Everyone has seen this. It's when shop owners put traffic cones (witches hats) or other objects on the strip of road outside their shops to prevent just anyone from parking there.

Does anyone know the law here? I would have assumed that since in urban areas the road outside your property is not your property you have no right to control access to it (other than parking your own vehicle there, which nobody can argue with).

I didn't post this in the legal forum (yet) Thought I might have more chance of hearing some personal experiences here.

Well just maybe a large truck is coming to deliver something but anyway go ahead and park there they can always lift the 5 tonnes of bricks over your car!

I have no problem with it, don't see it as a problem, don't care what the legalities of it are either.

I doubt the law will help. Park in those places and you get yelled at or if you leave your car there and walk off you might find your car has acquired a few scratches on your return. Late last Saturday afternoon we were looking to park near a local market and almost every parking space in the streets nearby in front of various shops was 'reserved' but empty. Luckily I'm not the sort of person who just has to park right out the front of where I want to shop. If you had some sort of traffic police you could rely on to enforce the law then a 30-60 minute time limit for parking outside retail shops or have some spots reserved for commercial registered vehicles only, would work a lot better but this is Thailand.

I can see plenty of reasonable circumstances where someone would want to reserve a space in front of their shop for a period of time, but reserving it all day just in case they might need it is not one of them. You can imagine the parking nightmare if every shop in Thailand did this.

Since it doesn't seem to be lawful to reserve the road, then I guess it's just a risk reward equation. e.g. the plate of somtum I just downed was more than my insides could handle and I'm 60 seconds away from taking a dump in the front seat vs. the possible retaliation by the shop owner

Anyone have a story to tell?

If You Watch they the Traders don't park their own vehicles, its for deliveries mainly, not that its anyone elses businesses.

I can see plenty of reasonable circumstances where someone would want to reserve a space in front of their shop for a period of time, but reserving it all day just in case they might need it is not one of them. You can imagine the parking nightmare if every shop in Thailand did this.

Since it doesn't seem to be lawful to reserve the road, then I guess it's just a risk reward equation. e.g. the plate of somtum I just downed was more than my insides could handle and I'm 60 seconds away from taking a dump in the front seat vs. the possible retaliation by the shop owner

Anyone have a story to tell?

Yes, learn to speak Thai,pull in and tell the Shop Keep 5 Mins O.K. Never fails.

What's the point OP? Don't have enough battles to fight in your life? Must be good to be you.. Otherwise nothing new here move on, fight the battles you can win.

Around the main Rangsit market and other smaller markets in the area there are plenty of shops that do this and most of the time there aren't even any vehicles parked in the spots they are reserving. The result is an already congested area with a large chunk of parking off limits to the general public. There are some public off street parking areas which are inexpensive but they're often full so you waste time driving round in circles to find a parking spot, passing all these empty bays. I understand they need to get stock in but it would be a lot easier for everyone if they designated a few permanent bays for this rather than prevent everyone else parking for the sake of a few deliveries. It's annoying but it's not a fight you're ever going to win. The walk from your car will do you good... provided you don't get hit by a speeding moto or trip over a hole in the pavement...

If the police aren't bothered by this practice, you shouldn't be either.

jai yen ,

literally translates as “cool heart“. Good to keep in mind during tense situations, it highlights Thai culture’s emphasis on staying cool and composed. In a deeper sense, jai yen can be a powerful idea to live by.

Around the main Rangsit market and other smaller markets in the area there are plenty of shops that do this and most of the time there aren't even any vehicles parked in the spots they are reserving. The result is an already congested area with a large chunk of parking off limits to the general public. There are some public off street parking areas which are inexpensive but they're often full so you waste time driving round in circles to find a parking spot, passing all these empty bays. I understand they need to get stock in but it would be a lot easier for everyone if they designated a few permanent bays for this rather than prevent everyone else parking for the sake of a few deliveries. It's annoying but it's not a fight you're ever going to win. The walk from your car will do you good... provided you don't get hit by a speeding moto or trip over a hole in the pavement...

Thanks for sharing your story.

It's standard here for the shop owners to rent the pavement area in front of their shops. I don't know the legality but it is the done thing. Street vendors will approach the shop owner seeking permission to use the space. A deal is usually worked out with the vendor to pay rent which sometimes includes the shop owner providing electrical power or water supply.

The shop owner doesn't control the street area however if the shop owner uses the shop for car parking its common for them to reserve the space for vehicle access.

Then you also have shop owners who think the street area in front is for customer parking. Any non customer parking gets a rude reception from that shop owner.

Just to add. As someone who has operated shops in high traffic areas it was common to reserve parking areas in front of the shop when deliveries were expected. A lot of times traffic was too heavy to allow delivery vehicles double parking while unloading. It also prevents damage to cars parked in that access area.

I used to use this parts shop downtown a lot and they reserved a space outside of their shop as the small one way soi they were on never had any customer space since it was shops and apartments so spaces filled all day and no street parking for miles, They reserved the space for their customers, seems reasonable to me and I always had a space which would've been a huge problem without.