Hooray! Chiang Mai effectively cracking down on street-parking violations.

[Bruce404]

Hooray! It is nice now to see the police in Chiang Mai enforcing parking rules by effectively cracking down on illegal parking in no-parking zones, where curbs are marked with red-and-white or orange-and-white stripes.

They are attaching steel wheel locks to the driver's-side front wheel (also known as "boots"), and pasting on the driver's window warning signs and a ticket for payment of the fine at the nearest police station. See two attached pictures taken 2015-07-09 on Suthep Road, opposite the Chiang Mai University Faculty of Medicine.

This is a welcome development to enhance traffic flow, and particularly helpful to motorbikers, for whom the "slow" left lane is often blocked by illegal parkers, and sometimes even by double-parkers whose vehicles stick even further into lanes for traffic.

[northernjohn]

Would be a bit upsetting to many people if they put one on a car or truck double parked.

[kaptainrob]

Been doing this for many years and I've seen 2 cars chained/padlocked together also. Suthep road and moat area a prime target.

[thaipod]

And for how long will this clamping last. These people never learn they park anywhere they want.

[mesquite]

And for how long will this clamping last. These people never learn they park anywhere they want.

Actually, they don't park. They just stop driving.

[FolkGuitar]

I saw a cop putting a boot on a car double parked near the wet market on Moon Muang. They really need to station a policeman in that area as well as in front of the Chiang Mai Gate market, where people regularly tripple-park! Better to keep the traffic flowing than give tickets.

[amexpat]

^ Where's the money in that?

[LarryBird]

I saw a cop putting a boot on a car double parked near the wet market on Moon Muang. They really need to station a policeman in that area as well as in front of the Chiang Mai Gate market, where people regularly tripple-park! Better to keep the traffic flowing than give tickets.

Ya, because giving tickets would have no long term effect, and wouldn't be a more cost efficient way to solve the problem!

Any more solutions to problems around the City?

[FolkGuitar]

I guess you're right. After all, giving someone a ticket for a vehicle offense usually is more than enough to stop them from ever repeating the offense again...

Oh... wait....

But as amexpat says, there is more money brought in by tickets. And here, that's the name of the game.

[LarryBird]

I guess you're right. After all, giving someone a ticket for a vehicle offense usually is more than enough to stop them from ever repeating the offense again...

Oh... wait....

I hope you don't think that's a good point! Because, it's really really bad.

Seems like you think having a dam which stops 99.9999% of the water and no dam at all are the same thing.

I guess in countries where they enforce traffic laws, they must not see any difference in traffic behavior, then in countries where there is no enforcement...

[slapout]

it would help if they would ban the parking of the for rent vehicles from public/businessparking spaces. if you dont have off street parking move or get rid of the vehicles. songtows are to be moving people around who have no personal transport, not doing a wash job, taking a nap double parked.around the moat

[chiang mai]

CM Police have been doing this for the past ten years, trust me, I know first hand!

[FolkGuitar]

I guess you're right. After all, giving someone a ticket for a vehicle offense usually is more than enough to stop them from ever repeating the offense again...

Oh... wait....

I hope you don't think that's a good point! Because, it's really really bad.

Seems like you think having a dam which stops 99.9999% of the water and no dam at all are the same thing.

I guess in countries where they enforce traffic laws, they must not see any difference in traffic behavior, then in countries where there is no enforcement...

Are you really suggesting that giving someone a parking ticket is going to stop them from parking illegally in the future?

[LarryBird]

Of course I am. Certainly not one 100% will stop, but many places have progressive tickets as well. 500 baht the first time,1500 the next, impounded, the next, etc. Again, if you don't think this changes the percentage of cars parked illegally, you really must have a problem with logic... question, if you have a parking lot with free parking, and one that charges 500 baht per day, which do you think fills up first... No clues, I think you can handle it...

Now, I will give you a bonus question, do you see how this is actually similar to the parking ticket?

[Saan]

If the business owners were prevented from claiming the parking spaces outside their premises by placing stools to block cars parking there, there might be enough space so people are not forced to park illegally.

[taotoo]

If the business owners were prevented from claiming the parking spaces outside their premises by placing stools to block cars parking there, there might be enough space so people are not forced to park illegally.

Also if there weren't parked (but unclamped) trucks blocking the no-parking signs, and no time to look for them anyway because you're trying to park without crushing lunatics on motorcys undertaking you, I wouldn't accidentally park illegally and then get clamped.

