The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam has asked Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) to abolish its practice of banning vehicles from traveling on its expressways by February 28 as it does not have the mandate to issue such rules, the local media reported.

A section of HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway

VEC must eliminate unreasonable regulations in its Decision 13/2019, issued on January 10, such as temporarily banning drivers who park their vehicles or leave litter on expressways, for one to seven days, and banning those passing through tollgates without paying toll fees or hindering the work of the tollgates’ staff, for 30-60 days.

On February 11, the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam asked VEC to report on the fact that its subsidiary, Vietnam Expressway Services Engineering JSC (VECE), had announced a permanent ban on two cars with number plates 51A-55850 and 51G-77256, preventing them from traveling on the expressways under VEC’s management and operation.

According to VECE, the two vehicles’ drivers were disruptive and uncooperative with staff at the Long Phuoc tollgate along HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, violating traffic rules in VEC’s Decision 13/2019 while traveling on expressways managed by VEC.

The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam also required VEC to coordinate with other relevant agencies to ensure traffic safety and deal with possible incidents on expressways in line with the Government’s Decree 32/2014 on the management operation and maintenance of expressway facilities and Decree 46/2016 on administrative penalties for road and railway traffic offences.

VEC currently operates four expressways: Cau Gie-Ninh Binh and Noi Bai-Lao Cai, both in northern Vietnam; Danang-Quang Ngai in the central region; and HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay in the southern part of the country.

SGT