Capital acts to ensure traffic safety
The Hanoi Transport Department has taken measures to ensure those traveling on the roads remain safe during the upcoming (Tet) Lunar New Year.
Officials said that during the holiday period, beginning January 28, traffic congestion is forecast to be 3-4 times higher than normal.
Among steps taken, the department has installed new traffic lights at key traffic intersections, including Tran Thai Tong–Duong Dinh Nghe in Tu Liem District; Nguyen Xien–Kim Giang in Thanh Xuan District; and Phap Van – National Highway 1B in Thanh Tri District.
Director of the department Nguyen Quoc Hung said at a meeting late last week that inter-agency inspection teams, made up of traffic police, traffic inspectors, and police in districts, will conduct more inspections to deter violations of traffic laws, especially in inner districts and on stretches of national highways.
The teams will also attempt to stop street vendors entering onto roads to do business and causing traffic jams, he said.
Lane separators for cars and motorbikes are to be set up between January 15 and February 16, he said.
Also, vehicles with loading capacities higher than 1.25 tonnes will be banned from traveling during rush hours on several streets, including Pham Van Dong, Pham Hung and Thang Long Boulevard, he said.
Depending on the situation, the department could also issue plans to adjust the time for taxis being on the roads to reduce traffic congestion, he said.
Colonel Dao Vinh Thang, head of the Hanoi's Traffic Police Office, said that the city now has 49 black zones which often suffer from serious traffic congestion, and 164 other zones which are forecast to have high levels of congestion during Tet.
However, officials said there are not enough traffic police and inter-agency traffic inspectors to control the situation when the traffic density is predicted to be higher than normal, he said.
In the meantime, Hung, director of the department, said that transportation firms may need to reduce the number of vehicles picking up passengers at bus stations if their coaches or taxi drivers are discovered to be carrying more passengers than allowed, or if they are picking up passengers at undesignated locations.