[FolkGuitar]

If the business owners were prevented from claiming the parking spaces outside their premises by placing stools to block cars parking there, there might be enough space so people are not forced to park illegally.

Frankly, I don't think even that would help very much. Many people are just too damn lazy to park a block away and walk to where they need to be... Not when they can just stop their car in the middle of the road, jump out "planning" to only spend 60 seconds in the shop, but then remember the also wanted ABC and XYZ and have to wander around the store to find it, coming out 8-10 minutes later. Most of the time it will be a Thai who has been blocked in, but he doesn't mind waiting. Or, at least, he doesn't let anyone know he minds waiting. But the drivers on the street who get stuck in the traffic jam behind the double-parked car...They are a different story. They aren't happy at all! And less happy because now that the DPcar has a boot on its tire, it isn't going anywhere for a few hours, tying up traffic for everyone on the road. Sure, the cops make their 400 baht from the driver. But nothing was done to improve the flow of traffic. And the DP driver will more than likely double-park again when he need to just 'spend 60 seconds in the shop.' 400 baht once isn't going to stop him. It will never happen to him again. At least, that's what he believes.

[northernjohn]

I saw a cop putting a boot on a car double parked near the wet market on Moon Muang. They really need to station a policeman in that area as well as in front of the Chiang Mai Gate market, where people regularly tripple-park! Better to keep the traffic flowing than give tickets.

Giving tickets is OK. Clamping them can leave the vehicle there for a lot longer. Traffic can really back up at certain times of the day and in a lot of locations.

[northernjohn]

If the business owners were prevented from claiming the parking spaces outside their premises by placing stools to block cars parking there, there might be enough space so people are not forced to park illegally.

Frankly, I don't think even that would help very much. Many people are just too damn lazy to park a block away and walk to where they need to be... Not when they can just stop their car in the middle of the road, jump out "planning" to only spend 60 seconds in the shop, but then remember the also wanted ABC and XYZ and have to wander around the store to find it, coming out 8-10 minutes later. Most of the time it will be a Thai who has been blocked in, but he doesn't mind waiting. Or, at least, he doesn't let anyone know he minds waiting. But the drivers on the street who get stuck in the traffic jam behind the double-parked car...They are a different story. They aren't happy at all! And less happy because now that the DPcar has a boot on its tire, it isn't going anywhere for a few hours, tying up traffic for everyone on the road. Sure, the cops make their 400 baht from the driver. But nothing was done to improve the flow of traffic. And the DP driver will more than likely double-park again when he need to just 'spend 60 seconds in the shop.' 400 baht once isn't going to stop him. It will never happen to him again. At least, that's what he believes.

Now let me get this rite you are advocating keeping the car or truck double parked for what could be hours rather than writing them a ticket for it.

I don't know what the fine is but I am sure that it is high enough so as the majority of the people who get it will think twice about it. To be honest it is not that many people double parking for ten minutes. How many do you see in a day. There will always be some and most of them five minutes or less. One other point and all of us who have lived here a while realize it this blitz will end next week. Then back to the odd one hear or there.

[elgordo38]

And for how long will this clamping last. These people never learn they park anywhere they want.

Would be nice to clear them off of the sidewalk by our condo. They think the sidewalk is customer parking while they are in the adjoining restaurants. There must be 10 or more there every day. Another restaurant up the street blocks the sidewalk and we have to walk out onto the road and this is dangerous.

[MILT]

Police in Chiangmai have been locking wheels since 20 years ago when I showed up on the Chiangmai scene. This is nothing new.

Have had it happen to me once or twice. I would rather like to see the traffic police go after the drivers who veer into the oncoming lane

to go around double parked cars or people blocking their lane. Few actually stop and yield but rather cross into the opposite lane instead of stopping and waiting to go around the car blocking their lane.....

[FolkGuitar]

If the business owners were prevented from claiming the parking spaces outside their premises by placing stools to block cars parking there, there might be enough space so people are not forced to park illegally.

Frankly, I don't think even that would help very much. Many people are just too damn lazy to park a block away and walk to where they need to be... Not when they can just stop their car in the middle of the road, jump out "planning" to only spend 60 seconds in the shop, but then remember the also wanted ABC and XYZ and have to wander around the store to find it, coming out 8-10 minutes later. Most of the time it will be a Thai who has been blocked in, but he doesn't mind waiting. Or, at least, he doesn't let anyone know he minds waiting. But the drivers on the street who get stuck in the traffic jam behind the double-parked car...They are a different story. They aren't happy at all! And less happy because now that the DPcar has a boot on its tire, it isn't going anywhere for a few hours, tying up traffic for everyone on the road. Sure, the cops make their 400 baht from the driver. But nothing was done to improve the flow of traffic. And the DP driver will more than likely double-park again when he need to just 'spend 60 seconds in the shop.' 400 baht once isn't going to stop him. It will never happen to him again. At least, that's what he believes.

