PATTAYA, Thailand – Business owners and residents in Jomtien are calling on Pattaya City Hall to immediately revert Jomtien Beach Road back to a two-way system, warning that the current one-way traffic setup is devastating local businesses and causing severe inconvenience for visitors and residents alike.
“I have been seeing the tremendous negative effects of the one-way system on the Jomtien Beach area, particularly for businesses on and off the road,” one bar owner stated. “I have a bar on Soi Whitehouse, and if you ask any bar or restaurant owner here, they will tell you trade is down over 40% month-on-month. This is unsustainable.”
Before the one-way system was implemented, it took less than five minutes to travel from the top of Beach Road to Soi Whitehouse by baht bus and the same amount of time for the return trip. “Now it still takes five minutes to get here, but over 30 minutes to get back—so people just don’t bother coming,” the bar owner added.
A key difference between Jomtien and Pattaya is the number of connecting roads between Beach Road and Second Road. “In Pattaya, there are connecting roads every 100 meters or so, but in Jomtien, after Soi 7, the distance is measured in kilometers, not meters,” another local pointed out.
Mounting Problems with the One-Way System
The one-way system has also created new traffic issues:
– Baht bus drivers prefer to complete the full loop before picking up passengers, making it inconvenient for commuters.
– Drivers—both motorbike and car—are frustrated and many have already started driving against the one-way system to save time. Soi 5 and Soi 7 now see two-way traffic despite the restrictions.
– Traffic congestion on Second Road has worsened as all northbound vehicles are forced onto it, while Beach Road remains underutilized.
Residents and business owners stress that this situation is not just inconvenient but also economically damaging. “This needs to change back to a two-way system ASAP,” a local business owner emphasized.
With businesses on the brink of collapse, the community is urging Pattaya City Hall to reconsider the current traffic arrangement amid progressing road works before the economic impact becomes irreversible.
Mayor Poramet Ngampichet visits the site to assess progress on March 11
Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach landscape improvement project is progressing rapidly, with over 80% of the work completed. The initiative aims to tackle persistent flooding issues and enhance the area’s infrastructure, including the installation of a 3,528-meter-long drainage system and the construction of a 3-kilometer-long pedestrian sidewalk.
Upon completion, the project will also add approximately 400 new parking spaces, bringing the total to around 700, and introduce High Mast Lighting poles to improve safety and visibility along the beach. Originally commenced on April 2, 2024, the project is now expected to be completed ahead of schedule, by late 2025.
