VietNamNet Bridge – Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a proposal to use traffic cameras in many capital city streets to make sure car drivers are staying on the right side of the road and observing all the other rules.

Ha Noi Police Director Major General Nguyen Duc Chung made the proposal at a meeting held last Friday after the success of a pilot scheme on roads leading into Ha Noi from Hai Phong and Ninh Binh.— Photo giaothongvantai

Ha Noi Police Director Major General Nguyen Duc Chung made the proposal at a meeting held last Friday after the success of a pilot scheme on roads leading into Ha Noi from Hai Phong and Ninh Binh.

Chung said that the move would help curb traffic violations and accidents in the city.

As in many Western nations, police will use photos showing any violations to gain convictions, Chung said.

Violators would see how and when they drove in the wrong lane, he said, adding that it was expected to quickly raise their awareness of traffic rules.

Violators will receive higher fines if they re-offend, he said.

Vice chairman of the National Committee for Road Safety, Khuat Viet Hung, welcomed the proposal, saying that Ha Noi should now install the cameras in major streets.

The cameras will track motor vehicles entering and leaving the city, he said.

Senior lieutenant colonel Dao Vinh Thang, head of Ha Noi's Transport Police, said the first cameras had been installed along routes from Phap Van Street in Ha Noi to Ninh Binh province and from Ha Noi to Hai Phong City.

Last year, thanks to the cameras, police caught 460 violators, mostly coach and truck drivers, he said, adding that if cameras were installed in every main street they would reduce traffic violations.

However, Do Thang, a local resident, wondered how effective the move would be if it did not also target motorbike riders. Thang claimed the move was unfair for motor vehicle drivers.

Bui Van Dat, a taxi driver, said he thought fines for violations was a good idea, "however, there should be a clear system of road signs so that drivers know if they are breaking the law," he said.

He said motorbike drivers were often in the wrong lane, therefore, the cameras should also target them to be fair to everyone.

VNS/VNN