Phetchabun provincial authorities on Monday said solving the traffic problem at Phu Thap Boek, the mountainous attraction in the province, was their priority as the winter tourist season will be in full swing soon.
The decision came after some 20,000 holidaymakers swarmed Phu Thap Boek in Lom Sak district during the Chulalongkorn Memorial Day long weekend, outstripping the capacity and facilities of the scenic destination and causing a traffic jam as long as 30 kilometres
Phetchabun governor Bundit Theveethaivarak said the traffic snarls at Phu Thap Boek was a major problem that needed to be solved quickly as huge numbers of tourists are expected to stream into the area, as well as Khao Kho National Park, in Lom Sak district ahead of and during the New Year holiday.
He said authorities previously managed traffic flows by temporarily stopping incoming vehicles from going up the mountain when there was a traffic congestion on the hilltop road.
Once authorities were able to ease the traffic, they allowed the new visitors to go up the mountain.
However, he admitted there were so many visitors during the long weekend holiday that they could not manage the traffic despite an increase in the number of officials.
Double-parking on the two-way narrow road and motorists stopping to take photos of the panoramic view of the “sea of fog” were also to blame for the traffic nightmare.
Mr Bundit was speaking before a meeting with Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, officials from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and other relevant agencies to discuss social and environmental issues at Phu Thap Boek, and also to review a proposal to limit the number of visitors and expand roads.
Mr Bundit said there were two groups of visitors at the popular attraction — those who stay overnight and those who don't.
He was considering asking the second group to enjoy the attractions in the morning and leave in the afternoon to avoid creating a backlog of traffic during the peak season.
Another option was to direct all departing traffic to another road leading to Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park in Nakhon Thai district instead of using the same route.
The alternative route is longer but can help alleviate the traffic problem for Phu Thap Boek revellers.
The governor added a special task force led by the provincial public works officials is expected to inspect 62 resorts to curb illegal construction of tourist facilities in national park areas.
The Meteorological Department on Monday said the wet season in the upper part of Thailand had ended and the winter began on Oct 22 as temperatures continued to drop.
Wide expanses of Phu Thap Boek in Phetchabun, one of the country’s largest areas for growing cabbage, are occupied by resorts and tourist lodges as farmers and outside developers take advantage of the high demand. An investigation is under way into which of the resorts were built illegally and further construction has been banned. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)