PATTAYA, Thailand – Pattaya City’s renewed enforcement of even–odd day roadside parking along South Pattaya from Sukhumvit Highway entrance to Wat Chaimongkol intersection, has been welcomed by many residents—but public reaction suggests the measure alone may not be enough to fix the city’s chronic traffic and pedestrian problems.
Under the regulation, roadside parking is permitted only on designated even or odd days between 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., with violators facing legal action, including wheel clamping. City officials say the policy aims to improve traffic flow and restore order on one of Pattaya’s busiest corridors.
Many locals support the move, particularly the crackdown on vehicles parked on sidewalks and road shoulders. Some residents praised enforcement officers for finally locking wheels on cars that obstruct both traffic lanes and pedestrian walkways, calling it a long-overdue step toward discipline on city roads.
However, public feedback also highlights persistent blind spots in enforcement. A common complaint involves double-parking, especially by delivery trucks that stop for long periods and cause traffic to back up for hundreds of meters. Residents say these vehicles are rarely penalized, despite being a daily cause of congestion.
Others questioned why enforcement appears inconsistent across locations. Motorists noted that on Pattaya Second Road, even–odd parking rules are often ignored, with cars parked freely on both sides of the road throughout the day, worsening traffic conditions.
Pedestrians, meanwhile, say parking enforcement must go hand-in-hand with restoring sidewalks. Several residents pointed out that footpaths near Wat Chaimongkol Market are heavily obstructed by street vendors encroaching beyond permitted zones, forcing people to walk on the road. They argue that targeting cars alone ignores the wider issue of public space misuse.
There were also complaints about the inconvenience of wheel-clamping procedures. Some drivers said they waited one to two hours for officers to arrive and remove clamps after paying fines, leaving them stranded beside their vehicles and adding frustration rather than improving compliance.
While the even–odd parking rule is seen as a step in the right direction, residents are calling for fair, consistent enforcement that addresses all contributors to congestion—illegal parking, double-parking, sidewalk obstruction, and uneven application of the law.
For many in Pattaya, the message is clear: traffic order cannot be fixed by selective enforcement. If the goal is safer roads and walkable sidewalks, authorities will need to look beyond “flavour-of-the-day” crackdowns and commit to long-term, citywide discipline.
