ĐỒNG NAI — The Đồng Nai Traffic Safety Committee, in co-ordination with local authorities, has closed all illegal road-railway crossing in the province since March this year.

The work followed the request of Standing Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình and the National Traffic Safety Committee.

Nguyễn Bôn, chief of the secretariat of the Đồng Nai Traffic Safety Committee, said the north-south railway system ran through five districts and towns of Đồng Nai Province with a length of 90km.

Local authorities set up 57 road-railway crossings with mobile warning system, guards and signals.

However, residents opened 66 illegal road-railway crossings without any warning signals, mainly in Biên Hòa City and Trảng Bom and Xuân Lộc districts.

The provincial authorities checked and decided to keep 11 crossings which are near industrial zones and residential areas. The province is setting up watchtowers, installing equipment and assigning guards to keep close watch at the 11 crossings all day and night.

Bôn said locals’ awareness was still low, so they could re-open the illegal crossings. In the future, the Đồng Nai Traffic Safety Committee would improve education, and wards people’s committees would strengthen inspection, imposing appropriate penalties on violators.

The province has witnessed five railway accidents, so far, this year, according to the Đồng Nai Traffic Safety Committee. The accidents killed six people and injured eight others, an increase by one and eight compared with the same period last year, respectively. Reasons for the accidents were locals crossing the railway line illegally and encroaching upon the railway safety corridor. — VNS