Pattaya claims to be cracking down on merchants illegally blocking off parking spaces, but police appeared to miss at least one spot on Third Road.
An unidentified shop owner used 50-gallon drums and buckets to block off a stretch of curbside. Parking was legally permitted on all but a small portion of the road.
Neighboring shopkeeper Thawatchai Pongsrignamchai, 62, said the barrels weren’t his and claimed he’d never do such a thing.
“I think of other people that may need parking space when they have errands to do in the area. People who do this are very selfish as they save the space to park their own vehicles and also for their own customers, which isn’t right because the road is for everybody to use,” he said.
Pattaya City Hall repeatedly has claimed officers are cracking down on such practices, but no uniforms were in sight Jan. 22.
