Councilman suggests banning tour buses from Beach Road

[Rimmer]

Councilman suggests banning tour buses from Beach Road

Ronakit Ekasingh said he sympathizes with people complaining, but said it’s not currently possible to ban buses from Beach Road..

PATTAYA:--A Pattaya lawmaker has suggested banning buses and other large vehicles from Beach Road as tour operators continue to ignore complaints and traffic laws.

During a meeting called June 25 to address renewed complaints from Beach Road businesses, residents and beach vendors about traffic congestion and accidents caused by tour buses, City Councilman Sanit Boonmachai said the only option left to the city was simply to ban coaches and vehicles with more than six wheels from the waterfront promenade.

He noted that the city has had numerous meetings about the problems, laid down regulations, bus parking zones and stepped up enforcement, but tour companies simply ignore them, acting unafraid of the law and doing what they want with no regard for the public.

The problem has gotten worse as Thailand’s and Pattaya’s tourist base has shifted markedly over the past year, with huge groups of Chinese and Indian visitors now arriving on package tours, replacing the independent western tourists that used to serve as the city’s base. Through May, Thailand has attracted 3.3 million Chinese tourists, making up about 20 percent of all arrivals.

Beach vendors complain that tour companies are stopping on Beach Road every morning, dropping up as many as 5,000 Chinese visitors headed to Koh Larn. An entire industry of new vendors hocking umbrellas, life jackets and souvenir photos has sprung up on the beachfront footpath, blocking the way for other pedestrians.

Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh sympathized with those complaining, but said it’s not currently possible to ban buses from Beach Road, although the city is working with police and the Marine Department to draft new laws and find alternate parking at Bali Hai Pier.

The ideal plan, he said, would be to have all tour buses park near the South Pattaya pier and dispatch off their passengers onto boats at the jetty.

- See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/councilman-suggests-banning-tour-buses-from-beach-road-48772#sthash.yAuaFl11.dpuf

-- Pattaya Mail 2015-07-10

[Yahooka]

If only

[Asiantravel]

" tour companies simply ignore them, acting unafraid of the law and doing what they want with no regard for the public."

Dear Khun Ronakit

I would like to suggest that maybe they are unafraid of the law because no one seems to enforce it very much?

With all due respect how many other major tourist cities in 2015 with a comparable volume of vehicles squeezed into not so crash hot infrastructure don't have some form of consistent enforcement of parking infringement rules? i.e. not only buses but any vehicle.

If the police are busy with more important duties what is to stop Pattaya city from training and employing a team of traffic enforcement wardens? There are so many unemployed people right now to chose from and in no time at all they would be able to recoup their salaries from the fines that are imposed?

I am in constant amazement as to what possible dark mysterious forces seem to prevent this logical way (based on the experience of cities in other countries) of traffic management and a way of gaining extra revenue for the city?

Edited July 10, 2015 by Asiantravel

[trogers]

Barricades with steel beams to enforce height restrictions would stop these tour buses on their tracks...?

[canopus1969]

" tour companies simply ignore them, acting unafraid of the law and doing what they want with no regard for the public."

Dear Khun Ronakit

I would like to suggest that maybe they are unafraid of the law because no one seems to enforce it very much?

With all due respect how many other major tourist cities in 2015 with a comparable volume of vehicles squeezed into not so crash hot infrastructure don't have some form of consistent enforcement of parking infringement rules? i.e. not only buses but any vehicle.

If the police are busy with more important duties what is to stop Pattaya city from training and employing a team of traffic enforcement wardens? There are so many unemployed people right now to chose from and in no time at all they would be able to recoup their salaries from the fines that are imposed?

I am in constant amazement as to what possible dark mysterious forces seem to prevent this logical way (based on the experience of cities in other countries) of traffic management and a way of gaining extra revenue for the city?

Err this force(?) is called MONEY

[circusman]

Been going on at least 15 years that I know of.

[Chang_paarp]

How about impounding a few buses and see what they do. Sell the bus to highest bidder.

Might cause a few entertaining confrontations.

[alocacoc]

How about impounding a few buses and see what they do. Sell the bus to highest bidder.

Might cause a few entertaining confrontations.

Take the Bus from AOT and sell it to Pegas? Same sh#t.

Last week, a tour bus did a u-turn at sukhumvit. He didn't give a shit about the traffic. Almost he caused a accident. Good i don't own a gun.

But who cares? These buses are the gods of the roads. And the bib is too busy with checking driving licenses on motorcycles.

Edited July 10, 2015 by alocacoc

[thailandforumaddict]

From anywhere starting from Sukhumvit road !

Make all these tourists pay for an electric shuttle !

[jinners]

" tour companies simply ignore them, acting unafraid of the law and doing what they want with no regard for the public."

Dear Khun Ronakit

I would like to suggest that maybe they are unafraid of the law because no one seems to enforce it very much?

With all due respect how many other major tourist cities in 2015 with a comparable volume of vehicles squeezed into not so crash hot infrastructure don't have some form of consistent enforcement of parking infringement rules? i.e. not only buses but any vehicle.

If the police are busy with more important duties what is to stop Pattaya city from training and employing a team of traffic enforcement wardens? There are so many unemployed people right now to chose from and in no time at all they would be able to recoup their salaries from the fines that are imposed?

