Members of the Pattaya Business & Tourism
Association have come out in support of the city’s new push to clean up
traffic on Pattaya Beach Road.
Thanachot Anuwan
Nearly 30 businesses and organizations are supporting Pattaya City
Hall’s push to improve Beach Road traffic by controlling where buses and
taxis can stop.
Pattaya Business & Tourism Association President Sinchai Wattanasartsathorn
appeared with representatives from the various groups Jan. 17 at the Flipper
House Hotel to announce they not only support the 17 new bus stops, but have
printed thousands of brochures and stickers in five languages to educate
tourists and transport users.
The groups paraded down Beach Road Jan. 21, distributing pamphlets about the
new system in Thai, English, Russian, Korean, and Chinese.
Chonburi Gov. Khomsan Ekachai announced a crackdown on the “nonsense” that
Beach Road traffic has become Jan. 8. Baht buses, tour buses and taxis will
be required to use the 17 yellow stop zones located near Beach Road’s
popular shopping, entertainment and hotel destinations.
Police have vowed to ticket drivers stopping outside those zones.
Double-parking and stopping in red-and-white “no parking” zones also will be
targeted.
The effort kicked off with much fanfare, including having top city and
regional officials join police as they wrote tickets, but, within days,
Beach Road motorcycle taxi drivers reported that enforcement already has
become spotty and people are ignoring yellow zones as they’ve always ignored
the red ones.
Associations, clubs and businesses hoping more education will bring traffic
bliss include the PBTA, Thai Hotels Association Eastern region, Food &
Beverage Management Association of Thailand Eastern Region, Y.W.C.A. Bangkok
Pattaya Center, Pattaya Issan Association, Pattaya Journalists Association,
Chefs Association of Pattaya and the East, Pattaya Entertainment Businesses
Club, all area Lions clubs, Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation, Pattaya
Cultural Council, Chonburi Tourism Destination Club, Pattaya Hotels Club,
Pattaya Spa Club, Pattaya Walking Street Club, Eastern Housewives Club,
Pattaya Corporative Transport Club, Pattaya Ladies Development Group,
Pattaya Expats Club, Pattaya Sport Club, Rotary Club of Pattaya, Pattaya
Bartenders Club and Pattaya 9 Men’s Club.
