The campaign is being carried out under the direction of Patong Police Chief Col Chalermchai Hirasawat, with oversight from Lt Col Somporn Surin of the Investigation Division and Lt Col Chamnan Sapsin of the Traffic Control Division. Day-to-day enforcement is led by Lt Jaruwat Thiamnakha and the Patong traffic unit.
On average, police issue tickets to 30-40 vehicles per day for parking in red-and-white zones, obstructing traffic or stopping in restricted areas. Officers say the workload is heavy, with around 500-600 tickets issued each month, yet many drivers quickly return to the same spots.
“Even if they pay the B500 fine, they come back and do it again,” one officer explained. “We try to be flexible if someone is just dropping off or picking up customers, but constant violations make it very difficult.”
Residents have long complained about illegal parking on Patong’s busy beach road, accusing police of failing to act. Officers counter that they are enforcing the law but face limitations: some say they cannot impound vehicles, and unpaid fines often require lengthy follow-up notices.
Traffic police say they are under pressure from all sides ‒ residents demanding order, taxi and tuk-tuk drivers questioning Grab and ‘black plate’ cars (illegal taxis), and senior commanders pushing for results.
According to the law, only motorcycle taxis are permitted to occupy fixed queue spaces, but Patong has designated 24 parking areas. In practice many are overcrowded, with drivers choosing to park in restricted zones. The drivers say that the lack of space “forces” them to do so.
“We want people to know the police are working,” an officer said. “We just don’t post about it online. The problem isn’t a lack of enforcement ‒ the issue is that the penalties are too light to deter repeat offenders.”
While Patong Police officers The Phuket News spoke to urged drivers to respect traffic laws, they warned that stricter measures may be required at the legislative level to ease congestion on Patong’s busiest roads.