PATTAYA, Thailand – The city of Pattaya has launched a rigorous initiative to regulate parking along South Pattaya Road, aiming to ease traffic congestion and reclaim pedestrian walkways. The plan implements an odd-even parking system, which has been enforced in collaboration with the Pattaya City Police and other local authorities.
The initiative targets the stretch from the Communications Intersection (Pattaya Third Road) to the Wat Chaimongkol Intersection, covering 850 meters. Mayor Poramet Ngampichet explained during the site visit that South Pattaya Road has long been plagued with heavy traffic.
Although the odd-even parking system was introduced some time ago, the number of police officers was insufficient to implement it effectively. Starting from February 3, Pattaya City will step up enforcement through the issuance of regulations to manage parking in public areas. The enforcement will be carried out with the cooperation of Pattaya Police, deploying 12 officers in each of the two shifts from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
Officers will patrol the entire 850-meter stretch to ensure traffic flows smoothly and to prevent parking violations on days when parking is prohibited. Mayor Poramet noted that Pattaya now has the authority to lock car wheels and impose fines on those violating parking regulations. However, in the first month, violators will be given warnings before penalties are enforced.
The city hopes that the new enforcement strategy will improve traffic flow and make South Pattaya Road more accessible for residents and tourists. This is the first time Pattaya has issued an ordinance with the authority to lock car wheels and issue fines, signaling a serious commitment to traffic management. If the public cooperates, the number of enforcement officers needed, will decrease over time.
Mayor Poramet further emphasized that the city’s goal is to promote long-term sustainable changes in driver behavior. While wheel-locking and fines are seen as a last resort, the city has had to resort to these measures due to insufficient compliance with previous regulations. Pattaya City asks the public to cooperate with the new odd-even parking system, as this will benefit the community as a whole.
