Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Many family householdsin Ho Chi Minh City’sDistrict 1 are storing motorbikes at their homes after a decision by theDistrict 1 People’s Committee on January 11 to suspend operation of 48 parkingsites on street pavements. In the centreof District 1, households on Ham Nghi, Ngo Duc Ke, Mac Thi Buoi, Huynh ThucKhang and Ho Tung Mau streets are offering in-house parking services for 10,000 VND (44 US cents) per vehicle. Existingin-house parking lots in District 1 are now overloaded with motorbikes. Mai Lan,owner of an in-house parking lot on NguyenSieu Street in District 1, said the number ofvehicles has increased by 20-40 a day since the closure of the 48 parkingsites. Luu TrongHoa, deputy chairman of the District 1 People’s Committee, has ordered thedistrict’s Economic Bureau to work with local wards to inspect 121 parking lotsfor licence registration, parking fees, fire prevention, and tax payment. The ordercame after many people complained about high fees. Bui XuanCuong, director of the city’s Department of Transport, said the departmentwould work with the District 1 People’s Committee to resolve the problemrelated to the 48 parking lots on pavements. Parking lotswhich can ensure traffic safety and space for pedestrians will be permitted toreopen soon, he said. The currentparking fee of 5,000 VND will be raised, creating favourable conditions toattract private investment in parking lots, according to the department. Last Thursday,the municipal People’s Committee ordered the city’s 24 districts to inspect andclose most parking lots on pavements by the end of March. Many areas inthe city are using cameras to monitor public security, traffic safety andillegal use of pavements. In District12, for instance, local authorities have installed 600 monitor cameras in 11wards. Le Truong HaiHieu, chairman of the District 12 People’s Committee, said besides monitoringpublic security and traffic safety, the cameras help local authorities toresolve problems quickly and discover violations related to the use ofpavements. In Go Vapdistrict, Ward 14 has also installed 193 cameras. Dang CongTuan, vice chairman of the Ward 14 People’s Committee in Go Vap district, saidthe cameras had helped reduce the number of violations. In District5, cameras recently installed have also helped curb violators at the Tan Hung –Thuan Kieu intersection in Ward 12. Tran Phuong Nam, chairmanof Ward 12 People’s Committee, said the ward has 92  camera monitors. The camerainstallation 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 toreport violations related to garbage dumping, illegal construction and pavementencroachment. The publiccomplaint app has seen positive results and the city plans to expand the app toall of the city’s districts.-VNA