“Free parking” signs placed at Pattaya pier after complaints of scammers

After numerous complaints that people were soliciting money for parking spaces at Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier, some reportedly asking for up to 500 baht, city officials have installed signs announcing that parking is free and to report if they are being charged for a space.

The Pattaya News has reported that the free spaces are located at the blue field at the Bali Hai Pier. Pattaya City Deputy Mayor Wuttisak Reumkitkarn told The Pattaya News the charges are “a scam and is not a Pattaya City policy”. He added that law enforcement officers have installed a sign, advising that the “area belongs to Pattaya City and that parking is free”. Signs have also been installed instructing tourists who encounter issues to call 1337, Pattaya’s 24-hour city hotline, to make a report.

Reumkitkarn stressed that the parking area “is free for locals and tourists, especially for domestic tourists who are going to Koh Larn, taking pictures with the Pattaya City signature sign, or going up to the viewpoint or lighthouse area nearby”. He said that the rationale behind the offer of additional spaces is also to “increase the value proposition” of visiting Koh Larn.

Meanwhile, Reumkitkarn additionally noted that authorities have also been stopping similar scams along Beach Road at Pattaya Beach, where motorists can also expect to find free parking.

SOURCE: Pattaya News