Many family households in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 are storing motorbikes at their homes after a decision by the District 1 People’s Committee on January 11 to suspend operation of 48 parking sites on street pavements.

In the centre of District 1, households on Ham Nghi, Ngo Duc Ke, Mac Thi Buoi, Huynh Thuc Khang and Ho Tung Mau streets are offering in-house parking services for  10,000 VND (44 US cents) per vehicle.

Licenced parking lots in HCM City’s downtown area are overloaded with motorbikes.

Existing in-house parking lots in District 1 are now overloaded with motorbikes.

Mai Lan, owner of an in-house parking lot on Nguyen Sieu Street in District 1, said the number of vehicles has increased by 20-40 a day since the closure of the 48 parking sites.

Luu Trong Hoa, deputy chairman of the District 1 People’s Committee, has ordered the district’s Economic Bureau to work with local wards to inspect 121 parking lots for licence registration, parking fees, fire prevention, and tax payment.

The order came after many people complained about high fees.

Bui Xuan Cuong, director of the city’s Department of Transport, said the department would work with the District 1 People’s Committee to resolve the problem related to the 48 parking lots on pavements.

Parking lots which can ensure traffic safety and space for pedestrians will be permitted to reopen soon, he said.

The current parking fee of 5,000 VND will be raised, creating favourable conditions to attract private investment in parking lots, according to the department.

Last Thursday, the municipal People’s Committee ordered the city’s 24 districts to inspect and close most parking lots on pavements by the end of March.

Many areas in the city are using cameras to monitor public security, traffic safety and illegal use of pavements.

In District 12, for instance, local authorities have installed 600 monitor cameras in 11 wards.

Le Truong Hai Hieu, chairman of the District 12 People’s Committee, said besides monitoring public security and traffic safety, the cameras help local authorities to resolve problems quickly and discover violations related to the use of pavements.

In Go Vap district, Ward 14 has also installed 193 cameras.

Dang Cong Tuan, vice chairman of the Ward 14 People’s Committee in Go Vap district, said the cameras had helped reduce the number of violations.

In District 5, cameras recently installed have also helped curb violators at the Tan Hung – Thuan Kieu intersection in Ward 12.

Tran Phuong Nam, chairman of Ward 12 People’s Committee, said the ward has 92  camera monitors.

The camera installation has helped increase awareness about pavement use, he added.

Last April, Binh Thanh district launched a complaint app that can be used by the public to report violations related to garbage dumping, illegal construction and pavement encroachment.

The public complaint app has seen positive results and the city plans to expand the app to all of the city’s districts.-VNA