Just looking at those photos in the OP I can see how much it is helping the over crowded road.

I drove along by Kaset today and all the no parking signs were up on the pavement. No one was parking. So it was full of stopped taxis with their engines running, vendors had their stalls out there, etc.

ouch hadn't figured that in. I guess that is where the tea money will come from.

In any other country they would block out the number plates of the car being towed away when they show a photo in the newspaper.

Are parked cars really the cause of traffic chaos and traffic jams?

I think often the answer lies with the cops not being able to think. An example is on Petchaburi road where on the inbound lane there is a traffic light for cars turning right into Soi Soonvijai. Just around the corner is a railway crossing. I have seen cops turn the lights on green just as the barriers go down to stop the cars. The cars then queue up and block Petchaburi Road on the outbound lane.

Another typical example is seen in the attached photo.