What is the solution for traffic safety corridor violations?

(Baonghean) - Traffic safety corridor violations are currently quite common in many forms, appearing and existing in most districts and cities. Up to now, according to the Department of Transport's statistics, the total number of violations is about 10,535 cases.

Widespread violations

Together with Mr. Ho Sy Ha - a patrol officer of Hung Nghi Traffic Department - Waterway and Road Traffic Management and Construction Joint Stock Company, inspecting along provincial road 542C, from Km0+00 to Km7+500, it is not difficult to see constructions encroaching on the traffic corridor. Along the 5km long road, people have built houses and shops close together to do business.

Pointing to a newly built clothing store made of corrugated iron right next to the roadside, Mr. Ha said: “This is a clothing kiosk owned by Mr. Nguyen Van Hung in Hamlet 7, Hung Thong Commune (Hung Nguyen). This kiosk was built in 2015, although we have inspected and made a record, the local authorities still have not handled it. This is not the only case, right along Highway 542C, people and local authorities are indifferent to the existence of violations, the kiosk is brazenly built right on the 12/9 Canal, violating the traffic safety corridor and irrigation works.”

A row of shops in Hamlet 7, Hung Thong Commune (Hung Nguyen) encroach on the traffic safety corridor of Provincial Road 542C.

Not only business stalls and garbage, there is also the situation of building solid houses on the corridor. Typically, in Do Luong, Mr. Nguyen Cong Bay's family in Hamlet 7, Minh Son Commune built a house encroaching on the 61m2 corridor. Road Management Department 7B has inspected and reported to the local authorities to conduct an inspection and make a record to stop construction. The situation of individuals building solid houses in traffic safety corridors occurs especially frequently in the mountainous districts of Ky Son, Que Phong, Tuong Duong, Quy Hop...

Leaving Hung Thong, we went to Lieu market in Hung Linh commune (Hung Nguyen). The market is located right next to the road along Lam river, and the traders and residents living nearby "carelessly" dump their trash right on the side of the road. At noon, the trash spills out onto the dike, obstructing traffic and giving off a foul smell. Not only that, along this route, right at the foot of Vang bridge, trash is also piled up right on the embankment, obscuring the marker posts.

Mr. Le Thanh Binh - Deputy Head of the Traffic Infrastructure Management Department, Department of Transport said that violations are common and have existed for many years but there has been no definitive solution. For extra-urban routes, violations are mainly illegal leveling, building kiosks, fences, gathering construction materials, car washes... For urban routes, violations are mainly using the roadway and sidewalk for markets, trading, illegal parking, gathering construction waste... occurring in most of the 21 districts and cities, seriously affecting security, order, and urban beauty in the area.

Not only roads, encroachment on railway corridors is quite common. According to a summary from Nghe Tinh Railway Management Company Limited, in the province there are currently 37 houses violating the protection of railway works with an area of ​​960m2; 89 auxiliary works violating the area of ​​6,021.5m2; 36 tents violating the area of ​​1,900m2 and 46 fences violating the area of ​​3,613m2. The violations are mainly historical and have not been cleared. The localities with many violations are Nghi Kim commune (Vinh city) and Thai Hoa town.

What is the cause?

The encroachment of traffic safety corridors and sidewalks for non-traffic purposes and the opening of illegal crossroads have greatly affected traffic safety activities in the area, causing outrage in the whole society.

Mr. Nguyen Que Su - Deputy Director of the Department of Transport said that the reason is that the construction of traffic infrastructure is not yet synchronous, causing difficulties in the management of boundary markers, land markers of roads are not arranged properly according to regulations, GPMB markers...

Meanwhile, the involvement of local authorities and functional forces has not been really drastic, the implementation has not been regular and continuous. Even when the Transport sector has a record of construction suspension, the handling of violations is not serious, resolute and inconclusive, the coordination between agencies and levels of government is not synchronous. In general, the management of traffic safety corridors by local authorities at all levels and agencies and units is not strict.

2 restaurants in Xuan Lam hamlet, Nghi Xuan - Nghi Loc encroach on traffic safety corridor.

In many cases, the Department of Transport has inspected and made records, but the local authorities, for many reasons, have not intervened to handle the case. Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho - patrol officer of Hung Nghi Traffic Department said, right in Xuan Lam hamlet, Nghi Xuan commune (Nghi Loc), there were 2 cases of Nguyen Ngoc Cam and Mai Van Trang households building a solid restaurant on the traffic corridor, we made records to suspend the construction, but until now the project has been completed and put into operation, the local authorities have not yet handled it. A project that violates the law cannot be an example, the violation will continue to happen and spread.

Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan - General Planning Department, Waterway and Road Traffic Construction and Management Joint Stock Company explained: “Within the scope of their duties and powers, the traffic inspection force and the unit directly managing road and railway traffic works only make records of violations and issue decisions on administrative sanctions, while the organization of forced clearance and dismantling of violating works is under the authority and responsibility of the head of the local government at the district and commune levels. However, the government is showing its powerlessness in dealing with violations.”

In addition, it is also found that people's awareness and compliance with traffic laws are still limited, especially regulations on management and protection of traffic safety corridors. Many violations exist due to history but have not been thoroughly resolved, especially cases of compensation for site clearance when implementing projects. Difficulties in capital sources to implement the construction of the collector road system, connecting according to the approved plan.

Every year, the Department of Transport has proactively coordinated with relevant departments and branches to advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue many plans and directives on clearing traffic safety corridors, organizing many corridor clearing campaigns, and urban beautification. It has directed traffic inspectors to coordinate with road management units to patrol, detect violations of traffic safety corridors, draw up administrative violation records for violations, and transfer them to local authorities for handling according to regulations; coordinate with the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee to install many signs with propaganda content on traffic safety corridor regulations on roads to raise people's awareness and understanding of road and railway traffic laws, especially in new residential areas, industrial parks, etc. However, violations still exist.

Another shortcoming is that the system of road boundary markers and construction boundaries is mainly arranged on some national highways, provincial roads and some important streets but is not complete according to regulations (from 50-100m/marker for urban roads, 300-500m/marker for roads outside urban areas and from 500-1,000m for mountainous roads with sparse population). Other routes and the entire railway system have not been implemented, causing great difficulties for management organizations. Among the violations of traffic safety corridors, there are many works located on traffic safety corridor land but the land use rights have been granted unclearly and specifically (not separating residential land and garden land...) or due to historical reasons because the compensation budget for site clearance is limited.

Based on the current situation of the work of clearing, managing and protecting traffic safety corridors in the province, the Department of Transport is proposing that the Provincial People's Committee allow the development of a Resolution "Regulations on a number of measures to clear road, railway and sidewalk traffic safety corridors in Nghe An in the period of 2017 - 2020" to submit to the Provincial People's Council for consideration and decision. The Department of Transport has developed synchronous solutions on propaganda, patrolling, controlling and handling violations; handling encroachment and re-encroachment of traffic safety corridors; managing, maintaining and protecting corridors as well as solutions for reasonable investment to prioritize the implementation of work items to effectively carry out the task of clearing and managing traffic safety corridors. It is expected that the budget for this work in the 4 years from 2017 - 2020 will be over 100 billion VND from the provincial budget, socialization and the provincial road maintenance fund.

Thu Huyen