VietNamNet Bridge – Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has had no other choice but to issue an ultimatum for the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam to remove unjustified speed limit traps that have become a nightmare for motorists.

Minister Thang, speaking at a recent meeting of the directorate, urged the directorate to replace inappropriate speed limit signs, which he said is a tough job to do. He warned that if such speed traps are not uprooted, those officials responsible would be uprooted instead.

Thang’s strong statements made news headlines since what he insisted on is also a source of frustration for people, especially road users. Indeed, motorists frequently find themselves trapped by a number of traffic signs, not to mention the signs planted in invisible places.

And such signs are among the causes of traffic accidents and motorists’ “innocent” violations. What’s more, speed limits are inconsistent. For instance, according to Tuoi Tre, there are several unjustified traffic signs on a 20-kilometer section of the newly upgraded National Highway 1 in Khanh Hoa Province’s Dien Khanh District, including two different speed limits just 400 meters apart.

Traffic signs seem to be abused in Vietnam. Thang also said he has received a lot of complaints about this matter. On the upgraded and newly built roads, people find it unnecessary to enforce strict limit speeds which render new road constructions and upgrades meaningless.

Minister Thang told the meeting that large amounts of money have been spent on building expressways and upgrading national highways and there are more brand-new autos on the road than in the past, but speed limits remain unchanged. He said setting the speed limit for automobiles at 40 kilometers per hour or below is no longer appropriate.

Days after the meeting with the Minister of Transport, the Directorate for Roads told road management units to remove all signs limiting speed at below 50 kilometers per hour nationwide by the month-end though the directorate earlier said it could not remove the signs overseen by provincial authorities.

According to the Directorate for Roads, as of the end of last year, it reviewed and adjusted 385 groups of speed limit signs, removed all signs setting speed limits at under 40 kilometers per hour on national highways, removed 614 signs with unsuitable speed limits and obstructing sights, and did away with 653 outdated or unnecessary signs.

Back to the coastal province of Khanh Hoa, Nguyen Van Dan, deputy director of the provincial Department of Transport, said in Tuoi Tre that there are many awkward traffic signs on National Highway 1’s section in Khanh Hoa. Inappropriate signs can be easily found in many other provinces as well.

Dan said inappropriate traffic signs have resulted in unjust fines imposed on motorists, adding the department will work with the province’s traffic safety committee to deal with this problem.

In addition, with better transport infrastructure, the Ministry of Transport late last year issued Circular 91/2015/TT-BGTVT allowing automobiles to travel at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour in residential areas as from March this year in a bid to ease traffic congestion and increase the efficiency of transportation.

As planned by the Directorate of Roads, signs setting speed limit at 50 kilometers per hour will be dismantled within this month while speed limit signs of over 50 kilometers per hour and signs in urban areas will be reviewed by March and might be replaced if necessary.

The removal of unjustified speed limit signs helps reduce traffic woes, cuts travel time, prevents unjust fines and increases the efficiency of roads.

Anh Thu

SGT