The following is a recent letter sent by a long time Pattaya resident, who asked for his name to be withheld. His opinions and statements are entirely his own and may not necessarily reflect those of The Pattaya News Co. Ltd.
Pattaya’s recent festivals only expose further the chronic failure of parking/traffic enforcement e.g. footpaths become parking lots, motorbikes invade walkways and beach promenades turn into a vendor blockade – pushing families and wheel-chairs into traffic.
Jomtien and Pratumnak’s chaos is bad – but it’s city wide.
“Tolerance” by the police isn’t kindness; it’s negligence and it’s dangerous.
What exactly are our traffic police paid to do?
Their job description should include managing traffic flow, ensuring pedestrian safety and preventing illegal parking.
But these simple duties go ignored daily.
Why?
If staffing shortages are the excuse, why hasn’t the local government created a separate, dedicated cadre of traffic and parking wardens? Equip them with electronic ticket machines for instant, tamper-proof fines.
Cities worldwide use this model successfully.
Pattaya could deploy them permanently (not just for show during events) similar to Singapore’s wardens who issue 1M+ tickets yearly via e-systems which slash violations by 40%. Pattaya’s “ROI” on wardens would be in an instant!!
Real change in Pattaya demands visible, consistent leadership and enforcement – costly enough to deter shop owners, selfish drivers, delivery vehicles etc. from treating public spaces as private property.
Residents and tourists deserve walkable streets and free-flowing traffic year-round.
What’s holding Pattaya back?
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