PATTAYA, Thailand – Growing numbers of foreign tourists and long-term visitors are voicing frustration over what they describe as rapidly deteriorating road behaviour across Pattaya, calling it more chaotic, unpredictable, and dangerous than at any time in recent memory.
One long-time resident recently recounted an incident that has now become a familiar story. While overtaking a slow-moving car whose driver was distracted by a mobile phone, he noticed a motorbike pull out ahead of the vehicle. There was plenty of space, no conflict, and no aggressive manoeuvre — until the rider suddenly stopped at a 90-degree angle across the lane, blocking both the overtaking vehicle and the car behind. The rider then turned around and drove off in the opposite direction, leaving both drivers stunned. The kicker? It was an off-duty police officer. “But somehow I’m the idiot?” he wrote, summing up the exasperation shared by many.
Others say the experience is no different when they try to merge onto busy roads. One parent described being tailgated and aggressively cut off while attempting a routine lane change. The driver blocking him was, again, a police officer. “How can anything improve?” he asked, adding that each morning school run comes with two or three near misses — a reality he finds terrifying when his young child is on the bike with him.
Many long-term visitors argue that what they once considered manageable Asian-style road chaos has morphed into something far more reckless. They insist the current issue is not a matter of “Thai vs. farang driving style,” but an across-the-board collapse in basic awareness: riders who never turn their heads, drivers who drift while on their phones, and road users who act as if no one else exists. “It’s local on local negligence too,” one rider noted. “It didn’t used to be like this.”
Riders with years of experience say Pattaya now ranks as their most stressful city in Southeast Asia to navigate. Some have been riding since childhood and have spent a decade weaving through Bangkok, Saigon, Manila, Phnom Penh, and Jakarta — yet Pattaya, they say, gives them more close calls than anywhere else. Many believe the surge in traffic numbers, coupled with weak enforcement and the normalization of risky behaviour, has pushed the situation to a breaking point.
Several long-term residents also highlight a troubling trend: the sudden spike in dangerous behaviour within just the past two or three years. They claim it coincides with Pattaya’s rapid population growth, tourism rebound, and rising use of delivery bikes, all interacting with an already overstretched road system. What was once chaotic but predictable now feels unpredictable and unsafe.
Despite the shared frustration, most still express affection for the city — but also a growing fear that nothing will improve without serious, consistent enforcement. “I can handle the chaos when I’m alone,” one resident said. “But when I’ve got my kid on the bike, it’s infuriating. You feel like you’re gambling with someone you love.”
For now, many tourists and expats continue to adapt as best they can, but the sentiment is unmistakable: Pattaya’s roads aren’t just busy — they’re becoming a hazard no one can ignore.
