HCM CITY — The HCM City Department of Transport has sought permission to rent 100 more cameras to monitor traffic safety, saying there are no cameras on a number of streets and intersections, which poses difficulties for authorities to tackle traffic problems.

Deputy Director of the department Võ Khánh Hưng said only a small number of cameras have been installed, leaving many roads unmonitored.

According to the department, a section of National Highway No 1A in Thủ Đức District is congested but cameras are only installed at intersections and traffic police checkpoints, allowing people to brazenly violate traffic rulers without fear of punishment.

Similarly, few cameras have been placed at crossroads and intersections such as the Nguyễn Xí-Đinh Bộ Lĩnh intersection in Bình Thạnh District, Hoàng Văn Thụ-Nguyễn Kiệm intersection in Phú Nhuận District and 3 February Street-Lê Hồng Phong intersection in District 10.

There are 591 traffic cameras connected with the department’s Centre for Traffic Monitoring and Operation, including 252 installed by others like the VOV National Traffic Channel, Phú Mỹ Hưng Development Co and the HCM City Urban Drainage Company Ltd, Hưng said.

The department would have to pay VNĐ2.5 billion (US$107,000) for renting and maintaining its 339 cameras next year.

The plan to hire 100 more cameras is also part of the master plan to develop HCM City into a smart city in 2017-20, according to the department.

Local cameras

Many districts have installed cameras to monitor public security, traffic safety and illegal use of pavements.

District 12 authorities have installed 600 in 11 wards and Gò Vấp District’s Ward 14 has installed 200 cameras.

In District 5’s Ward 12, cameras installed recently at the Tân Hưng-Thuận Kiều intersection have helped curb violations. Trần Phương Nam, chairman of the ward, said the ward has installed nearly 100 cameras.

The camera installation has helped improve proper use of pavements, he added.

In April, Bình Thạnh District launched an app for the public to complain about garbage dumping, illegal construction and pavement encroachment. It has yielded positive results and the city plans to expand the app to all districts.

Besides monitoring public security and traffic safety, cameras also help authorities quickly resolve problems and discover violations related to the use of pavements, a spokesman for the District 12 People’s Committee said.

Ðặng Công Tuấn, deputy chairman of Gò Vấp District’s Ward 14, said the cameras have helped reduce the number of violations. — VNS