Parking Chaos in Pattaya Ignites Local Outrage Over Vanishing Pavements

[snoop1130]

Pictures courtesy of Pattaya Mail

 

Pattaya's residents are at their wits' end as pavements across the city are being swallowed by illegally parked cars and motorbikes. With footpaths resembling more a dealership than a walkway, community members are decrying the lax enforcement that has emboldened this unruly behaviour.

 

The pervasive issue sees rental and personal vehicles occupying pedestrian spaces at will, leaving the elderly, children, and disabled to navigate dangerous streets. Zebra crossings and intersections are no longer immune to the invasion of parked vehicles, fuelling frustration among locals who witness these daily violations.

 

One exasperated resident questioned, "Why do authorities wait until people are caught breaking the rules? The city would be more orderly if everyone followed the rules." The sentiment echoes widely, as many point out the scant action from traffic police and city officials, which they believe condones the unlawful parking culture.

 

 

 

Online images starkly illustrate the chaos: rental motorbikes lined up tightly along sidewalks and cars blatantly parked on pedestrian crossings in broad daylight. These visuals have intensified calls for a decisive crackdown on parking violations to restore urban order and prevent potential accidents.

 

Pattaya's ambition to maintain its reputation as a tourist-friendly destination is at stake, with citizens urging enforcement through fines, vehicle towing, and holding law-breaking operators accountable. As the clamor for change grows, Pattaya officials are under pressure to address the rampant parking abuse and reclaim the city's walkways for their intended use.

 

The question remains whether local authorities will respond by implementing robust measures or continue to overlook the problem, allowing pavements to stay buried beneath wheels. For now, the residents await action and hope for a safer, more navigable city, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-04-01

 

 

[Pouatchee]

hmm.... have they fixed the illegal vendor stall problems yet?

 

illegally parked vehicles + illegal hawker stalls = no more sidewalks

[scubascuba3]

I don't see the problem, they need places to park

[Tropicalevo]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"Why do authorities wait until people are caught breaking the rules? The city would be more orderly if everyone followed the rules."

There is the question and the answer.

No one in Thailand follows the rules.

The easy option is to blame the authorities, but it is the people who break the rules.

You, me, AN posters, everyone.

[jacko45k]

11 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I don't see the problem, they need places to park

Not the job of the police to allocate parking spaces, just stop folks parking where they shouldn't. I was thinking if anything, more areas should be allocated as no parking, like the side of the road along Klang.

[mikebell]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

community members are decrying the lax enforcement that has emboldened this unruly behaviour.

 

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"Why do authorities wait until people are caught breaking the rules?

 

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

the scant action from traffic police and city officials,

And all because RTP in Pattaya are non-existent.  Lax law enforcement is responsible for the majority of the daily road deaths/injuries.

[Ralf001]

8 minutes ago, mikebell said:

 

 

And all because RTP in Pattaya are non-existent.  

 

In the OP, there is 3 in the picture.

[mikebell]

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

 

In the OP, there is 3 in the picture.

It's an old picture from the last time they had a crackdown.

[Dionigi]

car parks - public toilets - car parks - public toilets - - - -

[newbee2022]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Pictures courtesy of Pattaya Mail

 

Pattaya's residents are at their wits' end as pavements across the city are being swallowed by illegally parked cars and motorbikes. With footpaths resembling more a dealership than a walkway, community members are decrying the lax enforcement that has emboldened this unruly behaviour.

 

The pervasive issue sees rental and personal vehicles occupying pedestrian spaces at will, leaving the elderly, children, and disabled to navigate dangerous streets. Zebra crossings and intersections are no longer immune to the invasion of parked vehicles, fuelling frustration among locals who witness these daily violations.

 

One exasperated resident questioned, "Why do authorities wait until people are caught breaking the rules? The city would be more orderly if everyone followed the rules." The sentiment echoes widely, as many point out the scant action from traffic police and city officials, which they believe condones the unlawful parking culture.

 

 

 

Online images starkly illustrate the chaos: rental motorbikes lined up tightly along sidewalks and cars blatantly parked on pedestrian crossings in broad daylight. These visuals have intensified calls for a decisive crackdown on parking violations to restore urban order and prevent potential accidents.

 

Pattaya's ambition to maintain its reputation as a tourist-friendly destination is at stake, with citizens urging enforcement through fines, vehicle towing, and holding law-breaking operators accountable. As the clamor for change grows, Pattaya officials are under pressure to address the rampant parking abuse and reclaim the city's walkways for their intended use.

 

The question remains whether local authorities will respond by implementing robust measures or continue to overlook the problem, allowing pavements to stay buried beneath wheels. For now, the residents await action and hope for a safer, more navigable city, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-04-01

 

 

Excellent job to be done by RTP and towing companies

[Lenthai]

traffic in Pattaya is a mess day and night

[JJ-Thailand]

Pavements in Thailand are definitely not for pedestrians but for illegal parking and vendor stalls.

[Watawattana]

If rules are in place and nobody enforces them, then there are no rules.  It's like telling a child they shouldn't do something, then doing nothing when they go right ahead and do it; no way I'd blame the child.

