Etiquette and good manners on the road

[Dougal]

I was quite surprised that noone picked up on the report from 2Wheels in North Thailand section "Escape from Chiang Mai".

"Took the track right and 9kms along I spotted this 'welcome' painted onto the road. It turns out that the 'message' is directed at us Farang riders, some of whom speed through small villages which annoys the locals. They are not impressed. Maybe they have a valid point too."

My question is: What is the accepted etiquette and good manners when riding through or past local communities?
And I mean this from the Thai perspective not Farang.

When riding through villages I reduce speed to 60 - 80kph and less if there is a market and/or acute bends. I also try to keep the engine speed gentle to minimise exhaust noise. Maybe not enough?

If I stop I always try to be polite and not too loud or boisterous.

I am referring to on-road but I guess its just as important off-road.

Looking for guidance from you long term members.

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[scotty007]

I also like to go through villages reasonably slowly and as quietly as possible, keeping in mind that they are always dangers with dogs and children and goodness knows what else! I do have a noisy bike so I keeps my revs down.

 

[beattheswiss]

Hey Peter, thanks for making this point. I think we can all use a reminder to be more respectful to the communities we ride through. This is so easy to forget as we enjoy the thrills of riding! I usually also slow down to ~60-80 km/h, but frankly, that has more to do with the dangers that lurk in villages.

When I do ride slowly and (almost) silently, I actually notice children and grown-ups admiring the passing bike. I get a kick out of their friendly reactions when I wave at them...

Let's all remember this discussion as we head into the fresh riding season!

 

[Bert on the bike]

Douglas

I could not agree more with you. It is not only the dogs and chicken which burst on to the road at the most impossible times but also the (playing) children. You can not be careful enough and even 80 km/h is fast.

Like other reactions say when you drive slow you can enjoy the reactions of the village population on something they not see too often and you can react if necessary to unexpected events.

Drive slow, enjoy the village environment and population, a village is not a racetrack. I think all riders longer in Thailand can agree on that.

 

[Dougal]

Thanks for the input guys.

It was a bit of a shock to me to see something like that painted on the road. I would feel really uncomfortable riding past communities thinking they all have that opinion of us.

As you said, the riding season is here and I personaly will try to be respectful to the local communities.