In the lively yet beleaguered city of Pattaya, patience has worn thin among residents as a much-delayed drainage and road construction project trudges into its fourth year without a finish line in sight. The neighborhood stretching from Thepprasit Soi 7 and 9 to Jomtien Second Road is at its wit’s end. What was initially heralded as pivotal infrastructure advancement has spiraled into what residents decry as a “never-ending” fiasco, wreaking havoc on their day-to-day existence. The communication from city officials has been as sparse as a rainstorm in the desert, leaving locals fuming.
As sunlight reflects off scattered puddles, a distraught condo resident airs his grievances, “This isn’t just inconvenient—it’s downright dangerous. We’re dodging potholes the size of craters, navigating trash-strewn streets, sidestepping stray dogs, and veering around detours that more than double our travel time—and nobody seems to blink an eye.”
The flashpoint of local exasperation is a makeshift access road off Soi 17, which has turned into a treacherous, garbage-littered skid track. With Soi 7 now resembling a cratered war zone, access from Thepprasit Road stands entirely obliterated. This grim reality leaves residents with two equally unappealing options: a convoluted 4-kilometer detour winding through the Eastern Sports Park or a perilous journey along a quagmire-laden path that challenges even the most seasoned trekker.
If that’s not enough to raise your spirit’s white flag, then consider the intimidation residents face from motley packs of stray dogs roving these construction zones, rendering pedestrian access even more daunting. “Trekking through the mud is hard enough,” an exasperated lady remarks. “Now we must worry about getting bitten too? Talk about adding insult to injury!”
The Pattaya News bears witness to a frustrated outcry from condominium tenants, feeling like the overlooked stepchildren in favor of Pattaya’s glitzy tourist magnets like Jomtien Beach and the Eastern Sports Stadium. Despite a cascade of grievances aimed at city departments and pertinent agencies, they’re met with resounding radio silence. “We get it. Infrastructure projects eat up time, but four years devoid of timelines, updates, or even a semblance of concern for those of us who call this place home? That’s intolerable.”
Fed up with the runaround, locals are rallying for a change, imploring Pattaya officials to up their game. Their demands are clear: transparency, communication, and—to the point—immediate action. The clamor grows for city engineers and planners to break bread with impacted residents and provide a straightforward timetable for when this odyssey will finally conclude.
An impassioned shout from a condo tenant sums it up perfectly; “If this intricate mess unfolded in a tourist hotspot, you’d better believe it would have wrapped up years ago. It’s high time they acknowledge the residents who actually dwell here.” This mounting frustration could soon reach boiling point as the community issues a rallying cry: remedy the situation, or brace for the backlash.
I’ve been living in this area for five years, and this road project has been nothing but a nightmare. It’s like the city doesn’t care about residents at all.
I totally agree with you, Anna. The city only seems to care about tourists, not the people living here.
Exactly, Jim. It’s high time they start addressing our concerns with some honesty and urgency.
But isn’t it also on us to speak up more loudly? Maybe we need to organize and demand meetings with city officials.
It’s ridiculous how infrastructure projects like these can get so mishandled. In developed countries, there would be public outcry and government accountability measures in place.
Unfortunately, accountability is sorely lacking here. Sometimes I feel like we’re in an endless loop of broken promises.
As a frequent visitor, I must admit that these construction zones are a real pain. The city might be focusing on tourists, but even tourists are affected by this mess.
Tourists spend money here too, and yet, little seems to be done to address these ongoing issues. What’s the point of attracting visitors if they can’t get around?
My parents live in the area, and they’re struggling to even get around to do groceries. The detour is too far for them.
That’s really unfortunate, Maria. Older residents’ everyday lives shouldn’t be disrupted like this. It’s a social concern as much as it is an infrastructural one.
Can we talk about the stray dogs too? It’s scary sometimes, especially if you’re walking alone at night.
I tried to visit the Eastern Sports Park last time and got completely lost thanks to these detours. Wasted an hour just for a quick visit.
Same here! It’s such a confusing labyrinth, I ended up giving up altogether.
The city officials need to hold a public forum to discuss this. Holding them accountable is the only way forward.
Totally on board! But the question is, will they even listen?
It’s worth giving it a shot. If enough of us push, they might have no choice but to listen.
Just moved here for college, and I didn’t expect to have to plan an extra half hour to my commute every day. It’s exhausting.
Every day I think about how this is the kind of project that could easily be done in a year in other parts of the world.
Alex, maybe there’s more at play here. Corruption? Poor planning? We’ve all heard the stories.
Is there anyone in city hall actually doing something or are they all just enjoying the air conditioning in their offices?
Just a thought, if residents can organize a cleanup to help with the stray dogs and littering, it might pressurize the city into taking faster action.
That’s actually a good idea. It shows we care and maybe the city will step up as well.
We can try to do something small as a community. It’s better than doing nothing.