Vinh City: Sign expired for half a year but still not re-installed

(Baonghean) - Mr. Bui Duc Loc - Director of Vinh Urban Infrastructure Management and Development Joint Stock Company said that "the signboard placement was indeed late" but "the process required it to be like that".

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Although the Provincial People's Committee has issued a Decision for nearly half a year, Vinh City still has not removed hundreds of old, expired signs to replace them with new ones.

On January 18, 2016, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee issued Decision 10/2016/QD-UBND (replacing Decision No. 43/2014/QD-UBND dated July 28, 2014) to regulate routes and restricted traffic times for vehicles in Vinh City. Of which, 46 main routes are prohibited for trucks with a total weight (including the weight of the vehicle plus the goods allowed to participate in traffic according to design) of 4 tons or more and passenger cars with 16 seats or more operating from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.

This sign regulating routes, vehicle types and hours of travel expired six months ago but has yet to be replaced. Photo: Tien Hung

On 21 other routes, trucks with a total weight of 10 tons or more and passenger cars with more than 16 seats are prohibited from operating from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day. In addition, this Decision also prohibits inter-provincial freight vehicles with a total weight of over 10 tons from entering Vinh City via National Highway 1A, except for vehicles permitted by the Provincial People's Committee and vehicles of agencies, units, organizations and individuals with the need to deliver and receive goods within Vinh City, which are allowed to enter and exit on the condition that they have sufficient procedures for delivering and receiving goods or are permitted by the Vinh City People's Committee...

On December 6, 2016, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 70/QD-UBND, replacing Decision No. 10, adjusting the ban on trucks with a permitted cargo weight (according to the certificate of technical safety inspection and environmental protection of road motor vehicles), from 1.8 tons or more (the old decision banned trucks with a total weight of 4 tons or more) and passenger cars with 16 seats or more from operating from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on 50 main roads.

On the remaining 19 routes, trucks with a permitted cargo weight of 4 tons or more and passenger cars with 16 seats or more are prohibited from operating from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day.

Decision 70 signed by Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Huynh Thanh Dien also prohibits trucks and passenger cars from traveling on drainage ditch No. 1 (connecting Nguyen Thai Hoc Street to Ho Thanh Street) and drainage ditch No. 3.

In addition, trucks that do not deliver or receive goods in Vinh city with a permitted cargo weight of 4 tons or more and passenger vans running on fixed routes that do not have approval to pick up or drop off passengers at Vinh Bus Station or Vinh Market Bus Station are prohibited from entering Vinh city from 5:00 a.m. to midnight every day.

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Particularly, the routes: Truong Thi, Ho Tung Mau, Le Mao (section from the 5-way intersection of the Provincial Post Office to the intersection of Tran Phu Street) prohibit the above-mentioned vehicles and passenger transport vehicles under contract from operating 24/24 hours a day. This decision also adjusts the time and routes for specialized vehicles.

“This Decision takes effect from December 20, 2016, abolishing Decision No. 43/2014/QD-UBND dated July 28, 2014 promulgating Regulations on routes and restricted travel times for vehicles participating in traffic in Vinh City and Decision No. 10/2016/QD-UBND dated January 18, 2016, adjusting Regulations on routes and restricted travel times for vehicles participating in traffic in Vinh City”, the Decision clearly states. This means that hundreds of signs on more than 70 routes installed according to the old decision in Vinh City will have to be removed and replaced with new signs.

Regarding the responsibility for implementation, the Decision of the Provincial People's Committee assigns the Vinh City People's Committee to preside over the organization of propaganda, dissemination and public announcement of this Regulation on mass media. Direct the implementation of full installation of signboards and instructions on roads in accordance with standards. Direct relevant forces to monitor, handle violations, and closely supervise the implementation.

From the date the Decision was widely promulgated until it took effect, Vinh City had nearly half a month to implement the replacement of the signs. However, nearly half a year has passed, hundreds of expired signs have not been removed, and new signs according to Decision 70 have not been installed.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Duy Ha - Deputy Head of Vinh City Police, this has caused difficulties in inspecting and handling vehicles violating the law because "we do not know whether to inspect and punish according to the effective Decision or according to the signs".

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Sy Chien - Vice Chairman in charge of urban areas of Vinh City People's Committee confirmed that the signs have been installed. "We assigned the urban infrastructure company to do it (Vinh Urban Infrastructure Management and Development Joint Stock Company). Basically, they have been installed, the company reported, I checked again and there are only a few signs left" - Mr. Chien confirmed.

However, contrary to Mr. Chien's information, Mr. Bui Duc Loc - Director of Vinh Urban Infrastructure Management and Development Joint Stock Company said that all signs have not been installed yet.

“After the decision was made, the company proposed it during Tet, and should have done it on time, but there was no capital at that time. After that, the Vinh City People's Council included the installation of the new sign in the 2017 maintenance and repair budget.

When the company had capital, it made a plan to survey all the routes and signs to design and prepare documents to submit to the Construction Department, but it was not approved. They asked to restore the current status and redo the documents," Mr. Loc affirmed.

He also said that the new documents were completed in early May, the company had submitted them to the Construction Department and were waiting for approval. After approval, a public announcement would be made to the media, and then the signs would be put up. It was not until a month later that the enforcement of the signs would be implemented.

Admitting that the sign was “obviously late”, Mr. Loc said that it was because “the process required it to be done that way”. “Every location is assessed very precisely. How far from the intersection, how far from the sidewalk, whether it is obstructed… it is not something that can be placed anywhere. What if after the fine, the records are brought out for verification and there is no record?”

Mr. Loc said that if Decision 70, which took effect six months ago, was applied, the police could impose fines, but without the signs, they could not do so. People still followed the instructions of the signs, which, according to Decision 70, had been abolished six months ago.

Tien Hung