Now let me get this rite you are advocating keeping the car or truck double parked for what could be hours rather than writing them a ticket for it.

I don't know what the fine is but I am sure that it is high enough so as the majority of the people who get it will think twice about it. To be honest it is not that many people double parking for ten minutes. How many do you see in a day. There will always be some and most of them five minutes or less. One other point and all of us who have lived here a while realize it this blitz will end next week. Then back to the odd one hear or there.

Nope. You've got it completely backwards. I do NOT think that clamping a tire and giving a 400 baht fine is going to solve the problem. If someone can afford to buy and car, afford to maintain a car, and afford gas for it, they can afford the 400 baht fine that they might receive once every 5 years. Make the fine 4,000 baht and there 'might' be a difference seen. Or tow the cars away, charge the driver for the towing fee PLUS impound fee PLUS a hefty fine, and you solve all the problems; the traffic flows better, the police get their money, and perhaps the driver learns an important lesson in civic responsibility. If not, he'll certainly think twice before illegally parking again.

I think clamping cars that are double-parked creates a bigger problem than the few minutes that the driver would be there originally. But in 'some' areas, people do double-park and even triple-park, blocking off two out of three traffic lanes, and this happens in these areas every single day. These are wet-market locations and the people are 'just stopping for a minute,' but wind up being there for 5-10 minutes instead. Multiply this by a dozen people on a busy street and it creates quite a traffic back-up.

As for the clamping being 'just a blitz,' I have to disagree. I see the police clamping cars once or twice a week, and they've been doing it since I came to Chiang Mai in 2001. In 2002 I pulled over 'just for a minute' to use an ATM, and while my back was turned a policeman approached the car with a clamp, refused, as he should have, to let me leave even though he hadn't clamped the car yet, and it cost me 200 baht and a trip to the cop shop to get it released.

[gerry123]

And for how long will this clamping last. These people never learn they park anywhere they want.

Actually, they don't park. They just stop driving.

They just stop driving.!!! aiming

[maderaroja]

Where are the boots for the motorbikes parked on the walkway? Half fast policing is worthless.

[bazza40]

Nong Hoi must be policed differently, because I've never seen a vehicle clamped there.

Don't have a problem with people parking where they want, as long as it doesn't obstruct the traffic flow. It's the idiots who double and triple park to save themselves a two-minute walk whose vehicle should be towed off within 1 minute of them leaving.

[NoshowJones]

Would be a bit upsetting to many people if they put one on a car or truck double parked.

Hope it's not just going to be a 24 hr crackdown like Bangkok.

As well as parking, Bangkok had a crackdown on Motorbikes riding in the pavement.

That also only lasted 24 Hrs also.

[NoshowJones]

I guess you're right. After all, giving someone a ticket for a vehicle offense usually is more than enough to stop them from ever repeating the offense again...

Oh... wait....

I hope you don't think that's a good point! Because, it's really really bad.

Seems like you think having a dam which stops 99.9999% of the water and no dam at all are the same thing.

I guess in countries where they enforce traffic laws, they must not see any difference in traffic behavior, then in countries where there is no enforcement...

Are you really suggesting that giving someone a parking ticket is going to stop them from parking illegally in the future?

A parking ticket with 1000 Bt to be paid on release maybe do it.

[sawadee1947]

don't worry....they have only a few clamps left....most are sold....good money for heavy weight...

[FolkGuitar]

I guess you're right. After all, giving someone a ticket for a vehicle offense usually is more than enough to stop them from ever repeating the offense again...

Oh... wait....

I hope you don't think that's a good point! Because, it's really really bad.

Seems like you think having a dam which stops 99.9999% of the water and no dam at all are the same thing.

I guess in countries where they enforce traffic laws, they must not see any difference in traffic behavior, then in countries where there is no enforcement...

Are you really suggesting that giving someone a parking ticket is going to stop them from parking illegally in the future?

A parking ticket with 1000 Bt to be paid on release maybe do it.

Towed car, payment for towing fee, impound charges, plus 4,000 baht fine. THAT would do it!

We can see what a 200 baht fine had done for helmet violations.

[Jimlove]

Amazing to hear that these uniformed fools actually do some policework, oh well there is a first for most Things I guess ...