Ha Noi People’s Committee has begun implementing new methods to lessen troublesome traffic jams in the city.

The municipal Transport Department in co-operation with city police and district-level People’s Committees will be responsible for removing temporary houses, stores and markets illegally built along roadsides, while seizing and punishing unregistered vehicles travelling on the roads.

The department will fix more traffic equipment, traffic lights and signs to ensure people’s safety when travelling.

The Viet Nam Road Department and relevant agencies will reroute traffic at junctions, including by the bridges of Thang Long, Thanh Tri, Vinh Tuy and Chuong Duong.

Project management boards must complete work on 18 pedestrian overpasses by June 2010, and on the Kim Lien traffic junction.

The department will be responsible for supervising the projects for the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi, such as Nguyen Phong Sac and Lac Long Quan roads, and will have the authority to change contractors if they fail to accomplish their tasks.

The committee will also focus on disseminating knowledge of traffic laws.

Thach Nhu Sy, chief inspector of the department, said that the department would entrust the officials in co-operation with city police to lessen traffic jams across the capital.

"On the way to my office on Ly Nam De Street, I suffer at least two traffic jams everyday at the O Cho Dua and Ton Duc Thang-Nguyen Thai Hoc crossroads. It takes a long time and puts a lot of pressure on me," said Le Thanh Chung of the Ly Nam De Hotel.

Many people had missed important meetings, flights and other critical events due to traffic jams, Chung added.

"Traffic along Chuong Duong and Thang Long bridges used to be very smooth, but now they are both full of vehicles all the time," said Le Van Hop, a taxi driver.

Chung and Hop both have doubts over the effectiveness of these methods.

"There’s been a lot of talk about dealing with traffic jams; however, it seems that the situation has become even more serious," said Chung.

They said they hoped that all these new efforts would take effect soon.

Ban on smaller buses

HCM City’s Department of Transport has proposed a ban on 30-seat buses operating during peak hours as part of efforts to ease the city’s traffic congestion.

According to the department’s vice chief inspector Tran Hong Nam, coaches with a capacity of more than 30 seats would only be allowed to run in the city between 10am to 2pm and 7pm to 5am.

The move would help ease traffic congestion caused by big coaches picking up customers at hotels or commercial centres due to a shortage of parking places, Nam said.

He added that the city had permitted coach drivers to temporarily park their vehicles on roads in 41 city streets, which also made the traffic situation worse during peak hours.

According to Nam, the ban will not have much effect on tourists and travel companies as small coaches are still accepted.

Currently, the city’s Urban Traffic Management Unit No1, co-operating with the department’s traffic inspectors and city police, is drawing up plans to limit the coaches’ access to ring roads.

The proposal would be submitted to the People’s Committee this month, he said.

The department will also re-examine traffic facilities and make a list of crowded streets that need parking signs installed as part of measures to ease the traffic situation by the first quarter of 2010.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News