Reader submission/opinion: Some of the worst motorbike drivers in Pattaya are food delivery drivers, something needs to be done

Editor’s Note: The following is a reader submission/opinion. We have actually had several similar emails to this in the past few weeks and one reader took some time to write up a summary of his thoughts. Their thoughts, we stress, are their own and may not necessarily reflect those of The Pattaya News.

Hi Pattaya,

I’m nobody special, just your local ex-pat who lives in Naklua and has been here for some time and I rarely speak out about things but I wanted to take a little bit of time to do so against something I don’t feel is addressed much in local news.

I’m pretty sure your website is watched by the powers that be so maybe they can see what I have to say and be aware of the issue if they aren’t already.

Anyone who watches or reads your local news is well aware we have a major accident problem in Chonburi and Pattaya and there is a lot of unsafe driving around. However, as someone who walks Naklua, Pattaya, and Jomtien daily for exercise I see one particular group that seems to always be breaking every rule in the book, despite being employed and working.

These are food delivery drivers. I won’t name a particular company because I know about slander rules here but there is one dominant company here with the most riders that seems, to me, to be the biggest offender.

Look, I know they are in a hurry and look, I know they are competing with a bunch of others in a tough environment for money. And, yeah, I know some of us locals can be really impatient and demanding when we want our chicken or pizza. But that’s no excuse in my mind for some of the shocking road behavior I see almost every single day. I don’t even think their company is aware in many cases as these guys are branded all over with the company logo but will still speed like they are in the fast and furious down Beach Road at sunset with hundreds of pedestrians and people out exercising.

I have seen little traffic law enforcement recently, this was different before Covid. Of course, before Covid, natural traffic in Pattaya slowed these guys down a lot. Now, with a lack of traffic, it is pretty easy to take off like a jet plane in Naklua, Jomtien, or Pattaya with what seems to be a disregard for others. Many of them are taking off at top speed while texting, maybe to customers, but maybe not. Staring at GPS while trying to zoom in and out of traffic from what I see.

I know a lot of other people, including young motorbike racers at night, also violate the law. But these delivery drivers are representing a major brand and I truly think authorities need to tackle the issue, even if it’s privately with some words to their employers or some sort of points system against them. Bringing back regular traffic enforcement would also help a lot. Motorbike taxi drivers used to be just as bad years ago but have actually improved a lot, from what I am aware of that was due to regular major meetings from police and City Hall with them (Editor’s note-We can confirm that City Hall and Pattaya Police, in the past, made regular meetings with motorbike taxi drivers and their “face” to tourism a major issue, pre-Covid anyways.)

That’s all I have, for now, thanks for listening to me.

Dodging bikes in Pattaya

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/