HCM CITY – Hundreds of private, unlicensed container and truck yards in HCM City’s districts 2 and 9 are causing traffic congestion and other problems in the area, according to authorities.

In District 9, the yards are mostly located along Hoàng Hữu Nam, Tăng Nhơn Phú, and other streets.

Phú Hữu Ward alone has about 29 yards, according to the District 9 People’s Committee.

Most yards are located on locals’ agricultural land rented to business firms.

Many heavy trucks travelling in the area have damaged the roads, increasing the chances of accident among locals.

While some yards have no operation licence, others registered their licence under another address, the committee said.

Some truck drivers have been seen parking their vehicles on the main streets because the nearby container and truck yards were full.

The parking prevented the flow of traffic on the narrow Street 990 in District 9.

Nguyễn Thị Minh Thuỳ, a resident of District 9, told Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper that private container and truck yards were attracting many large vehicles to the area.

“It’s very dangerous when two trucks travel in the opposite direction on a six- to eight-metre road,” she said.

Meanwhile, many residents of District 2 are afraid to go out at night because of the number of trucks on the streets.

Ngô Đặng Quá Hải, head of Transport Management under the city’s Department of Transport, blamed the activities of the private unlicensed container and truck years on a shortage of public parking yards.

Though HCM City plans to save 1,145ha for parking yards, only 20 per cent of that is currently available.

HCM City also lacks parking yards in gateway areas surrounding the city.

Recently, the Department of Transport met with the HCM City Cargo Association and other authorities to discuss solutions.

At the event, the Cargo Association said that transport firms should be able to rent land in the Đền Hùng area in District 9’s Long Bình Ward to build parking yards. The area is sparsely populated and is close to New Miền Đông Station.

The Transport Department said it would have more discussions to understand business firms’ needs and expand the parking yards towards Nhà Bè and Củ Chi districts.

The department said that regular inspections must be carried out in districts 2 and 9, and that trucks that do not park in proper spots will be fined.

Local authorities are responsible for handling cases of private, unlicensed yards and clearing roads in their areas.  – VNS