Residents of many apartment buildings in Vinh City suffer from lack of parking spaces.

Roadway into parking lot

After many years of saving, at the end of December 2023, Ms. Phan Hien's family living in Kim Truong Thi apartment building, Truong Thi ward, Vinh city was able to buy a car for daily use. Since the time she picked up the car from the company, every day she had to struggle to find a parking space on the streets surrounding the apartment building such as Vo Thi Sau street, Nguyen Kiem street, Nguyen Xi street, etc.

The number of cars in Nghe An in general and Vinh City in particular has skyrocketed in recent years. Photo: QA

“My apartment building has a basement for parking, but the parking spaces have long been full. Those who bought cars later like us have to find parking ourselves, mostly along Vo Thi Sau Street right in front of the apartment building. However, if we come home late from work and there is no space on this street, we have to find a parking space hundreds of meters away. It is a pity to leave a newly purchased car on the street day and night without anyone watching it…”, Ms. Hien shared.

In front of Kim Truong Thi apartment building, Vinh city, traffic jams often occur due to too many cars parked on the street. Photo: QA

Currently, there are thousands of residents living in apartments with cars in Vinh City who have encountered difficulties like Ms. Hien. Most people are worried because this is a large asset but must be left on the street, not ensuring safety.

Ms. Hoang Quyen, living in TECCO Ben Thuy apartment building, said: “I moved here in 2020, my family has had a car since then, but up to now, after 4 years of living in the apartment building, we still do not have a place to park the car, forced to park it on Huynh Thuc Khang street. Without protection from the sun and rain, the family car deteriorates quickly, often breaks down, and has to be repaired countless times...”.

Truong Thi Ward is located in the center of Vinh City, currently has 6 apartment buildings, including Truong Thi Petroleum Apartment, Vinaconex 16, Truong Thinh, Kim Truong Thi, Truong Thanh and Glory Place. According to the survey, all 6/6 of these buildings do not have enough space for cars, forcing people to park on the street.

Nguyen Kiem Street in front of Truong Thanh Apartment Building has become a spontaneous parking lot stretching hundreds of meters. Photo: QA

For example, Truong Thanh apartment building, running along Nguyen Kiem street, due to lack of parking space, Nguyen Kiem street has become a parking lot stretching over 500 meters, occupying half of the road. During rush hour, when students from Le Viet Thuat High School (located next to the apartment building) go home, the road is congested into a long stretch, two cars cannot pass each other.

At Truong Thinh apartment building, there are currently 335 households, an estimated 250 households have cars, however, the entire basement and apartment yard can only accommodate about 150 cars, the remaining residents have to find parking spaces on Phan Dang Luu, Vo Thi Sau, An Duong Vuong streets...

Currently, in Vinh City, there are 80 apartment buildings. With the number of private cars increasing every year, while the land fund, parking lots, and basements in apartment buildings remain unchanged, most apartment buildings are in a state of overloaded parking spaces, stopping and parking on the street or sidewalk is inevitable, causing many consequences that make people feel insecure.

The scene of a car having its windows smashed and its property stolen while it was left on the street recently occurred in Vinh City. Photo: PV

Most recently, on February 22, 2024, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thang, living in Vinh City, after parking his car on Pham Dinh Toai Street, had a bad person break the passenger window and steal his bag containing money and all the documents in his name. This incident has raised further concerns among apartment residents about the lack of safety when parking cars day and night on the street without anyone watching or guarding them.

According to information from the Traffic Police Department of Nghe An Public Security, as of December 30, 2023, the number of newly purchased cars in the province was 20,000, ranking among the localities with the highest car purchases in the country. By the end of 2023, the total number of vehicles under management in Nghe An province was 177,533 cars of all types, most of which were concentrated in Vinh City.

People find ways to adapt

In addition to the increase in car purchases, in fact, in recent years, especially before 2020, many apartments in Vinh City have been built while the infrastructure has not been planned in detail and invested accordingly. Especially the basement for car parking. If in other countries, the basement for car parking is designed with 3-5 basements, then in Vietnam in general and in Nghe An in particular, there is usually only 1 basement. Because the investment cost will be higher than above ground and the technical requirements are higher, not all projects and contractors can do it.

The basements for parking cars in apartment buildings in Vinh City are all full. Photo: QA

Quang Trung Ward is the locality with the most apartment buildings in Vinh City with about 20 buildings. Solving the parking problem for apartment residents is currently considered very difficult.

Mr. Dinh Xuan Truong - Chairman of Quang Trung Ward People's Committee said: The pressure on car parking spots in apartment buildings in the area is very large and many apartment residents have reported on this issue, there have even been conflicts and disputes between residents' car parking spots. Currently, with the authority of the ward, for apartment buildings or commercial centers under construction, the ward has proposed to add 1 more floor for car parking to solve the parking needs of residents. As for apartment buildings that have come into operation, people must proactively ensure their property when forced to park their cars outside the apartment building, especially not stopping or parking on prohibited roads.

A representative of the management board at an apartment building in Vinh City said: Every day, residents contact us to ask if there are any more parking spaces in the basement, but in reality, the parking spaces have been full for a long time. Occasionally, some residents sell their apartments, move to land, and return their parking spaces. We have to draw lots to ensure fairness, because there are dozens of households who want to be the next to own that space...

Traffic jams often occur in front of apartment buildings because the road has been narrowed to become a parking lot. Photo: QA

Currently, apartment residents in Vinh City are forced to find solutions to adapt to the reality of no parking space. The solution that many people seek is to contact households living near the apartment building, if they have a yard or unused space, they can rent it to park their cars on a monthly basis. Others park their cars at relatives' houses or offices if they live nearby. Most of the remaining residents park their cars all over the streets.

According to recommendations, if people park their vehicles on the streets or sidewalks, they should leave a phone number for the homeowner or shop owner to contact them to avoid unnecessary conflicts. To ensure safety, people who park their vehicles on the streets should not leave valuables in their vehicles to prevent theft. At the same time, if possible, car owners should install anti-theft warning devices.

People are forced to cover their cars with tarps to ensure safety when leaving them on the street. Photo: QA

In the long term, all levels, sectors, and Vinh City need to have a pilot solution to organize and implement vehicle parking in interspersed land and project land, but must ensure fire prevention and fighting safety, have a parking process, and fulfill financial obligations to the State.

Source: https://baonghean.vn/nguoi-dan-nhieu-chung-cu-o-tp-vinh-kho-so-vi-thieu-cho-de-xe-o-to-post285566.html