Less than a month after reopening the Dongtan-Yim Yom beach road to traffic, Pattaya officials backtracked, closing it again between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
On Feb. 16, city hall dropped barriers that made the so-called Dongtan “free zone” into a walking street during the day. Officials reasoned that with more cars than pedestrians many days, Jomtien Beach becomes more accessible to both beachgoers and residents with the gates that were closed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. opened.
What administrators didn’t anticipate was the raft of complaints from residents about night-time noise. They complained the “free zone” was no longer free; it was now a disorderly mess.
Now vehicles again will be barred after 9 p.m. and until six the next morning.
