Nghe An urgently handles unsafe 'black spots' on newly opened roads

Danger from newly opened roads

With the efforts of the entire political system, the work of ensuringtraffic safetyIn Nghe An, there have been quite positive changes when the number of incidents and casualties has decreased sharply. However, recently, due to the increasing traffic density and the fact that there are still some newly opened roads in the area, it is really a nightmare for the people.traffic accident

A serious traffic accident on the 35m road at the intersection of the 35m road and Vinh - Cua Hoi road on the night of March 3 left 3 people dead. Photo: PV

The most frequent accident recently is the 35m belt road, from National Highway 46, Nghi An commune to Lam riverside road, Hung Hoa commune (Vinh city). According to our observation, the 35m belt road is about 8 km long but has 3black spotand 2-3 potential traffic accident points.

Of these, the intersection between Vinh - Cua Hoi road and road 35 in Hung Loc commune; the intersection between road 35m and Le Quy Don road and the intersection between road 35m and road 90m in Nghi Duc commune are the most dangerous.

Vehicles traveling on the 35m beltway from National Highway 46 from Nghi An through Hung Hoa to the Lam River road to Ha Tinh province are mainly super-long and super-heavy vehicles, and most of them are truck drivers from other provinces and suburbs who are not familiar with the terrain and residential roads, so when they encounter unexpected incidents, they can easily cause accidents. Photo: Nguyen Hai

At these 3 black spots, because most of the vehicles on the 35m road are from other provinces, avoiding Vinh city to the East to go to Ha Tinh province, they go quite fast but are not familiar with the terrain and residential roads, so when an incident occurs, it is very difficult to handle.

A three-way intersection of a residential road in Xuan Huong hamlet connecting to the 35m road has limited visibility, so there are many sudden brake marks on the road, burning the road surface and traffic accidents happen frequently. Photo: Nguyen Hai

A resident of Xuan Duc hamlet, Nghi Duc commune said: Every few days there is an accident. The most serious accident was on the night of March 1, at the intersection between 35m road and Vinh - Cua Hoi road in Hung Loc commune. Although the intersection had traffic lights, two cars crashed head-on, killing three people on the way to the emergency room.

Previously, on March 14, another accident occurred on the 35m road intersecting with Le Quy Don street in Nghi Duc commune, killing one person.

And on the morning of March 17, at the intersection between 35m road and 95m road in Xuan Duc hamlet, Nghi Duc commune (Vinh city), two traffic accidents occurred at the same time, injuring at least 4 people, and severely damaging cars and motorbikes. The case is being handled by the Commune Police and the cause is being investigated.

The intersection of 35m road and Le Quy Don road (near the army barracks) in Nghi Duc commune has a very narrow view, drivers have to turn around and look in the rearview mirror but are always uneasy when passing this intersection. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Since the 35m road was put into use, every few days there has been a traffic accident. Preliminary statistics show that at least 5 people have died and many have been injured. Accidents occur not only because road users are not used to crossing the road without looking, but also partly because the new road has intersections with residential roads with sharp angles of 30 - 45 degrees, so visibility is very limited; vehicles traveling on the 35m road are mainly inter-provincial vehicles that drive fast and are unfamiliar with the road, so accidents are very likely to occur.

Mr. Nguyen Binh Trieu - Secretary of Nghi Duc Commune Party Committee

A recent car rollover accident on Vinh bypass in Nghi Van commune, Nghi Loc district. Photo: Nguyen Hai

In addition to the 35m road, according to the synthesis of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee, in recent years,Vinh bypassThis is also a road that often has rollover accidents. The reason is that the traffic volume on this route is high and the road is narrow, the reflective system on both sides of the road is too small, making it difficult to observe when turning, and if two cars avoid each other or turn carelessly, they can easily lose control and flip over into a deep field.