 

I'm really surprised there is no enforcement though, it is very easy tea money for the authorities, sitting right there in front of them.  That's how it is in most countries; an easy source of regular income, just like speed cameras.

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I don't see the problem, they need places to park

Sarcasm I hope.

[CallumWK]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I was thinking if anything, more areas should be allocated as no parking, like the side of the road along Klang.

 

You mean like amplifying the problem?

I don't see anything wrong with the parking on pattaya klang, as they are clearly marked as parking zones, and they don't obstruct with the 2 lanes each direction

[portisaacozzy]

2 hours ago, Dionigi said:

car parks - public toilets - car parks - public toilets - - - -

you can park in public toilets ?????

[twizzian]

A Purge is not an Enforcement.

It’s all temporarily a long time solution. Temporarily of course!

[Guderian]

I'm not sure how much it costs to get a motorbike or car released from a police compound these days, but I think a decade or so ago a car was costing around 3K Baht, or that's what someone told me. I assume all the proceeds go into the RTP bank account, no doubt after appropriate deductions for expenses by the local cop bigwigs, so you'd think they'd be on this problem like flies around a jam jar, it's almost a license to print money. Or is it really that much more work and effort than their usual games to raise funds that they aren't terribly interested?

[black tabby12345]

 

City are being swallowed by illegally parked cars and motorbikes.

 

Pretty common phenomenon in this kingdom.

Not limited to Pattaya.

When police crack down on that, they only target shiny brand new/high brand cars.

Highly unlikely to spot any old battered vehicles.

I know one such car(the latter)  parked on the same spot of the road in my neighborhood for ages..

Have never seen any cops put a  parking violation sticker on that...

 

[lordgrinz]

3 hours ago, JJ-Thailand said:

Pavements in Thailand are definitely not for pedestrians but for illegal parking and vendor stalls.

 

God forbid you are handicapped, the locals consider them less than human, lacking any right to passage.

[digger70]

Parking Chaos in Pattaya Ignites Local Outrage Over Vanishing Pavements 

 

Get some cheap spray paint cans, If they park on the footpath give the vehicle some srpay, They soon park the vehicles somewhere else next time .  🙏

[PETERTHEEATER]

18 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I don't see the problem, they need places to park

Then set up a Park and Ride outside the city and issue and enforce resident permits.

[Dionigi]

3 hours ago, portisaacozzy said:

you can park in public toilets ?????

Thai people can, they park everywhere else. I have said that many times that Pattaya is in need of car parks and public toilets it just runs through my head like a mantra

[Pompeygeezer]

I wonder if that is local Thais or local foreigners?  Because Thais don't do walking and surprised they would even notice or complain about it, as probably doesn't affect them.  And the main reason cars and motorbikes are parked on pavements is because Thais won't walk anywhere. So, they have to be literally one step away from where ever they're going.   

[newnative]

8 hours ago, Watawattana said:

If rules are in place and nobody enforces them, then there are no rules.  It's like telling a child they shouldn't do something, then doing nothing when they go right ahead and do it; no way I'd blame the child.

 

I'm really surprised there is no enforcement though, it is very easy tea money for the authorities, sitting right there in front of them.  That's how it is in most countries; an easy source of regular income, just like speed cameras.

     Agree.  Pattaya needs a dedicated crew of city workers focused solely on parking enforcement.  We used to call them 'meter maids'--in the days when flight attendants were still called 'stewardesses'.   Whatever the name, the fines collected should easily pay their salaries while improving things both for walkers and those in vehicles.  

[watchcat]

On 4/1/2025 at 11:49 AM, scubascuba3 said:

I don't see the problem, they need places to park

 

On the sidewalks?

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, watchcat said:

 

On the sidewalks?

where they park on the sidewalks it's usually wide such as outside Kasikorn. I can't see a problem, except it's breaking the law and the clipboard warriors come out, if there was enough parking they wouldn't go on the pavement 

[jacko45k]

19 hours ago, CallumWK said:

 

You mean like amplifying the problem?

I don't see anything wrong with the parking on pattaya klang, as they are clearly marked as parking zones, and they don't obstruct with the 2 lanes each direction

No, what I am saying is the problem is not as much parking and lack of it, just the amount of traffic. Traffic on Klang moves so slowly and is partly due to  it being a  reduced number of lanes, often close to a junction where a turn lane would be useful. You actually think people struggling to park in a gap on Klang helps traffic to move? North Rd has the same issues.  Coordination of lights might be helpful too. 

[ross163103]

23 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The city would be more orderly if everyone followed the rules."

555555, like that's going to happen!

[sabai-dee-man]

On 4/2/2025 at 3:41 AM, Watawattana said:

I'm really surprised there is no enforcement though, it is very easy tea money for the authorities, sitting right there in front of them.  That's how it is in most countries; an easy source of regular income, just like speed cameras.

 

Because it means actually having to police... and that's out of the question for the majority in Thailand. That job's not about policing, it's about personal income.