One way on 2nd Road still a dream

Dear Editor:

I, like many in Pattaya, were looking forward to some improvement in the traffic around town. The delay of changing over 2nd Road to one-way was a big disappointment. Why anyone would want to delay such a logical change to improve the traffic flow above Central Road, well one can only guess.

When a tourist comes to town, any town, his first impression of an area comes from his observation of the traffic and local drivers - he sees this before ever checking into his hotel. It’s bad enough that Pattaya has had little traffic planning in the past, but this lack of a willingness to take Pattaya out of the traffic stone age is truly puzzling. Add to this the obvious selective traffic law enforcement that is perceived to be somewhat racist by foreigners, and one has to wonder how TAT ever expects to attract quality tourists again to Pattaya.

I remember the days of Western tourists who would drop $200 or $300 a night in area bars. All we see around Pattaya today is budget Asian tourists on tour busses that destroy the streets of Pattaya. Who is paying the bill for the potholes and bent sewer grates caused by these busses? Why not consider the idea of banning large busses from Pattaya streets and fully employing all baht bus drivers instead.

Then there is the parking and double parking problems. Pattaya should institute off street parking for all automobiles. If people are rich enough to own a car, they are rich enough to pay to park it. Baht busses should only stop at designated stops and not double park at will to offload passengers in the middle of the street. A truly novel idea would be enforcing the helmet law for both driver and passenger, require drivers to stop at stop lights, and ticket drivers who don’t use their headlights at night. You know, the common sense stuff.

Wouldn’t it be nice if Pattaya had quality tourists again who started planning their return trip on their flight home instead of writing hate mail to the travel agent that booked their trip to Pattaya? Has anyone at TAT or the city administration read a travel guide lately? To put it politely, Pattaya is not rated in a favorable light.

So, if Thais are really interested in bettering Pattaya’s reputation, start with something easy and visible - Pattaya streets and traffic law enforcement. Throw in a curfew for the children and a noise ordinance so people can get some sleep at night. Who knows what might happen? Oh, by the way, I come from a tourist town, New Orleans, if you really want to destroy tourism in Pattaya, just keep closing bars at 2 a.m. That law really needs to be repealed for areas like Pattaya and Phuket.

Pattaya Bum