VietNamNet Bridge - The number of traffic signs removed over two weeks was 3.5 times higher than the total number of 2015.
Director of the Traffic Safety Agency under the General Road Administration Vu Ngoc Lang said, by February 2, 51 provinces checked all traffic signs and found more than 3,000 inaccurate signs that restrict vehicle speed of less than 50km/h.
Over 2,300 signs were removed and the speed limit on 404 signs was increased within two weeks after Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang issued an instruction.
Only 656 inaccurate traffic signs throughout the country were removed in 2015.
Twelve provinces in the north have not submitted their initial inspection result of traffic signs.
Lang said the number of inaccurate speed restriction signs was huge, especially along local roads. Provincial transport departments are removing these signs from now until the end of February.
He added that Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh Long had the highest numbers of wrong traffic signs, with 484, 397, and 266, respectively.
In Hanoi, the Department of Transportation has removed 117 signs, mainly at the construction site of the urban railway project and in the two tunnels of Thanh Xuan and Trung Hoa. In addition, 24 signs in the suburbswere replaced with slow speed warnings.
Lang said there were many reasons for the existence of speed limitation signs. Vietnam currently has 22,000 km of national highways and more than 500,000 km of local roads. Many roads are upgraded and repaired and the upgrade of traffic signs is not changed in time.
On January 19, at a conference of the transport sector, Minister Dinh La Thang for the second time requested the Vietnam Road Administration to continue checking and removing all unreasonable signs.
He asked the Road Administration to remove all signs restricting vehicle speed from 40km downwards by the end of February 2016. He threatened to dismiss officials if the task was not completed.
Le Ha