Pattaya tourism boom leads to a traffic nightmare

[webfact]

Thepprasit Road in Pattaya.

 

by Sara

As tourism in Pattaya continues to recover at an incredible pace, the city is faced with a downside – heavy traffic. Two significant bottlenecks were observed this month: one on Thepprasit Road, close to the Kaan and Colosseum theatres, and another on Second Road close to the South Road intersection.

 

Additionally, areas such as Soi Regional Land in south Pattaya experience enormous traffic queues, especially during afternoons and early evenings. Major sois connecting the so-called Dark Side with Pattaya City also face the same issues.

City Hall has placed the blame on road repair companies for not honouring contract dates, and these firms, in return, criticise electricity and water companies due to lack of cooperation. The resurgence of large coaches and the growth of U-Tapao Airport are contributing factors, while Beach Road continues to be dug up with no completion in sight. According to meteorologists, the daily smog is due to crop waste burning both nationally and internationally, though emissions from the traffic certainly raise health concerns.

Despite plans to increase international tourist numbers in Thailand to 80 million by the end of the decade – with projections for 2023 being around 20-25 million – it seems no authorities are worried about the environmental consequences. With a General Election on the horizon, no party appears to be addressing these issues. Unfortunately, the more congested and polluted the city becomes, the less likely international visitors will want to return.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/pattaya/pattaya-tourism-rebounds-but-heavy-traffic-dampens-spirits

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-04-26

 

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[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, webfact said:

City Hall has placed the blame on road repair companies for not honouring contract dates, and these firms, in return, criticise electricity and water companies due to lack of cooperation.

It is their job to manage and control them. The fact they are often 'buddies' makes it unlikely they will be firm with them.

[ezzra]

And what making the situation worse are the road works everywhere that seems to Strach for years and never finish and you hardly see anyone workers on the sites there.

[petermik]

40 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

It is their job to manage and control them. The fact they are often 'buddies' makes it unlikely they will be firm with them.

That involves planning and they aint too good a that here.........

[KhunBENQ]

13 minutes ago, ezzra said:

And what making the situation worse are the road works everywhere

Exactly the case at Thepprasit rd at Kaan Theater.
Had the pleasure to experience that. And that was in mid March.

Endless digging on 2nd rd seems to go on?

 

And even if all is finished (by theory): this place will always be plagued by traffic chaos and congestion. It's just too much for the road network.

Build more monstrous towers and things will get worse.

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

City Hall has placed the blame on road repair companies for not honouring contract dates, and these firms, in return, criticise electricity and water companies due to lack of cooperation. The resurgence of large coaches and the growth of U-Tapao Airport are contributing factors, while Beach Road continues to be dug up with no completion in sight. According to meteorologists, the daily smog is due to crop waste burning both nationally and internationally, though emissions from the traffic certainly raise health concerns.

All in all a bit of a mess then?

[Goat]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Unfortunately, the more congested and polluted the city becomes, the less likely international visitors will want to return.

 

Proven to be wrong.

 

More people precovid were visiting Bangkok and Pattaya year after year.

 

Desperate lonely men from around the world are going to miss out on buying their love fix because of a bit of traffic in sois that dont really matter to tourists do you? Pattaya's main attraction for tourism is the hookers. Most of the mongers stay in town and just songteow between soi sex, Walking Street and Buakeow.

[BigStar]

49 minutes ago, Goat said:

Pattaya's main attraction for tourism is the hookers.

Mongers, a dying breed, too skint, low sperm counts, effeminate, wa****g to porn in their council estates. And the hookup sites have made things so easy back home. Soi 6 doing rather poorly compared to the good old days.

 

Have you noticed no other tourists about?

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by BigStar

[brucegoniners]

Exactly.

 

Just yesterday there was an article about tourism being light. Now it's a boom? Make up your minds guys.

[jcmj]

It has nothing to do with more tourists. It is all about the roads being dug up all around town and not finishing the jobs. They are just trying to find someone to blame besides themselves and the contractors. 

[bignok]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Despite plans to increase international tourist numbers in Thailand to 80 million

Yeah sure. Not with silly visa exemptions and alcohol limits.

[Banana7]

It's always someone else's fault for terrible service or not completing the job, except Pattaya City Hall staff.

 

It's always Pattaya City Hall staff's responsibility to get the job done right the first time, on budget and on time. They hold the money!

 

The contract needs to be written with progress payments only upon satisfactory inspection by qualified City Hall Staff, penalty clauses for not meeting schedule and quality, clear and complete specifications for quality of work and materials, and a large payment holdback amount (like 30%) until the job is completed to contract specifications. Also an escape clause for the City, if job not done right, on time on budget and on quality, City doesn't have to pay and can hire another contract to complete the job. This is way civil engineer contracts or Public works contracts are written in the Western countries.

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Banana7

[jacko45k]

18 minutes ago, brucegoniners said:

Exactly.

 

Just yesterday there was an article about tourism being light. Now it's a boom? Make up your minds guys.

Yes, and these tourists are all bringing vehicles with them!

[Cake Monster]

Maybe, a modern forward thinking Authority would have a plan for an out of Town Shopping Complex, with all the cinemas Etc sited within it.

Or ! Even some kind of " park and ride " scheme to reduce the Traffic, Pollution and Noise, thus making life a whole lot better for residents living within the City, and a much more Commercially viable place for Business.

[BigStar]

13 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

Maybe, a modern forward thinking Authority would have a plan for an out of Town Shopping Complex, with all the cinemas Etc sited within it.

Like this attempt in Jomtien? Whoops.

 

No thanks. I like T21, Central, etc. just where they are and so do most tourists.

 

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, brucegoniners said:

Exactly.