The intersection of Vinh - Cua Lo 95m road with Nghi Phong commune's main road has been the site of several accidents and is potentially dangerous because it is near the market and right next to the Primary School gate. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Meanwhile, in Nghi Phong commune, there are more than 4 km of 95m road running through the area, but since the road was opened at the end of last year, 3 black spots have formed with the potential risk of causing traffic accidents. Recently, the intersection between 95m road and the main road of the commune has often had accidents, so the province has installed a set of traffic lights. However, the danger is still hidden because the operation of the lights is still inadequate, while this area has a high traffic density near the market and the commune's Primary School.

The reason why accidents often happen on newly opened roads is because of the high traffic volume and high speed. From the residential side, many road users are not used to going on the main road and lack concentration and observation, so they are very susceptible to accidents.

Mr. Vo Minh Duc - Deputy Chief of Office of Provincial Traffic Safety Committee said.

Take early remedial measures

Representative of Nghi Duc Commune People's Committee said: Given the current number of traffic accidents occurring on the 35m road,The commune has proposed several times that the city arrange for police to patrol, remind vehicles to slow down when passing through residential areas and in the long term, put up speed limit signs; at the same time, add a solution to expand the visibility of intersections, but it has not been handled yet.

The intersection of 95m road with Le Quy Don road seen from Nghi Phu down to Cua Lo. It is called an intersection but according to the residents, this intersection is a common point of 6 other residential roads so the viewing angle is very limited. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Ly - Vice Chairman of Nghi Phong Commune People's Committee suggested that when installing traffic lights at intersections, functional units need to calculate the appropriate light duration for the direction of movement of vehicles from all directions.

Currently, the distance between the traffic lights at the intersection of Nghi Phong main road and 95m road is too far apart, so there is a phenomenon that one side has not yet finished but the other side has already cut in front of the car, causing a very dangerous traffic conflict. It is also difficult for traffic participants to continue, but stopping is unsafe. Most recently, before the Lunar New Year, there was an accident between a taxi and a car, causing serious damage to both vehicles.

The intersection between the 35m road and the 95m road in Nghi Duc commune, seen from the 35m road of Nghi An commune towards Hung Hoa, on the 35m road there are many brake marks burning the asphalt road. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Sharing with us, a representative of the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee said: The Provincial Traffic Safety Committee Office is coordinating with the Department's departments to survey and count black spots and risk points, especially new routes. In the immediate future, the Committee is requesting relevant parties to urgently complete the remaining items. For the 72m road (from Hung Dong commune to Nghi Phu and the section from Nghi Duc - Cua Lo is 95m), auxiliary items such as traffic lights and warning signs must be urgently completed. In the long term, localities need to step up propaganda to raise traffic awareness for people along both sides of the road.

The intersection between Vinh - Cua Hoi road (Provincial Road 535) and 35m road has installed traffic lights but serious traffic accidents still occur, the reason is because of many vehicles, drivers lack observation and cannot control their speed. Photo: Nguyen Hai

On the morning of March 16, at the 72m and 95m road construction site, units are continuing to construct ditches, install signal cables and connect the main road with the residential road.

The representative of the construction unit at the scene also said: The 95m road from Cua Lo - Nghi Phu is new and people are not familiar with it, so it is very easy for accidents to happen. In principle, to ensure safety, vehicles are not allowed to travel on it, and if they do, they must observe and control their speed, it is very unfortunate that an accident happened.

The construction unit is installing a lighting system at the intersection between the 95m Xuan Duc road and the 35m road through Nghi Duc commune. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Mr. Le Hong Ha - Head of Traffic Safety Department, Road Administration Department II said: In 2020, based on the survey, Road Administration Department II invested 22.6 billion VND to handle and fix 9 black spots on national highways, including 2 light clusters on the bypass and some clusters on National Highway 1A. In 2021, the department is expected to invest 30 billion VND to handle 9 more black spots and potential spots.

According to Mr. Ha, in addition to the central budget, based on actual surveys, Nghe An should proactively allocate funds to handle traffic accident risk points on the routes managed by the province; in addition, it is necessary to strengthen propaganda and raise traffic awareness when operating new routes to minimize traffic accidents./.