But what appear to be mandatory speed limit signs (white background with red circle) are in fact only advisory, the Highways Director, Samak Liedwonghat, told The Phuket News this morning (March 24).
“It was our idea to install 50kmh signs after comments from officials in a variety of government departments about danger on the roads of Phuket.
“This whole road is lined with communities, not like it was five year ago, so safe driving is important for the 70,000 vehicles that drive up or down the road every day.
“The signs are to suggest to drivers that they should be careful when they are on the road. [The speed of 50kmh] is not mandatory.
“It is not aimed at Phuket drivers only, but also at foreigners and tourists driving. We don’t want them be injured or to die.
He added that, in the interests of safety, he has also spoken with the project manager of the underpass project next to Tesco-Lotus to urge him to improve lighting and the road surface.
The project manager was apparently listening. Last night (March 23), a road patching crew was at work just north of intersection, closing down one of the two lanes to make repairs at 6pm, at the height of the rush hour.
UPDATE: Pol Lt Col Teerawat Liamsakun, Chief Superintendent of Phuket City Police Station, who also oversees traffic in Phuket City, agreed that the new signs are advisory. But he added, “If drivers don’t want to comply, they may have an accident.
“Actually, speed is limited by law on this road to 80kmh in tessabaan (municipal) areas and 90 kmh in other parts. Our speed cameras are set to detect vehicles going faster than 100. Anyone caught going faster than that risks receiving a speeding ticket in the mail.”
Up to now, police have not bothered to chase speeding motorists for fines. Instead, the amount goes into the Land Transport Dept’s database, and is added to the annual fee for the renewal of the vehicle’s road license.