You may wonder where all the public car parking is in Patong. Well they’re there, it’s just that the local tuk tuks and taxis take up all the spaces.
Now the Patong tuk-tuk drivers are being warned about using public parking spaces, in particular along the Patong beach road. The Phuket News reports that police were responding after a tuk-tuk driver was found to be using a public parking space on Thaweewong Road on Saturday, August 12.
According to the report, there had been several online complaints about Patong tuk-tuk drivers taking up public parking spaces.
After Saturday’s incident, Pongpan Tesawit from Patong Traffic Police arrived to speak with the offending tuk-tuk driver at around 3.45pm. The driver was found parked in one of two parking spaces on Thaweewong Road, in an area that has 24 public parking spaces available.
The driver was given a formal warning issued under the direction of Patong Police Chief Sujin Nilbadi and 3 deputy superintendents at Patong Police Station.
According to the Phuket News, tuk-tuk drivers have also been asked to refrain from behaving in a threatening manner towards cars that arrive to pick up tourists, to avoid causing “fear or shock to others by coercion or result in an offence against liberty.”
In order to protect Patong’s reputation, tuk-tuk drivers are also being asked to be good hosts to tourists in the area.
“Do not take advantage (of people), and charge a fair fare to promote a good tourism image for Phuket and Thailand.”
On their Facebook page, Patong Police have shared photos of the tuk-tuk parked in a public parking space along the beach road.
The Phuket News points out that the police warning makes no mention of green-plate taxis taking up public parking spaces, despite one of their photos clearly showing this to be the case.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
