Restoring order to traffic corridors: Decisive action is needed at the grassroots level.

Simultaneous operation launched to clear traffic corridors.

Recently, many localities in the province have simultaneously launched campaigns to clear and handle violations, achieving noteworthy initial results. In Thuan Trung commune, on the morning of August 7th, the commune's police force, in coordination with relevant departments and agencies, organized a campaign to simultaneously clear traffic safety corridors throughout the area. During the campaign, the authorities inspected and reminded households still violating regulations, confiscated 3 awnings and 15 advertising signs, and dismantled 21 illegally installed billboards. In addition, the force also cleared 150 meters of inter-commune road and persuaded 52 businesses to sign commitments not to re-offend. Notably, most people cooperated and voluntarily dismantled structures encroaching on sidewalks and roads.

Mr. Tran Van Phu, a resident living near the inter-communal road, shared: “Previously, some sections of the road were encroached upon, making travel quite inconvenient, especially during rush hour or when it rained. Since the authorities launched the campaign, the roads are much clearer, and everyone is happy. We hope this will be maintained regularly and that the encroachment will not recur like before.”

Van An commune also quickly implemented the plan with a launching ceremony held on the afternoon of August 8th. With the determination to ensure "clear roads and sidewalks," the commune mobilized the coordinated participation of various forces: police, military, officials from various departments, organizations, and the people. During this campaign, violations along National Highways 15A, 46, 46C, Provincial Road 539B, and inter-commune and residential routes were focused on. Besides removing awnings, signs, construction materials, and barriers, the commune also emphasized public awareness campaigns, leveraging the role of the public address system and model projects to raise community awareness and minimize re-encroachment.

In Cua Lo ward, a key tourist area of ​​the province, the work of clearing traffic safety corridors is being carried out synchronously and resolutely. On July 30th, the People's Committee of Cua Lo ward organized a campaign to handle violations on central streets such as Nguyen Sinh Cung, Binh Minh, Sao Nam… where sidewalk encroachment and rampant street vending frequently occur, posing a risk to traffic safety and affecting urban aesthetics. On the first day of the campaign, the authorities confiscated 52 illegal advertising signs, issued violation notices to 3 businesses that deliberately violated regulations, and required the remaining businesses to sign commitments to comply with regulations and not re-encroach.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo Ward, emphasized: "The rectification of encroachment on traffic safety corridors will be maintained regularly from now until the end of the year. The ward has planned to organize three more intensive campaigns, and at the same time, deployed forces to monitor and handle violations daily to thoroughly prevent recurrence. Any interference or obstruction of the implementation process will be strictly dealt with according to the law."

According to Mr. Hung, in addition to enforcement measures, the ward is also implementing a comprehensive set of solutions such as marking boundaries, painting lines, and placing signs to manage the corridor; beautifying greenery and fences, arranging parking spaces appropriately, and increasing the use of surveillance cameras at "hot spots".

The responsibilities of the leaders need to be clarified.

The simultaneous enforcement activities in the aforementioned localities are part of the strict implementation of the directives in Document No. 7258/UBND-NC issued by the People's Committee of Nghe An province on July 24, 2025. The document requires departments, agencies, and the People's Committees of communes and wards to strengthen management, clear violations, and prevent re-encroachment on road and railway safety corridors throughout the province, based on their functions and duties.

Accordingly, the People's Committees at the commune and ward levels must develop specific plans and organize intensive campaigns to clear violations, combining public awareness campaigns with strict enforcement against offenders. Simultaneously, functional forces such as the Police, Traffic Police, the Department of Construction, and the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee are tasked with strengthening coordination, inspection, and close supervision to ensure effectiveness and consistency throughout the province.

In reality, although many localities have launched simultaneous campaigns and achieved initial results in clearing traffic safety corridors, the reality in some places shows that the handling of violations is still not thorough and lacks sustainability.

On roads such as Chu Van An (Thanh Vinh ward), Le Viet Thuat, and Vinh - Cua Hoi (Vinh Loc ward), the encroachment on sidewalks for business purposes is widespread, affecting aesthetics and traffic safety.

In the Quan Banh market area (Vinh Phu ward), despite signs prohibiting parking on the road and markings allowing parking on the sidewalk, order is only maintained for a short time. Currently, many businesses arbitrarily occupy sidewalks and place obstacles, preventing people from parking legally. Vendors display their goods on the road, and buyers stop their vehicles haphazardly, causing frequent chaos. National Highway 1A, which is already busy in this area, is now even narrower, posing a high risk of accidents.

Similarly, the area surrounding Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, especially along Ho Tong Thoc street, remains a hotspot for encroachment on sidewalks and roads for trading and placing advertising signs, causing urban disorder.

In Con Cuong commune, the encroachment on traffic safety corridors along National Highway 7, especially the sections passing through market areas, has not yet been completely resolved...

The persistent problem of encroachment on traffic safety corridors stems from historical factors, ingrained habits, and inadequacies in management.

One of the objective reasons is the existence of unresolved historical issues. For example, dozens of kiosks along Provincial Road 542C, which were leased by the People's Committees of Hung Tan, Hung Thong, Hung Xa communes and the former Hung Nguyen town before 1995, have yet to be definitively dealt with, leading to a situation of "both managing and allowing them to remain".

However, the main cause still stems from the long-standing habit of residents living and trading along the streets. After each clearance operation, if there is a lack of regular supervision and maintenance by the authorities, re-encroachment is almost inevitable.

Furthermore, the handling of violations reveals many shortcomings. The penalties are not sufficiently deterrent, while law enforcement at the grassroots level lacks the personnel, equipment, and funding to maintain regular patrols and inspections. This reality means that many minor violations go unaddressed, fostering complacency and disregard for the law.

Furthermore, in some localities, the implementation of land clearance remains lacking in decisiveness and coordination among various forces. The awareness and responsibility of some grassroots officials and civil servants are still low; they are hesitant, afraid of confrontation, or lax in post-clearance management, leading to unsustainable results.

In an interview with us, Mr. Phan Huy Chuong, Deputy Head of the Traffic Safety Committee of Nghe An province, stated that based on Document No. 7258/UBND-NC dated July 24, 2025, from the Provincial People's Committee, the Committee issued Document No. 175/ATGT dated August 19, 2025, requesting localities to coordinate in surveying and evaluating the implementation of traffic safety and order after two months of implementing the two-tiered local government model.

According to Mr. Chuong, after inspecting several communes and wards, it was found that the implementation was still not decisive enough, and the results after clearance had not been maintained, especially the prevention of re-encroachment had not been given due attention. Based on this, the Committee will compile a detailed report for the Provincial People's Committee to direct corrective measures.

"

To create significant and sustainable changes in restoring order along traffic corridors, it is necessary to clearly assign responsibility to the heads of communes and wards, specifically the Chairmen of the People's Committees and the Heads of the local Police, for the results of clearing, handling, and maintaining order along traffic safety corridors in their assigned areas. Without commitment and responsibility from the leaders themselves, it is easy to fall into a situation where large-scale campaigns are launched but then things revert back to how they were, with enforcement being done in a piecemeal fashion.

Mr. Phan Huy Chuong - Deputy Head of the Traffic Safety Committee of Nghe An Province