It’s the
same old story: every holiday and long weekend brings gridlock to
Pattaya, from Sukhumvit Road (shown here) to the beach. This year was no
different during the weeklong Countdown to 2013, making it nigh on
impossible at times to travel from one end of Pattaya to the other.
Warunya Thongrod
It may be a new year, but holiday traffic in Pattaya remains the
same old story.
For much of the week-long Pattaya Countdown, Dec. 25-31, roads from
Sukhumvit to the beaches were packed with cars, taxis, motorbikes, vans
and tour buses.
Traffic along Pattaya 2nd Road, which
usually runs somewhat smoothly even during the holidays, was often at a
standstill during this year’s Countdown to 2013.
Whether driving to the party at Bali Hai Pier,
heading north on Second Road or trying to move east or west, traffic
crawled, with large buses exacerbating matters, parking wherever they
fit or saw fit.
Pattaya’s Rungruang bus station was packed as well, with up to 140 trips
coming or going per day, double the usual load.
Police dispatched 50 traffic cops to work choke points and
intersections, cracking down on illegal U-turns that slow the flow or
create accidents.
The story is nothing new: Each holiday or long weekend brings the same
gridlock to Pattaya. But with one traffic officer saying that some
streets were uncongested and flowing smoothly, perhaps 2013’s New Year’s
resolution should be to find out exactly where they are.