I am in constant amazement as to what possible dark mysterious forces seem to prevent this logical way (based on the experience of cities in other countries) of traffic management and a way of gaining extra revenue for the city?

Great comment, don't hold your breath

[Bludshoteyes]

Putting residents before tourism? Never gonna happen...

Wish it would though. Beach road horrendous, even as early as 7am...

[Bangkok Barry]

What is so difficult about installing width restricting barriers at the entry points to Beach Road? Wide enough for cars and baht buses to get through, but not coaches. Happens all over the UK.

[Mudcrab]

How about impounding a few buses and see what they do. Sell the bus to highest bidder.

Might cause a few entertaining confrontations.

Take the Bus from AOT and sell it to Pegas? Same sh#t.

Last week, a tour bus did a u-turn at sukhumvit. He didn't give a shit about the traffic. Almost he caused a accident. Good i don't own a gun.

But who cares? These buses are the gods of the roads. And the bib is too busy with checking driving licenses on motorcycles.

For multiple reasons.

[HerbalEd]

Here's an untried idea that'll help. Enforce the law.

[Mot Dang]

Fantastic. Push this as hard as you can Mister Deputy Mayor, and majority of Pattaya residents will love you for it.

There is no appropriate infrastructure around Beach Road (or for that matter Pattaya) for these monster buses. Mind you the future for such a the large number of these buses, using Pattaya Rd and backstreets in South Pattaya, might be limited, if the Chinese economy continues to implode. Just keeping my fingers crossed.

[kaorop]

Book the kee out of any bus that does anything illegal.

They are all there dropping off/waiting/picking up chinese tourists doing para sailing, which is now is huge,

seems has taken over jet scams as the big money earner

[matman]

What is so difficult about installing width restricting barriers at the entry points to Beach Road? Wide enough for cars and baht buses to get through, but not coaches. Happens all over the UK.

Good idea but might cause problems as it could restrict access to emergency services, particularly the Fire Department who use large vehicles

[matman]

Whilst banning tour buses on the beach road, why not go one step futher and ban the parking of row upon row of rental motorbikes, had they done this they wouldn't have had to add another lane, widening the beach road

[Ulic]

Great idea, but not going to hold my breath on the implementation.

[craigt3365]

There is a huge, empty lot just north of the Hard Rock. Many buses park there now. Just make all of them do this. But first, enforce the rules previously agreed upon.

Better yet, use Bali Hai.

[BillyBobThai]

Better enforcement. The bus driver fined 5,000 baht first time, 30 days in jail on the second offence. That should get somebody's attention.

[balo]

Finally a wise suggestion from Thai official. If he can do it I will start believing in this city again.

[glasswort]

This should not only apply to Beach Road but to the whole of Pattaya. I live very close to a newly renovated hotel in North Pattaya that caters for all sorts of foreign tourists, not only Chinese. The route where I used to take my dog for a walk every morning and evening is now a parking area for the scores of buses that service the hotel. Because of the quality of tourist involved the buses being used are not the most modern and, particularly in the morning, when they nearly all have their engines running the noise and air pollution are something else. Add to this the fact the roads are not wide enough and many are now cracking up because they are not designed for such heavy traffic and we have an environmental disaster.

[akentryan]

My five pet peeves re traffic.

1. Coaches that do not give a damn if they block traffic or run you off the road

2. Drivers who leave vehicles blocking one lane of traffic as they shop in 7-11, or go to the bank or eat lunch or whatever.

3. Drivers who come around blind corners in the middle of the road - a daily darkside experience

4. Drivers who feel it necessary to come to a creeping stop before attempting a turn

5. Drivers who are not ready to move out when the light finally does change. Count the seconds before the first car in line moves.

[konying]

Why stop at beach road? Ban it also from 2nd road and 3rd.

They create traffic problems, block streets, block intersections and in general nuisance on the roads.

Not to mention all the damage they cause, broken signs and cables

[mikebell]

Whilst banning tour buses on the beach road, why not go one step futher and ban the parking of row upon row of rental motorbikes, had they done this they wouldn't have had to add another lane, widening the beach road

Here, here. If they had traffic wardens, as has been suggested earlier, they could patrol the sois, ticketing rows of rental motorbikes/laundry drying racks & shop owners who think they own the road in front of their shop. With abundant and cheap baht buses, a central car park would take coaches off the road.

[wobblyjohn]

From anywhere starting from Sukhumvit road !

Make all these tourists pay for an electric shuttle !

Or maybe a monorail

[spidermike007]

A proposal like this one is smart, and visionary. The implementation of it would be legendary. Confiscate the buses on the spot when they violate the law, and release them only after one month of impounding, for a 100,000 baht fine. That might get the message across. A similarly heinous thing is happening on Samui now. They have just recently started to allow huge buses onto the island, and into small towns, and they clog up the few roads for long periods trying to maneuver turns onto small lanes, and loading and unloading passengers. If the mayor, Jaikwong Ramnate, had any vision or power, he would stop this now. It is a terrible idea, and is starting a terrible trend. I predict within 5 to 10 years, that Samui may resemble the Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Denpasar area of Bali, which is one of the most congested hellholes on earth. Those passengers could be transferred to natural gas minivans, which are more manageable. Or, better yet, the local politicians could work on good public transportation! What a concept.