The challenge of dealing with cars parked indiscriminately on sidewalks and roads is immense.

The encroachment on sidewalks for parking has recurred.

According to observations by reporters from Giao Thong Newspaper in mid-April 2024, the road and sidewalk areas on streets in Cau Giay, Thanh Xuan, and Dong Da districts continue to be illegally occupied and used as parking spaces for collecting fees.

The problem of cars parked indiscriminately on sidewalks and roads is recurring on many streets in Hanoi .

On Tran Duy Hung Street, cars are parked haphazardly on the sidewalk in front of the Radio Frequency Department, while on Le Van Luong Street, despite the no-parking signs, dozens of cars are still parked indiscriminately on the sidewalk in front of the Diamond Flowers building.

In fact, in the Nguyen Thai Hoc street area, sidewalks and roads have been turned into unauthorized parking lots charging 50,000 VND per car and 10,000 VND per motorbike.

Cars and motorbikes line up two or three abreast from the sidewalk onto the road, leaving only a narrow path for vehicles to move up and down; pedestrians walk in the middle of the road, posing a potential traffic safety hazard.

Nguyen Viet Hoang (21 years old, a student at the University of Foreign Languages), who frequently walks on Pham Van Dong Street, expressed his frustration: "The situation of cars parked on the sidewalk happens regularly every day. To move around, pedestrians are forced to squeeze through the gaps between the rows of cars or walk in the middle of the road."

"There were times when I saw the authorities crack down on it, but it only lasted for a while, then everything went back to how it was," Hoang said.

Decree 100/2019/ND-CP stipulates that the fine for illegally parking a car on the sidewalk or in a "No Parking" area ranges from 800,000 VND to 1,000,000 VND. In cases where the driver's illegal parking causes traffic congestion, the fine will range from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 VND.

Meanwhile, Ms. Le Thi Loan (Group 5, Trung Hoa Ward, Cau Giay District) stated that the situation of residents' cars being parked indiscriminately on the road has been going on for a long time, restricting the visibility of road users and causing numerous unfortunate collisions and accidents.

Not only are sidewalks being encroached upon for parking and vehicle storage, but on many streets in Hanoi such as Hoang Quoc Viet, To Hieu, Nghia Tan, Nguyen Phong Sac, Nguyen Khanh Toan, Nguyen Khang, etc., sidewalks are also being occupied and used as places for selling goods and running businesses.

Statistics from Hanoi City at the beginning of 2024 show that approximately 6.2% of roads still have encroachment on the road surface, and about 22.4% of streets have sidewalks being illegally exploited or used for business or parking.

Regarding the reasons why sidewalk encroachment has not been thoroughly addressed, transportation expert Dr. Phan Le Binh stated that in recent years, the number of cars has increased rapidly in Hanoi while the number of newly licensed parking lots is very limited, leading to insufficient capacity to meet the needs of the people.

"Furthermore, the inconsistent and infrequent enforcement of violations, along with insufficient deterrent penalties, is another reason why people disregard regulations and repeatedly violate them," Mr. Binh emphasized.

Despite the "no parking" signs, people still brazenly park their cars on the road, and in many places, sidewalks are even illegally occupied for parking.

How can we restore order to the sidewalks?

According to Dr. Khuong Kim Tao, former Deputy Chief of the Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee, dealing with cars parked on sidewalks in Hanoi is not easy, therefore a long-term plan is needed, implemented regularly and decisively.

First and foremost, the practice of allowing the use of sidewalks for parking cars must be stopped because sidewalks are inherently pedestrian walkways, separate from other motorized vehicles. Only then can traffic safety and urban aesthetics be ensured.

In addition, continued emphasis should be placed on expanding and developing public transportation infrastructure, ensuring integrated and harmonious urban planning with amenities to better meet the travel needs of the people.

"In handling violations of sidewalk encroachment for illegal parking, we need to combine direct enforcement with fines issued remotely through traffic camera systems, and even apply measures such as posting violation notices on vehicles," Mr. Tao said, adding: "In parallel with penalties, it is necessary to strengthen public awareness campaigns about regulations and sanctions for violations so that people understand and comply, thereby raising public awareness and contributing to building civilized streets."

Sharing the same view, Dr. Phan Le Binh stated that the immediate measure is to strictly and widely enforce the rule of law in order to instill a sense of caution and discourage violations among the people.

In the long term, according to Mr. Binh, it is necessary to plan the construction of underground parking lots to meet the needs of the people, while simultaneously researching mechanisms and preferential policies to attract investors to participate in building parking lots.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/ha-noi-gian-nan-xu-ly-o-to-do-tran-lan-via-he-long-duong-19224041723040336.htm