No Parking?

[eek]

I am concerned about doing a direct translation and want to know what is the best/correct wording.

I have rented a town shop/residential house and people keep parking outside the entrances (side entrance and front). Not sure if it is neighbours or people using businesses nearby etc, or both. I dont know how to word a sign requesting people not to park there. Should it be formal/strict "ห้าม", or more of a request "ขอ"?

Thank you for any help in this!

Edited February 19, 2010 by eek

[bhoydy]

The signs i always see in the south of Thailand use ห้าม usually like ห้ามจอดรถฯลฯ

[katana]

The official signs you see have ห้ามจอดตลอดเวลา - No parking at any time.

There's a story in komchadluek with pics about someone who lives in Sukhumwit Soi 31 where the Thai prime minister lives and complaining about no parking signs being continuously ignored and the police doing nothing to enforce the law. He wonders if the farang living in the soi will in time come to take Thai no parking signs to mean parking is allowed.

[eek]

Thanks guys..but its not an official sign, as such, that im talking about. Its a sign i want to make myself to put on the shop shutter doors, in the hope that people will stop using my area as a parking space. Is the wording then still the same? If thats the norm for a shop/private residence sign, then i will go with it, but wish to make sure!

[eek]

The signs i always see in the south of Thailand use ห้าม usually like ห้ามจอดรถฯลฯ

ห้ามจอดรถฯลฯ lsounds pretty good! Its ok for private shop/residence sign?

[eek]

WeII..got some heIp for an Iess formaI approach. In case it heIps anyone eIse:

กรุณาอย่าจอดรถขวางทางเข้าออก

ขอบคุณค่ะ

Not sure about using the ค่ะ though, as I wouId prefer it was neutraI..or maybe iII use ครับ ..

[anchan42]

WeII..got some heIp for an Iess formaI approach. In case it heIps anyone eIse:

กรุณาอย่าจอดรถขวางทางเข้าออก

ขอบคุณค่ะ

Not sure about using the ค่ะ though, as I wouId prefer it was neutraI..or maybe iII use ครับ ..

Formal or not formal, those signs are usually ignored. I have seen signs like that developed from a very polite request to very strong and to very rude. The most effective way to do it is to make the area unparkable. Some people place broken chair, old tire, wooden baricage, ect in addition to sign.

[Groongthep]

Formal or not formal, those signs are usually ignored. I have seen signs like that developed from a very polite request to very strong and to very rude. The most effective way to do it is to make the area unparkable. Some people place broken chair, old tire, wooden baricage, ect in addition to sign.

Anchan42 is right; any sign alone will be ignored. I suggest a very generic ห้ามจอดรถ sign along with some sort of barricade or other item that will prevent anyone from parking there. Good luck.

[Tod Daniels]

In front of my apartment gate there is a small place beside the road that is a frequent parking spot. The thai woman who manages my building even went and bought a sign which says at the bottom "by order of the Lumpini Police Station" (but obviously in thai ). That doesn't stop the people from moving the sign on its stand and parking there anyway.

Cut the polite b/s, leave out please, thank you, and just tell them straight out ห้ามจอดรถตลอดเวลา Then put something in that place which is both HEAVY and cumbersome to move should someone attempt to disregard the signage.

It has been my observation that the more difficult and/or time consuming you make it for thais to disobey, the better compliance you get out of them.

As an aside to the O/P (known as ‘eek’); I doubt a thai would even take the time to read the oh-so politely couched words on a sign like the one you mentioned, lol. .. But it certainly is politically correct ..

Edited February 22, 2010 by tod-daniels

[meadish_sweetball]

The number of shops, restaurants and other services in that area has exploded of late, which means there is not enough parking space by far; consequently, people cruising for a spot are always more or less desperate.

I agree with the posters above saying the tone of the sign is not really that important. The only thing I'd like to suggest is that the short and rude one is likely to attract comments from Thai acquaintances that it is too blunt and could be said softer, even though many signs written by Thais are equally rude.

Still, the message is just as clear, and if somebody wants to ignore it, they will do so regardless of the tone.

[SoftWater]

The number of shops, restaurants and other services in that area has exploded of late, which means there is not enough parking space by far; consequently, people cruising for a spot are always more or less desperate.

I agree with the posters above saying the tone of the sign is not really that important. The only thing I'd like to suggest is that the short and rude one is likely to attract comments from Thai acquaintances that it is too blunt and could be said softer, even though many signs written by Thais are equally rude.

Still, the message is just as clear, and if somebody wants to ignore it, they will do so regardless of the tone.

Taxi driver in my street places four rubber tyres around his 'spot'. Very effective, in exactly the way that Tod describes.

I notice that its usually his wife that comes out and moves them for him when comes home...too much of a bother even for himself, I guess!

[Finlaco]

Polite or impolite isn't going to work on it's own, so I'd go with polite and an obstacle.