Vehicles travel on a street in HCMC. Municipal leaders have yet to approve a proposal to charge tolls on vehicles entering the central business district - PHOTO: TNO

Tuyen said that the majority of HCMC residents drive private vehicles to go to work and make a living, so if the plan to collect fees from cars entering the downtown area is not considered carefully, there will be negative effects on their daily lives and incomes, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

As such, the proposal was a sensitive issue which needed to be weighed thoroughly, he said, adding that municipal authorities are gathering feedback from residents, enterprises and officials to finalize the
decision.

The HCMC Department of Transport had earlier proposed that the municipal government spend VND250 billion setting up 34 tollgates to collect toll fees on individual vehicles entering the center to fight traffic congestion.

Under the proposal, 34 tollgates will be built in districts 1 and 3, and in areas bordering districts 5 and 10, with a ring road linking the streets leading to the city center, such as Hoang Sa Street along Nhieu
Loc-Thi Nghe Canal, Nguyen Phu Nguyen intersecting with Cach Mang Thang 8 Street, Ba Thang Hai, Le Hong Phong, Ly Thai To, Nguyen Van Cu, Vo Van Kiet and Ton Duc Thang streets.

The project, which will be carried out during the 2019-2021 period, is aimed at reducing traffic congestion in the downtown area, increasing the number of public transport users in the city, cutting down on environmental pollution, increasing budget revenue and developing public transportation in HCMC, according to the department. SGT