Developing a road infrastructure system to meet modernization requirements.

According to the agenda of the 6th Session of the 15th National Assembly , on the morning of November 10th, the National Assembly heard the Presentation and the Verification Report on the draft Law on Roads.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang presents the draft Road Law. Photo: Doan Tan/TTXVN

Supplementing development policies for road activities.

Presenting the draft Road Law, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang stated that the purpose of drafting the Road Law is to institutionalize the Party's guidelines and the State's policies on developing the road infrastructure system and road transport to meet the requirements of industrialization and modernization of the country, ensuring smooth and safe traffic; creating a breakthrough mechanism for building a synchronous and modernized infrastructure system; prioritizing the development of a number of key national transport projects, and adapting to climate change in accordance with the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party.

Furthermore, the 2008 Road Traffic Law has revealed several shortcomings that require amendment and supplementation, particularly regarding regulations on mechanisms for mobilizing social resources in the construction of road infrastructure; the application and development of information technology in the management and operation of road activities; and the adjustment of types of road transport businesses to suit current realities. Therefore, the development of a new Road Law project is necessary.

The draft Road Law consists of 6 chapters and 92 articles. Compared to the 2008 draft Road Traffic Law, 3 chapters have been transferred to the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety.

Regarding the main content of the draft Law, Chapter I "General Provisions" consists of 9 articles. Compared to the 2008 Road Traffic Law, the draft Law has several new points such as: Changes to the scope of application of the draft Law (Article 1); addition of development policies for road activities based on the Party and State's guidelines and policies (Article 5); regulations on intelligent transport systems (Article 7), and road databases (Article 8).

Chapter II "Road Infrastructure" consists of 37 articles (from Article 10 to Article 46). Compared to the 2008 Road Traffic Law, the draft Law adds village roads to the road network (Article 10); classifies roads (Articles 11 and 12); stipulates the ratio of urban traffic land to urban construction land for newly built cities and for cities in remote areas, border regions, islands, and cities that are UNESCO-recognized heritage sites (Article 15); adds regulations on land allocated for road infrastructure (Article 16); road safety corridors (Articles 18 and 19)...

Chapter III "Highways" consists of 14 articles (from Article 47 to Article 60) and includes new points such as: supplementary regulations clarifying the definition of expressways (Article 47); standards, regulations and application of science and technology in the design, construction, management, operation and exploitation of expressways (Article 48); policies for the development, investment and construction of expressways (Articles 49, 50); supplementary regulations on the expansion, renovation, upgrading and modernization of expressway projects (Article 51)...

Ensuring consistency and feasibility

Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on National Defense and Security, Le Tan Toi, presents the report on the review of the draft Law on Roads. Photo: Van Diep/TTXVN

The report on the draft Road Law, presented by the Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on National Defense and Security, Le Tan Toi, clearly states that the Committee on National Defense and Security agrees with the necessity of enacting the Road Law to further institutionalize the Party's guidelines and policies; concretize the provisions of the 2013 Constitution; and internalize relevant international treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory.

At the same time, the promulgation of the Road Law will contribute to overcoming the shortcomings and limitations of the 2008 Road Traffic Law, creating a complete legal basis for road transport activities, promoting the development of road transport and better ensuring the freedom of movement of citizens; continuing to reform administrative procedures, ensuring convenience and transparency in procedures, strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of state management of roads and road traffic order and safety.

While acknowledging that the draft Law is fundamentally consistent with the Party's guidelines, the provisions of the 2013 Constitution, ensures uniformity within the legal system, is compatible with relevant international treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory, and guarantees feasibility, the National Defense and Security Committee proposes further review of some specific provisions of the draft Law to ensure consistency with the provisions in the draft Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety and relevant legal provisions; compatibility with international treaties; and the addition of impact assessments for some new provisions added to the draft Law to ensure feasibility.

According to Le Tan Toi, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on National Defense and Security, the draft law's dossier has been meticulously and thoroughly prepared by the Government, ensuring strict adherence to the regulations of the Law on the Promulgation of Legal Documents; it is now ready to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration.

Regarding the scope of regulation, the National Defense and Security Committee generally agrees with the scope of regulation of the draft Law, which focuses on in-depth regulations on road infrastructure and road transport activities. However, it proposes further research and clarification of the scope of regulation as well as some contents of the draft Law in relation to the draft Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety to ensure consistency, avoid overlap, and guarantee feasibility.

Regarding specific provisions of the draft Law, concerning the development policy for road transport (Article 5), some opinions suggested adding content on developing modern road infrastructure in parallel with the development of road transport vehicles. Some opinions proposed adding a provision in Clause 2 prioritizing the development of public passenger transport in conjunction with a roadmap to restrict private vehicles in major cities, in line with the Party's guidelines and practical requirements. In relation to this content, the National Defense and Security Committee requested further research and revision of the draft Law to ensure completeness, consistency within the legal system, and alignment with practical realities and Party directives.

Regarding land allocated for road infrastructure (Article 15), the National Defense and Security Committee generally agreed with the provisions of the draft Law, believing that the drafting agency had classified and stipulated the proportion of land allocated for urban road infrastructure in accordance with urban classification. However, regulating the proportion of land in existing cities is not feasible because this regulation only applies to cities built after the Law comes into effect. Applying it to existing cities would lead to significant disruption in planning and construction, affect people's lives, and require exceptionally large financial resources to implement.

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