As regulated, over-2.5-ton trucks are banned from circulation in main streets in Ho Chi Minh City, but in practice, drivers of various trucks can freely travel on banned routes, and moreover, at dangerous speeds, a Tuoi Tre survey showed.
Photo: Tuoi Tre
On the morning of April 5, several dump trucks carrying soil departed from a construction site on Tran Hung Dao Street, District 1, and travelled with lightning speed on this banned street through Nguyen Van Cu Bridge and then entered the banned Duong Ba Trac Street before crossing Kenh Xang Bridge and running along 9D Road to rwch Nguyen Van Linh Avenue.
The drivers of the truckers did not wrap up the soil according to prevailing regulation, letting many pieces of soil drop down to the street and generate a lot of dust.
In the afternoon, tens of dump trucks came to and left this site and all of them travelled not only on banned street and but also during banned hours.
Many concrete mixer trucks’ drivers could be seen jumping the lights, travelling on a wrong direction or occupying roadways as their parking. On April 6, concrete mixer trucks parked in a long line on the roadside of one-way Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, although this is a banned street for such vehicles.
On April 7, a lot of dump trucks carrying unwrapped soil travelled on many banned streets, including Pho Duc Chinh and Le Thi Hong Gam in District. Part of the soil dropped from the trucks down to streets.
Traffic violation of dump trucks could also be seen on such other streets as Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Pasteur, Dien Bien Phu, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Pham Ngoc Thach, Vo Thi Sau, Cach Mang Thang Tam and Nguyen Van Troi.
Traffic police to tighten control
During the 5-day fact-finding trip starting April 5, Tuoi Tre did not see any traffic policemen or traffic inspectors on duty on the streets through which dumpers travelled.
Meanwhile, large construction sites on such streets as Le Thanh Ton, Dong Khoi, Le Loi, Nguyen Hue and Nguyen Du are located near traffic police offices. The daily routes of dumpers fall into responsibility of traffic police of District 1, 3, 4, 5 and Phu Nhuan, Tan Binh and Binh Thanh Districts.
Senior lieutenant colonel Huynh Kim Thanh, deputy head of the HCM City Road Traffic Police Department, said traffic policemen have recently inspected and punished truck drivers violating traffic regulations.
The Department will continue strengthening inspections and will give strictly punish any violations, the official said.
Along with inspecting on streets, traffic police will record images of violating truck to facilitate the handling of violations, he said.
Under current regulations, drivers travelling into banned streets is fined VND1.2 million (US$60), while the act of uncovering construction materials loaded on trucks is penalized VND750,000 and the act for letting soil drop from trucks onto streets is fined VND400,000, he added.
Asked about some sources said there have been a part of the traffic police have closed their eyes to violations by truck drivers, the official said, “Evidence is necessary to handle cases in which traffic policemen allegedly tolerated drivers who neglected to obey traffic laws.”