Prime Minister: 'We must not let people be unable to return home for Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations.'

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to coordinate with relevant agencies to immediately implement solutions to alleviate traffic congestion in the city, especially during the Lunar New Year (Tet) and Spring Festival 2017.

Specifically, the Prime Minister requested the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to take the lead and coordinate with the National Traffic Safety Committee and relevant ministries to resolutely eliminate illegal taxis and unauthorized bus stops, especially during the first and last days of holidays and Tet; to survey and more decisively and thoroughly address traffic congestion hotspots, especially those locations where prolonged congestion frequently occurs.

At the same time, strengthen the presence of functional forces such as traffic police, transport inspectors, local authorities, and volunteer youth forces... to direct and guide traffic, preventing traffic conflicts at these locations; mobilize the maximum number of vehicles to serve traffic during Tet; resolutely ensure that no one is unable to return home for Tet due to a lack of transportation.

Continue to improve the institutions, mechanisms, and policies for urban management in Ho Chi Minh City; including the task of limiting population growth in the inner city in some areas of the city; focus on reviewing all urban planning and urban transportation development planning; pay attention to ensuring construction density according to regulations; review all high-rise building projects in the inner city; study the construction of regional satellite cities to spread out the population in the inner city; have a roadmap to control and limit private vehicles; strengthen the development of public transport such as regular buses and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)...

The Ministry of Transport, in coordination with relevant ministries and localities, will research and implement the construction of routes from the southwestern provinces to Long An port to reduce traffic volume to Ho Chi Minh City.

Expanding Tan Son Nhat International Airport

The Prime Minister also requested Ho Chi Minh City to invest in bus and truck terminals to ensure connectivity with road, rail, and inland waterway transport; and underground and above-ground parking lots to serve static traffic according to the plan (especially in the city center to limit parking on roads and sidewalks, and reduce traffic congestion).

Continue to promote the campaign to build a culture of traffic safety; strengthen the dissemination of traffic safety laws to road users; direct local functional forces to coordinate with forces of the Ministry of Public Security to strengthen patrols, inspections, and strictly handle violations of traffic laws in the area.

At the same time, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Transport to take the lead and coordinate with the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to urgently develop investment plans for upgrading and expanding Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and submit them to the Prime Minister before February 25, 2017.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City still has 37 high-risk traffic congestion points. In addition, several radial and ring roads, areas around bus and train stations, and routes to and from Tan Son Nhat International Airport experience high traffic volume, frequently congested during peak hours, traffic accidents, and bad weather.

The reasons for this situation are due to poor organization, implementation, and management of construction planning, limitations in controlling urban population, irrational urban spatial organization, and numerous shortcomings in traffic management...

According to VNA/News