HCM City (VNA) – The Transport and Public Works Department plans to clear all obstructions from city roads by the end of next year, said director Tran Quang Phuong.
Responding to numerous complaints about obstructions caused by construction projects, he said the department intended to clear 50 percent of them this year.
There are now 65 projects on 43 roads throughout the city, most of them aimed at solving flooding.
As a short-term solution, People’s Committee deputy chairman Nguyen Huu Tin said traffic police, volunteers and militias would control the traffic around the obstructions.
In the seven month since October, deaths from traffic injuries have fallen 13 percent to 539 – and injuries by 41 percent. However, the number of traffic jams has stayed about the same.
The death rate was too high, said People’s Council chairwoman Pham Phuong Thao. She described the figure as a “disaster.”
Thao said about 15 percent of urban land should be set aside for transport; however it was only about 4 percent now – and only 1.7 percent in the inner city.
Deputy Director of the Roadway Transport Bureau, Vo Van Van, said a careful survey was needed on the road situation.
Van said it was a waste that some roads were too busy all the time, but others were mostly devoid of traffic. At present, there are 128 points where traffic can jam in the city. It is estimated they cost the city about 14 trillion VND (875 million USD).-Enditem
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