The Introduction of Hourly Parking Fee in China Town in Bangkok

Congestion is the vital threat of traffic management. While relatively more studies focus on moving vehicles, parking policy appears to be fascinating as every car trip has to deal with two parking actions. The topic becomes even more interesting with the fact that cars are normally parked over 80% of the week which calls for a parking management as a part of the whole transportation strategies. China Town in Bangkok is chosen to be case study for its strong characteristics and all-day-long activities that welcome all kinds of visitors. Yaowarat Rd. is a one-way main road to access the area where over 70,000 cars passing by daily (7am-7pm). The survey on drivers’ behavior was used as a tools to investigate the effects of new regulation. It is strongly hoped that this study should at least raise awareness of the essence of parking policy as an instrument for traffic management.