Car Parking in Thailand

In Thailand, especially in the cities, parking spaces can be difficult to find due to the large number of cars here, so much so that you can see indiscriminate parking practically everywhere. Because of this, many people have the impression that there are no parking regulations in Thailand. However, the fact is, there are parking regulations here, just that as they are seldom enforced, many people think they do not exist.

Parking Regulations

To know whether you can park at a certain spot, take note of the painted markings on the kerb or on the road:

• A kerb painted with red and white markings means no parking at all times (see pic).
• A kerb painted with yellow and white markings means no parking is allowed but you can stop for a while to load/unload goods or to pick up/drop off passengers.
• White rectangles painted on the road indicate designated parking spots (see pic), subject to time constraints indicated on signs nearby (note: these signs may not be in English).
• Smaller white rectangles painted on the road indicate designated parking spots for motorcycles (see pic), again, subject to time constraints indicated on the signs.

Be careful when parking outside shops and businesses as many Thais do not take kindly to non-customers parking there, even though the area outside is often common property. Be prepared to get a stink eye from the owner of the establishment if you choose to do so.

Penalties

If you park in the wrong place or exceed the time allowed, you may get fined with a parking ticket. You will need to pay the fine at the police station. Take note that the police have been known to wheel clamp illegally parked vehicles. Only when the fine is paid will the police remove the clamp.

Parking Charges

One great thing about Thailand is that many places, including shopping centres, offer free parking. Contrast this to Singapore, where roadside parking costs about SGD 1.00 (about 25 baht) per hour and a typical shopping centre may charge about SGD 1.20 (about 30 baht) per hour for daytime parking and SGD 2.14 (about 53 baht) per entry after 6pm.

Some places, such as private property spaces converted into parking areas, may charge a small fee for parking, from 10 to 20 baht or more. They are usually located near busy places such as nightspots and markets and are indicated using simple signs painted in Thai or English. The charge can be on a flat fee or time based basis. For flat fee parking, the payment will usually be collected from you when you alight from your car. For time based parking, instead of collecting payment upfront, they will give you a slip with your entry time written on it and you will have to make payment just before you leave.

Special Parking

Cars are usually ‘double parked’ (i.e. side by side) in Thailand. However, when the lots allotted for double parking are full, motorists that come after will usually parallel park in front of the double parked ones so as to maximise space. These parallel parked cars will have their gear stick in neutral so that the driver of a double parked car can then push the parallel parked ones in front of his car out of the way when he wants to exit the lot.

This system only works on flat land, not on slopes. And though it might seem rather chaotic and dangerous to some, it is actually rather efficient and works well as everyone knows what they are doing.