side. That must be a real PITA during inbound, morning rush hour. Hasn't been mentioned in dispatches so I assume any UM'ers living out that way have either taken it in their stride, only pass along during off-peak times or they've passed away.

Took the afternoon school run to test the complete ring road bypass route southeast from the NK highway inbound, zig-zag across the Sam Phrao road to the back of Sharples Apartments before the Nong Sai road. As some have commented, rough as guts in places, quite narrow but plagued with scooters with 2+ up getting home from work. Not for the feint-of-heart or those with low-profile rubber or clapped out shocks.

[Niggly]

There we go, this explains the bollards in the southbound Nittayo Road before & after the Soi Nong Bua lights.

There’s a furkin’ big ‘ole appeared northbound leaving only the far right lane so half the traffic splits across onto the contra flow & stays there until just before Prime Square where they’ve knocked out some concrete from the central reservation to cut back across. This makes two lanes north & southbound & seemed to be flowing nicely this morning

[tamada]

Noticed they had a cop doing "control" again at the railway crossing on Phosi again this morning. Mid-afternoon, I came into town along Nongbua and then right along Phosi and over the railway tracks. They have removed some of the central median concrete blocks and poles and have cones as well as detour signs just east of the Chinese temple and under the pedestrian bridge opposite the market. It was still (roughly) 3-lanes inbound but 2-lanes outbound and a cop looking lost. With that new bollarding, I wonder if they are going to have the right-most lanes on each side hot-swappable like they have down town opposite those big schools with the big red or green 'X' signs overhead? Steal the 'fast' lane from the outward bound lanes for the heavier inbound morning traffic and vice-versa for the afternoon exodus?

[Khun Paul]

As I said previously work out routes avoiding if possible that junction, we have the time and energy to do that. Thos thyat need top get to St Marys I feel sorry for though.
having said that walking is an option

[Niggly]

Yeah, I saw a plod making a hash of everything on Soi Nong Bua crossroads. Although it was Sunday yesterday the volume of traffic looked the same & it was certainly moving a lot better at the same time without him.
Still not bad enough to make me take a purposeful detour though. It’s okay on the whole

[tamada]

As I said previously work out routes avoiding if possible that junction, we have the time and energy to do that. Thos thyat need top get to St Marys I feel sorry for though.
having said that walking is an option

I was posting my observations as info on an obvious work in progress.

Not looking for alternatives at the moment but, due to the railway tracks being largely bereft of alternative east-west crossings as it bisects the city, the alternative of going to Central via the Global junction, Wearsai Road, past the old Chern Chim and down Adulyadet isn't really an easy option either.

[dunroaming]

As I said previously work out routes avoiding if possible that junction, we have the time and energy to do that. Thos thyat need top get to St Marys I feel sorry for though.
having said that walking is an option

I was posting my observations as info on an obvious work in progress.

Not looking for alternatives at the moment but, due to the railway tracks being largely bereft of alternative east-west crossings as it bisects the city, the alternative of going to Central via the Global junction, Wearsai Road, past the old Chern Chim and down Adulyadet isn't really an easy option either.

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I just use the Satnav gets me there most of the time avoiding the long queues

[tamada]

^ But it's pokey, wee Udon we're talking about here. You only need to know about half a dozen main roads, a couple of shortcuts and the ring road... and where the polis lies in wait. By the time my GPS finds the satellites, we're already in Loei.

[dunroaming]

^ But it's pokey, wee Udon we're talking about here. You only need to know about half a dozen main roads, a couple of shortcuts and the ring road... and where the polis lies in wait. By the time my GPS finds the satellites, we're already in Loei.

Google maps seconds to open mate and anyway that's her job I just drive

[Khun Paul]

Yes the Railways tracks debacle has been festering for years.

1 They refuse to put another crossing at the far end of the platform, there is a small soi which would take a considerable amount of traffic away from the main crossing and they also refuse to stop U turns or stop traffic turning right out of the Soi next to the railway line.
2. When they were establishing Prime Site apparently they discounted the traffic problems and allowed it to have individual access instead of through the Chinese Gate entrance and have not upgraded the road which eventually ends out at the ring road.

Planning with roads here is always an afterthought as is parking . So expect the queues and problems to increase before getting better if at all.

[tamada]

The greater part of the city that lies west of the railway is a mess of narrow streets and bad parking but is chock full of easily found alternative routes and go-arounds. East of the railway tracks is a totally different matter with only 4 major level crossings and may be half a dozen others that range from regular 2-way road width to motorbike only, mostly the latter. The narrow but busy road that runs south from Phosi, parallel with the railway tracks funnels a bunch of traffic south and west to/from Taharn Road. They use this to avoid going all the way to Pracha Santi or the ring road to go south and west.

It would probably only take a couple of bridges over the railroad tracks to unclog the east side during peak hours but let them press on with ring road widening, flovers, underpasses and an outer ring road that doesn't solve the city's clogged arteries.

[mak]

They had a plan, many years ago, to build a new government complex on the NBLP road at kilo 14, similar to what they did in NBLP 15 years ago.
https://goo.gl/maps/wB7R1pWKrmneRtQ99

[Niggly]

Well, I had high hopes when coming out of Makro that I’d be able to u turn at the contra flow before Soi Nong Bua traffic lights without waiting by spinning it round straight into lane 3 then merging across. Alas, even by straddling the middle lane on the approach & starting the turn at full lock I was only able to get across to lane 2 thus having to wait for the traffic as the lights had just changed. Shame really .
Maybe it would work with a power slide?

[FrazeeDK]

the conceptual plans for the dual track and High Speed rail for Udon has them all elevated similar to Khon Khaen. Where exactly the viaduct would start and end is purely speculative but I'd say starting on the north side just northwest of Rte 2 where the current grade crossing is located and staying elevated going south past the Ring Road.. If they do that then it will open up new land routes under the viaduct going east and west.. Guess we'll see what happens over the next five years.

[Niggly]

Hold the phone.......

Exit Big C
Second left onto But Sombat Alley
About 4th left onto But Sombat 7 Alley
Right at the end onto Soi Kunaruk
Come out onto ring road at M Place ( I think this is where DR mentioned from the turn before Big C)
U turn under the flyover & homeward bound (for me)

This will achieve the objective of not going to the u turn on Nittayo Road or further up to Chandra Thip or Pracha Santi. Not sure how much longer it will take though. Will try it tomorrow & find out

This cut works
The only drawback is it takes longer than a clear run up to Pracha Santi but not as long as if you’re sitting in a queue & you won’t know this until you get there

[Niggly]

Very short shortcut here.

If going northbound on Nittayo Road approaching the contra flow & intend carrying on up towards UD Town.....
Keep left approaching the lane filter. It’s usually clear as everyone is cramming lanes 2 & 3 for the contra flow.
Take the left immediately before the furkin big ‘ole
First right in front of De Princess Hotel
Right at the end into Pracha Santi
Rejoin a clear Nittayo Road left at the traffic lights as everyone is in either lane 3 or the contra flow