Unreasonable traffic circulation fees.

The year-end press conference held late in the afternoon of January 3rd by leaders of the Ministry of Transport became even more heated when journalists repeatedly focused on the proposal to charge a circulation fee for private vehicles in Vietnam and a fee for cars entering the city center during rush hour.

To reduce traffic congestion, comprehensive and rational measures are needed. Photo: QUOC ANH

Accordingly, the regulations stipulate a maximum fee of 50 million VND for cars and 1 million VND for motorcycles. The Minister said: "Any vehicle that rolls on the road must pay a fee. The collection of circulation fees aims at many objectives such as: limiting private vehicles, investing in upgrading and improving transportation infrastructure, and funding solutions to combat traffic congestion... You have to pay the fee to be allowed to drive."

The very next morning (January 4th), the "Current Affairs" program broadcast on VOV1 of Vietnam National Radio received numerous comments from the public, essentially stating that there were too many unreasonable aspects to the Ministry of Transport's fee collection plan. Some people said: "The country is still poor, and the main mode of transportation is motorbikes, yet they are collecting fees for motorbikes as well."

"This is unacceptable. Vietnam's public transportation system is poor and outdated; how can it meet the people's travel needs? There's always the policy of encouraging the use of public transportation and restricting private vehicles. But buses are only available in urban areas; in rural areas, there are no buses, so if people don't get to the city by motorbike, what else can they use? It's incredibly effective at impacting people's finances. To restrict private vehicles, you need to develop a public transportation system, but instead, banning them like this is stifling development... I suggest the transportation sector pay attention and consider measures that facilitate things for the people..."; Or: "The idea of ​​charging fees to restrict private vehicles? I find this reason inappropriate and unconvincing. The public transportation system is inadequate, salaries are low, and now they have to pay circulation fees—fees piled on top of fees..."

Returning to the "confrontation," the Minister of Transport stated that the proposal to collect fees for the circulation of private vehicles and for cars entering the city center during peak hours is based on Resolutions and Decrees of the National Assembly and the Government on comprehensive solutions to combat traffic congestion and curb traffic accidents, including limiting private vehicles through long-standing economic solutions. Now, it is merely a proposal from the Ministry of Transport to be implemented concretely. Every year, the transport sector implements many solutions to reduce accidents and congestion, but accidents remain high and congestion is still widespread, so strong measures are needed, through a series of comprehensive solutions, including the proposal to collect fees for the circulation of private vehicles.

It's important to emphasize that, in order to have a vehicle on the road, people already have to pay numerous fees and charges. Specifically, there are road maintenance fund fees, registration fees, environmental fees, and now an additional circulation fee. Regarding the use of the circulation fee, the Ministry's leaders stated that the collected funds will be deposited into the state budget and used for projects approved by competent authorities. But clearly, for the poor (such as motorbike taxi drivers), who painstakingly bought a motorbike costing a few million dong to earn a living, having to pay 500,000 dong per year to continue their work is unreasonable and impractical.

The message from the transport sector in 2012 was action, action, and more action, so it's impossible to talk about solutions without taking action. The Ministry of Transport's stance is to act urgently, decisively, and effectively. These are very positive signals aimed at resolving many existing problems in the transport sector. However, it's worth reiterating that previously, the Ministry of Transport submitted to the Prime Minister a plan to collect fees for the circulation of private vehicles in Vietnam and fees for cars entering the city center during peak hours. This proposal immediately met with mostly negative feedback from the public and transport experts.

Now, the Ministry of Transport is once again pursuing this solution. Will the vast majority of the people agree with and accept it?

According to Dai Doan Ket