 

Just yesterday there was an article about tourism being light. Now it's a boom? Make up your minds guys.

I wouldn’t call it a boom. Saw way more tourists in the past, even 22 years ago when I went there for the first time. Few families, good number of Russian couples and solo travellers, groups of Indians, small tour groups from China, couple of Africans, and lots of, mostly older, single Westerners...

Edited April 26, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[DudleySquat]

1 hour ago, brucegoniners said:

Exactly.

 

Just yesterday there was an article about tourism being light. Now it's a boom? Make up your minds guys.

That was my observation. 

[ozimoron]

2 hours ago, jcmj said:

It has nothing to do with more tourists. It is all about the roads being dug up all around town and not finishing the jobs. They are just trying to find someone to blame besides themselves and the contractors. 

Nope, most of the roads aren't dug up. The traffic really is heavy.

[bkk6060]

Seems there are still those hanger ons who will say no one is coming it is all made up.

The place is jam packed traffic worse then 4 years ago.   If a person is not here, they are totally clueless.

[bradiston]

This has to point to domestic tourism. Day trippers from Bangkok. Clogging up OUR roads. Have they paid 300 THB?

[EVENKEEL]

That short rain squall last monday almost shutdown Suk in S Pattaya. 4 lanes down to one lane because of flooding.

[n8sail]

19 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

Maybe, a modern forward thinking Authority would have a plan for an out of Town Shopping Complex, with all the cinemas Etc sited within it.

Or ! Even some kind of " park and ride " scheme to reduce the Traffic, Pollution and Noise, thus making life a whole lot better for residents living within the City, and a much more Commercially viable place for Business.

They are building an Icon Siam mall next to Ocean Marina in Na Jomtien.  The new highway exits literally right there.  The pilings are being driven as I type.

 

As I live right there, I'm half excited, half terrified.  Walking to the mall will be nice.   The marina will get a lot more busy though.

When they finally finish all the flyovers on Sukhumvit in that area traffic will be far better.

 

Just be happy you guys don't live in Rayong.  The house I lived in there for 7 years had construction on literally every single road in every direction from it for more than 5 years.  It was absolute hell.  They are STILL working on one of the intersections, literally 4 years now.  It is an absolute embarrassment. 

[BigStar]

22 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Saw way more tourists in the past, even 22 years ago when I went there for the first time.

Not 22 years ago, you didn't. If you remembered that time, you'd certainly remember the Germans, quite a large group then--relatively speaking.

 

Pattaya was much, much smaller then. What you observed was merely a concentration of far fewer tourists. As Pattaya grew rapidly, the same number or more tourists spread out over a larger area, leading to PATTAYA DEATH pronouncements and obituaries from disgruntled members needing the excitement of seeing most barstools occupied.

 

And the traffic was of course far lighter then. Nights would see a bottleneck at the Beach Rd./S. Pattaya turn, and the Alcazar/Tiffany shows attracted tour buses, along with Mike's shopping mall. Certainly nothing like today. The modern traffic snarl started after the completion of Central Festival.

[Cake Monster]

23 hours ago, BigStar said:

Like this attempt in Jomtien? Whoops.

 

No thanks. I like T21, Central, etc. just where they are and so do most tourists.

 

As the Tourists are provided with no alternatives, I guess they have to like it.

T21 Etc all sited well for the Local Community, but no consideration given to Tourists visiting the City from maybe BKK, who will have driven down

[BigStar]

3 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

As the Tourists are provided with no alternatives, I guess they have to like it.

T21 Etc all sited well for the Local Community, but no consideration given to Tourists visiting the City from maybe BKK, who will have driven down

No. Tourists drive from BKK, turn into Pattaya Nua and straight to the T21 parking lot. Central, tourists turn into Klang, turn left, and go right into the Central parking lot. Extremely convenient, with great views from the malls-on-the-beach; the locations were chosen for just that reason. In those locations, the malls have become a big part of the attraction of Pattaya for domestic and non-monger international tourists. You don't mess with success.

[jacko45k]

19 hours ago, n8sail said:

Just be happy you guys don't live in Rayong.  The house I lived in there for 7 years had construction on literally every single road in every direction from it for more than 5 years.  It was absolute hell.  They are STILL working on one of the intersections, literally 4 years now.  It is an absolute embarrassment. 

They do it in Pattaya too, probably to more severe effect. The madness is that it gets done at the same time. They decided to dig up Sukhumvit in 3 places at the same time as putting drains in the Railway line Bypass... (when will that latter project ever end,) so heading into town from the North was painful. Got the motorway I suppose......

[morrobay]

On 4/26/2023 at 2:46 PM, brucegoniners said:

Exactly.

 

Just yesterday there was an article about tourism being light. Now it's a boom? Make up your minds guys.

April is starting low season for tourism. Have a look at who all are causing the traffic jams, it's Thais in these cars not tourists. There also has been major increase in motorbikes here. Again with Thai drivers. Then combined with endless roadwork is the traffic mess. 

 

[daveAustin]

Traffic was a nightmare when the place was quiet. Please keep all those quality tourists there ????

Btw did anyone pick up some super cheap condos during covid?

[EVENKEEL]

The traffic is what keeps me from popping into Pattaya for a few hours on a whim. Just like going to the malls, if you go past noon parking becomes a dilemma.

[jacko45k]

21 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

The traffic is what keeps me from popping into Pattaya for a few hours on a whim. Just like going to the malls, if you go past noon parking becomes a dilemma.

Yeah me too.... I didn't think much of it a decade or so ago. Combination of factors, I feel older and less motivated,  less safe on the motorcycle and the truck is too big , more traffic, don't like driving here.