It’s the same old story: every holiday and long weekend brings gridlock to Pattaya, from Sukhumvit Road (shown here) to the beach. This year was no different during the weeklong Countdown to 2013, making it nigh on impossible at times to travel from one end of Pattaya to the other.
It may be a new year, but holiday traffic in Pattaya remains the same old story.
For much of the week-long Pattaya Countdown, Dec. 25-31, roads from Sukhumvit to the beaches were packed with cars, taxis, motorbikes, vans and tour buses.
Whether driving to the party at Bali Hai Pier, heading north on Second Road or trying to move east or west, traffic crawled, with large buses exacerbating matters, parking wherever they fit or saw fit.
It’s the same old story: every holiday and long weekend brings gridlock to Pattaya, from Sukhumvit Road (shown here) to the beach. This year was no different during the weeklong Countdown to 2013, making it nigh on impossible at times to travel from one end of Pattaya to the other.
Pattaya’s Rungruang bus station was packed as well, with up to 140 trips coming or going per day, double the usual load.
Police dispatched 50 traffic cops to work choke points and intersections, cracking down on illegal U-turns that slow the flow or create accidents.
The story is nothing new: Each holiday or long weekend brings the same gridlock to Pattaya. But with one traffic officer saying that some streets were uncongested and flowing smoothly, perhaps 2013’s New Year’s resolution should be to find out exactly where they are.
Traffic along Pattaya 2nd Road, which usually runs somewhat smoothly even during the holidays, was often at a standstill during this year’s Countdown to 2013.
