There Is No Low Season For Traffic Now

[morrobay]

In various threads there have been comments like traffic is really heavy today. Well its heavy every day now. I dont understand why , are half these people just driving around in circles all day ?

Then all the buses, minivans , taxis , baht buses, service vehicles and other cars plus major increase in motorbikes

have completely overloaded the roads. I know this is sort of a "what else is new ' topic but it is out of hand now.

Edited June 4, 2015 by morrobay

[StefanBBK]

Understand your frustration. In my area I can help it by driving at certain tomes when there is less traffic.

[vento]

Naklua in the Night time is a mess due to a Big amount if busses. And often empty :/ not sure if its been Like This always. But then again. Nothing conpared to bkk

[longstebe]

Must admit, them bloody buses are getting worse. Most of them heading to the floating market and Nong Nooch. They must have hired x mini van drivers.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I have to agree. From last Sunday to yesterday, I asked myself where is everyone coming from, where are they going. Sunday and Monday, 3rd Rd. and Sukhumvit northbound were packed day and night. I know because I have to cross over from the Darkside. While it's hard to imagine, I think there are even more buses in already overcrowded streets. Low season?

As I witnessed recently in three separate arrivals at Suvarnabhumi, there were more Chinese and Korean tour groups than I have ever seen before. Some go to Pattaya. I've seen more of these nationalities on the Bangkok-Pattaya buses, which I take 2-3 times a month, and on the airport-Jomtien buses. I think we're looking at the situation getting worse. If that's possible.

Throw in the Sukhumvit traffic clusterfxxx.

I've said it before, my days in Pattaya are numbered. I will be out of here this summer.

[ThaiBob]

I dread the weekends and long public holidays but mid week traffic is a breeze for me as I understand the Sukumwit construction traffic hazards and when and when not to travel. Going to Villa, Foodland, Makro is easy for me.

[thrilled]

People are traveling more and more.It's going to get worse before it gets better.Nothing that you can do about it.Maybe move that's it.

[thailandforumaddict]

In 5 years this city is dead. Imagine when thousands people will land at Utapao everyday...

[Gsxrnz]

The answers are:

1.Unprecedented number of of Chinese tour busses clogging the place up. They park everywhere and cause mayhem when they're moving. They cause slightly less mayhem when they're stationary, but still block up lanes because they park where they feel like it.

2. Increased number of Thais that bought cars with their tax subsidy over the last few years that now drive cars rather than scooters.

3. Bangkokians discovered Pattaya as a holiday resort in the floods 4 years ago and the bawstards keep coming back in the weekends, especially the prats that bought a tax subsidised car.

4. The few remaining Russians that grace us with their rubbles and an alarming number of Chinese have discovered that it's actually cheap to hire a scooter to get around, especially when they make their savings by buying 28B beer at the 7/11 rather than parking their arse on a barstool and pay 60B. Ok, I know the Chinese aren't going to buy beer anywhere - frankly, I dunno why they come here at all. Maybe it's for the scenery?

5. The roadworks around the new tunnel (scoff, scoff) have tended to cock up the entire traffic flow along Suk, Tai, Nua, Klang and the darkside, thus perpetuating points 1 thru 4 above.

Although yesterday I cruised from Klang to Jomtien via Beach Road in the truck at 3pm in an unprecedented record time, so maybe I'm wrong.

[pegman]

The chinese tours are coming in force. I went last nite to meet sweetie finishing work at her Pattaya Tai spa @ 11pm. There were still 12 tour buses for chinese tourists in the parking lot. This place is changing quickly.

[americansiam]

There was some kind of poll taken in China of which country Chinese would like to visit and Thailand was one of them. The article stated if you take 5% of the population that can visit Thailand, that is a huge amount of Chinese visitors. There was also a news segment on BBC a couple weeks ago stating how Chinese corporations will send their company employees (group company tours) to Thailand and the two cities in the "package" for a 1 week visit is Bangkok and Pattaya. So with the drop of Westerners and the Russians, there is no let up with the traffic ...or Chinese group tours.

[craigt3365]

It was a 3 day weekend. Again. So lots of people in from Bangkok. A few weeks ago, on that extra long holiday weekend, my friend said it took 5 hours from his home to Bang Saray. Normally, it's 2.5 hours.

I've only been here 5 years or so, but I think the traffic has maybe doubled since then. Especially traffic from Bangkok. Maybe thanks to the floods, the first car rebate, etc? Also, Pattaya is a very popular place with folk from Bangkok on the weekends/holidays.

As for the buses....grrrrrrr....

[gk10002000]

It has been that way since about 2008 I would say. More people hanging around the Pattaya area. I suspect any city that has any infrastructure throughout Thailand will report the same thing. Opportunities are scarce so they overload any area that has anything.

I do miss what used to be the Low Season. The traffic was basically non-existent.

[gk10002000]

It was a 3 day weekend. Again. So lots of people in from Bangkok. A few weeks ago, on that extra long holiday weekend, my friend said it took 5 hours from his home to Bang Saray. Normally, it's 2.5 hours.

I've only been here 5 years or so, but I think the traffic has maybe doubled since then. Especially traffic from Bangkok. Maybe thanks to the floods, the first car rebate, etc? Also, Pattaya is a very popular place with folk from Bangkok on the weekends/holidays.

As for the buses....grrrrrrr....

I think the Floods were a big factor. People fled to a city that had some size and facilities.

[William Osborne]

Bad enough with a scooter but I never take out the truck now unless i am moving something or going out of town...

Just with the new roadworks on Suk, it is extra 4 KM coming from Darkside so enough to put you off..

To cap it all, all this high-rises going up. eg. those 2 monstrosities between 2nd rd and Soi Bokhaoi ...how many of these occupants are going to have cars/ bikes !!

[ttthailand]

Its the Chinese tour buses and Thais who live outside Tourist areas who are now packing the streets.

With China having problems with most Asian countries now due to the conflicts over land and water rights in the South China Sea I think most Chinese are no longer welcome in those countries. Thailand like always stays in the middle and has now become one of the few places left who want the Chinese. Thus, expect many more to come in the future. It's going to get worse so better learn to live with it or start looking for new home.

[balo]

I agree it's thanks to the Chinese tourist groups its so busy in Pattaya every day now. But why do I always end up in a queue passing Big C sukhumvit and down pattaya tai, night or day same same.

Edited June 5, 2015 by balo

[gk10002000]

Bad enough with a scooter but I never take out the truck now unless i am moving something or going out of town...

Just with the new roadworks on Suk, it is extra 4 KM coming from Darkside so enough to put you off..

To cap it all, all this high-rises going up. eg. those 2 monstrosities between 2nd rd and Soi Bokhaoi ...how many of these occupants are going to have cars/ bikes !!

Yep. The number of "residences" has skyrocketed since I first came in 2004. And just like any city it has outgrown its infrastructure. Exactly where are you going to park your car or bike? Every stinking vacant lot has a building going up on it. No more quaint little Pattaya with a fun mix of night life. Much harder to relax there now. Never a moment of silence