Seeing people getting annoyed and confused that no one is stopping, even at a pedestrian crossing, or standing for minutes trying to cross to the other side of the road, has become a classic in Bangkok as a daily commuter in the city.
As a local, we will try our best to guide you on how we do it.
*scroll to the bottom for some tips on road crossing.
Although crossing the road in Bangkok is not as stressful as in countries like Vietnam, speaking from experience, it is certainly far from being completely stress-free. Not fully knowing how to navigate the road crossing culture here is perfectly normal, even Thai people struggle sometimes, and we do have older and younger friends and family that also have very little to no idea of how to do it safely. In truth, there is no one way to do it right, but we will try our best to guide you!
How many lanes should you cross without a pedestrian crossing?
*It is against the law, and we never recommend that you do it.
1-3 lanes is what you would often see people crossing, and the locals do it all the time, as in many places, there will be no pedestrian crossing for at least a few hundred meters.
A 4-lane crossing varies; many roads are busy, and the cars and motorcycles can be very fast. As a local, we only do it when there is no pedestrian crossing that you can see within sight, but it is becoming a rarer situation. Normally, we will preferably do it only for roads in secondary or local streets, where parking is often allowed, essentially making it a sub-2 lane of traffic. The same, but very rarely, goes for a six-lane road with roadside parking that turns it into four lanes of traffic.
5-6 lanes and above is simply a no. In this case, there will always be a pedestrian crossing with a crossing light; if there is not one, you simply should not cross.
A Basic Guide to Crossing The Road
Now, after identifying if you should cross or not, let us get into some tips we locals do.
Crossing at a pedestrian crossing, although the oncoming vehicles will likely not stop right away, is always a safer option, and the cars will eventually stop for you once you start walking.
There are two scenarios to start crossing, first is to look for a gap in traffic when the traffic is flowing, and second, when it starts stopping or slows down.
For the first scenario, you will have to determine the gap and the speed of the approaching car. If it is wide enough and slow enough, here is what you can do:
Raise Your Hands to Signal That you are Crossing
You do not have to raise it all the way like a Japanese kid at a pedestrian crossing. Just raise it halfway briefly to eye level to make your intention known. It is best that you try to make eye contact with the oncoming car.
Slowly Cross Lane-By-Lane
Crossing in sections, in many cases, the local will do this as the first lane you are approaching may be free of incoming cars. You start crossing to the first lane and wait until a car stops for you or pass by, determining that it is safe, before continueing on.
Most of us will not immediately stop or even slow down at crosswalks, you must approach very cautiously and slowly advance making sure that both the car and motorcycles see you and slow down or come to a complete stop.
They will likely stop once they see you cross, given the appropriate time to react in most situations.
Look for the Hazard Light
Cars will most likely put on the hazard lights to signal you and the other cars of a crossing activity ahead. However, this does not mean the other lanes will surely stop! Approach slowly.
> For the latter scenario, where the car is coming to a stop or slowing down.
- Always Cross behind the car in front of you.
- Beware of motorcycles cutting lanes!
Motorcycles coming between cars in stopped traffic is also dangerous; be sure, even if you see all the cars already stopped in high traffic, sometimes there will be motorcycles that cannot see you in between the cars, so check every car you pass before advancing.
- In a very heavy two-way traffic, it is normal for locals to cross halfway first.
Simply stop on the line and wait for a wide gap where you can clearly see all the approaching vehicles, or, if the car sees you in the middle, they will stop for you; wait for them to do so before continuing crossing!
Useful Tips and Tricks on crossing road in Bangkok!
Signaling a Motorcycle driver
Many times, motorcycle drivers will be kinder to the people crossing.
If you really can’t find a good moment to begin crossing, make your intention known to them, like raising your hand or making a faint attempt to start crossing, and try to make eye contact with one; there is a high chance they will start to stop and signal others to stop as well.
However, you must wait and also keep in mind the speed they are cruising, especially if cars are coming fast behind that may not be able to, or have the intention to, stop.
Cross With BTS or MRT Stations or Skywalks
Ironically enough, the best tip for crossing the road in Bangkok is to avoid having to cross the actual road. Every BTS and MRT train station, both on the elevated platform and underground, will be connected on the other side of the road, sometimes available on multiple sides at an intersection.
The locals use it every day, simply walk up or down one of the staircases of a station, and come back up on the other side, safe and stress-free. Do not worry, they do not charge you money to do so, unless, in some cases, for MRT, the side you wish to cross to may be on the other side of the gate. In that case, the pedestrian crossing at the intersection should have a crossing light.
Ask a Building Security for Help
There are a lot of security guards in front of buildings and condominiums, whose job is to help cars get in and out of the building. You may kindly ask them for help. In most cases, they will have a red flag pole in their hands or a glowing stick that can be used to signal for a stop.
Thai people are kind, and they will be willing to help you; sometimes they even do it without being asked to. In fact, you can see this happen often in residential streets where there are a lot of condominiums.
Note: Some hand gestures might be needed if they do not understand English, but most should be able to get the basic words. Kindly bow to them and say thank you, or even better, to tip them for it to make their day; they will not expect or demand money.
Follow the Local
An obvious one, but also an important one. Be patient and do not cross if the locals do not cross. Do not be the brave one; the local most likely knows best when you are safest to do so, if they wait, you wait.
The Closing
We hope this article will help you on your trip to Bangkok, as we have often seen people struggling to cross the road here. Keep in mind that the tips and how-to guides are a mere basic guide and not an instruction or the law, and you should always approach them with caution, while taking into consideration the unique scenario at the time you are crossing.
Be safe and enjoy your trip,
Travel Tegami