Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
I don't recall anyone complaining about delays at the toll booths on Route 4 before they were dismantled. Either there's a lot more traffic on this new road or the staff are poorly trained. Perhaps both.
Scarier than malaria.
Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
Strange they didn't implement some Bakong QR code system which works for all Cambodian banks now.rogerrabbit wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 3:21 pmSunday towards Sihanoukville was totally jam packed the whole way. But still it took only bit over 2 hours on the expressway. Less traffic days it's more like 1,5 hours.Element6 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 2:58 pmI travelled back from SHV to PP on Monday afternoon. the southbound carriageway (exiting to SHV) was like this at the tolls, absolutely jammed and I think it would take a good 1 - 1.5 hours to get through. The crazy thing was that as we proceeded north there was not a very heavy flow of traffic to the south (at that time) so I dont know why the queue was so bigDoc67 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:00 pmSo this is a normal day, or because of the holiday's?mannanman wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:22 am I knew the queue would be terrible. Just go to Aeon 1 or 2 and look at how long everyone takes to take a ticket for the car park. Sometimes they have to have a guy standing there punching the big red flashing button because the locals are either too stupid or lazy to do it themselves!
Always huge lines of cars - they drive up then open the car window, realise they are too far away, then have to open the door but forget the seatbelt is on, stop to have a conversation with their wives/tarts then leave the car in gear and it moves forwards too far trapping them they then close the door and try to reverse the car back out, eventually they get their finger close enough but it just stops short of the big flashy button etc etc. Eventually they have ticket in hand but need to fasten seatbelt, put it back in gear, check themselves in the mirror, talk to wife/tart, then eventually creep forward at a speed I did not think was possible. Sooooo slooooowwww.
They need an automatic system like most countries. (Although Dartford toll was also bad when it was a stop and pay toll)
Is this to get on to the road, or get off it, and is it the same at both ends? What is the time to get through a backlog like this?
On the PP side there were only short queues - around 5 - 8 cars per lane and I got through in about 5 - 10 minutes.
When I travelled to SHV on Saturday morning there were no queues but getting through the booth was painfully slow. a slow welcome. take the card, enter in to the system, hand over money, check money, decide the $10 bill was not good enough (just dispensed from a cash machine the day before), request a new one, slowly check that. I reckon the process of payment was 3 - 5 minutes long which is way too slow for heavy traffic loads.
Good thing was that from Koh Rong Ferry port to home in Takhmao PP was exactly 2h30m - quicker than my usual weekend trip to/from Kep
Yep, it takes crazy amount of time at the toll booths. But should get better once the electronic toll gates are in operation. Then you just load credit on your card and you just tap it to get in/out. I don't know why they didn't go fully automatic with cameras that read license plates though.
To be faster on busy days, enter/exit in Tollgate #2 (Kampong Speu) and at Tollgate #7 (Stueng Hav) or Tollgate #6 (Koh Kong) to avoid the congestion at toll gates.
Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
Good point.rogerrabbit wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 4:06 pmI don't see any of those being a problem. 99% of the cars have plates. In app / machine / online you just input your plate number and transfer money / have you credit card info saved. Car owner info doesn't matter. Once you driver at toll gate, camera reads plate, check if you have balance or cc saved, if you do -> gate will open. At exit it again reads the plate, deduct money from the balance / cc and gate opens. That how it works in other countries.
Dirty plates not really problem either now days. This system works in countries with snow and slush. Heck it already even works in some condo parking facilities in Cambodia. So the technology is already in this country.
There’s a company here doing some good work with all the big companies and government bodies with APPs, for various stuff. I’m sure they can come up with an APP would integrate into the legacy systems and would be a simple user experience.
People of the world, spice up your life.
Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
Mixture of many factors. New road “gotta try it”, holidays, teething issues, previous COVID lockdowns, new staff etc etc.
People of the world, spice up your life.
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Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
Yep as mannanman says it's mix of factors.
But when comparing to Nat. Rd 4 tolls, obviously amount locals travelling now days is totally different level.
I just checked that in 2013 mere 500k local visitors visited Sihanoukville. Just in January this year there was already multiple weekends with 60k-80k visitors, and in October multiple weekends of +100k visitors.
Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
My aunt got her license. Didn’t even take a test.FrankReynolds wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:11 pm I usually don't partake in bashing the locals, but this description of driving standards is dead accurate. Spend a day driving on the highway during a national holiday and you will see things that will leave you dumbfounded. No surprise really in a country where anyone with access to a vehicle can just drive, unhindered by inconveniences such as a driving test, manual transmission, etc.
Edit to say I was replying to mannaman above.
M wife passed with 40 others where an official at the license department got done for corruption. She had her lessons after, but only because she’d paid for them.
Saying that I did the 10 theory and practical and failed both. “No problem sir. You already pay!”
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Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
I passed the theory and the practical about a year ago, no corruption involved. Standards at the test centre were high, and I didn't see any opportunity for corruption. But then, I'm not khmer.
Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
That sounds like bashing the locals!FrankReynolds wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 10:24 pm I passed the theory and the practical about a year ago, no corruption involved. Standards at the test centre were high, and I didn't see any opportunity for corruption. But then, I'm not khmer.
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Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
Haha maybe I am. Maybe I would have paid the tea money if they gave me the option to take a shortcut.
BTW, the foreigner testing centre is different to the place khmers go to.
BTW, the foreigner testing centre is different to the place khmers go to.
Re: Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway - Now Open
Got mine a way ago before it got “cleaned up” and was at the old place.FrankReynolds wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:32 pm Haha maybe I am. Maybe I would have paid the tea money if they gave me the option to take a shortcut.
BTW, the foreigner testing centre is different to the place khmers go to.
People of the world, spice up your life.
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