Illegal parking areas and street-side vendors are encroaching on pavement and roads in HCM City, causing traffic congestion, particularly on narrow streets. — VNS Photo Manh Dat.

HCM CITY — Illegal parking areas and street-side vendors are encroaching on pavement and roads in HCM City, causing traffic congestion, particularly on narrow streets.

During a recent meeting with city leaders, Bùi Xuân Cường, director of HCM City Department of Transport, said the city government would impose strict penalties on grass-roots governments of localities where pavement and road encroachment has not been controlled.

According to the department, the city has 4,896 large and small roads. However, more than half of the city five million kilometres of roads do not have sidewalks, so vehicles have to park illegally in the road.

Districts 1 and 3 have 167 streets, with most of the streets prohibiting parking. However, parking violations are rampant.

Cường said that illegal parking would be difficult to stop. Five years from now, four underground parking areas in Lê Văn Tám Park, Trống Đồng Theatre, Hoa Lư Stadium, and Tao Đàn Park are expected to be completed.

The four underground parking areas will have capacity to accommodate a total of 6,291 cars and 3,916 motorbikes.

In a report to the city government, of 159 major streets which districts have committed to reestablish order on sidewalks, only 39 streets have reached a clearance target of 95 percent after four years. 

The recent campaign to restore order on sidewalks and roads around the city showed positive results.

However, it has not met expectations. The chairman of HCM City’s People’s Committee Nguyễn Thành Phong said more effort was needed.

A representative from Phú Nhuận District said fines had been handed out for 200 cases of pavement encroachment on roads, including Hồ Văn Huê, Phan Xích Long, Trường Sa. However encroachment has continued.

The situation is the same in District 7 and Thủ Đức as there are several industrial parks with several temporary markets for workers. Authorities have cleared the temporary markets but they have popped up again.  

Phong said local residents were concerned about the encroachment on sidewalks and wanted strong action against violators.

The city leader also proposed a solution to organise some streets and areas in the city’s districts for vendors to gather and trade. —VNS