Traffic jams worsen as Tet draws near

January 8, 2009 in Uncategorized

HCM CITY— An already bad situation is set to get worse during the Tet (Lunar New Year) season as more people come into the city and jostle for space on roads narrowed by hundreds of construction projects, traffic police say.

Traffic jams will increase significantly in the run up to the festival as rising numbers of people come in from neighboring provinces and more trains run through the city during peak hours.

More city residents are also going to be out shopping for the festival, the police note.

From January 12 onwards, the Sai Gon Railway Station will double its operational services to meet Tet demand, making traffic congestion unavoidable as the rail route runs through 14 crossings with city streets.

Traffic jams lasting from one to two hours have become a common occurrence on many city streets and intersections including Truong Chinh, Cach Mang Thang 8, Bay Hien crossroads, Le Thi Rieng Park, the Tan Ky-Tan Quy junction and the Hoa Hung market.

Gridlocks happen even during non-peak hours on national highways connecting HCM City to neighbouring provinces including Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An.

The city People’ s Committee has instructed relevant agencies and departments to minimise the number of traffic jams and clear up the congestion as soon as it happens.

The Department of Transport has been assigned the task of regulating traffic flow on streets surrounded by construction fences and prone to heavy traffic jams, such as Luy Ban Bich, Au Co, Ly Chinh Thang.

The department will ensure 116 out of 240 construction fences are removed from 25 streets before the Tet festival, officials said.—