One of the thousands of
motorcycles in Pattaya belching out an excess of exhaust smoke.
Vittaya Yoondorn
As Pattaya grows, so do its number of hazy days.
It’s not weather, it’s smog, caused in large part by poorly maintained
vehicles smoking up congested intersections.
At Sukhumvit Road intersections with North, Central and South Roads, cars
roll though intersections through clouds of smoke, both white and black.
The Public Health and Environment Department has a truck roaming Pattaya,
monitoring the weather and general atmospheric conditions. So city hall is
well aware of the problems traffic congestion and auto pollution is doing.
But, so far, there are no records of police or city hall regulatory
enforcement officers actually citing anyone for smoking vehicles.
In theory, they could. Under the national Land Transport
Law of 1979, then revised in 1996, drivers can be fine 500-1,000 baht for
polluting vehicles.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome continues to maintain he has made traffic
mitigation a priority and is working with area police to keep cars moving.
But residents on Second and Third roads say little actually is being done.
As the summer heats up, the air gets thicker with smoke, carbon monoxide and
airborne particles, which can cause respiratory problems.
