HCM City (VNS/VNA) - HCM City hopes to reduce traffic accidents, fatalitiesand injuries by 5-10 percent this year, said Chairman of the municipal People’sCommittee Nguyen Thanh Phong, who is also head of the city Traffic Safety Board.

Last year, there were more than 3,400 accidents, 641 deaths and2,400 injuries, all down from 2018.

Speakingat a January 8 workshop held to discuss traffic safety and social order in thecity, Phong said though the situation has been improving for the last threeyears, the numbers remain high, and relevant agencies should focus on bringingthem down further.

After the Law on Alcohol Harm Prevention and Control took effect on January 1,police around the country are carrying out campaigns against drink-driving.

Alcohol is one of leading causes of road accidents.

Accordingto the National Traffic Safety Committee, the police have finednearly 1,520 motorbike and car drivers so far.

NguyenNgoc Tuong, deputy head of the city Traffic Safety Board, said the board wouldfocus on communication of the law and measures such as use of IT to ensurecompliance.

Tran Quang Lam, Director of the municipal Department of Transport, said thedepartment would strengthen collaboration with local authorities to stop publictransport buses from picking up passengers illegally and causing trafficcongestion during peak hours.

The HCM City Management Board for Traffic Works Construction and Investmentshould work more closely with district administrations to monitor the progressof traffic projects, Nguyen Thien Nhan, Politburo member and Secretary ofthe city Party Committee, said in another workshop on the same day.

They should focus on land acquisition and compensation payment, he said.

Thisyear, the board should speed up work on projects to ease congestion around CatLai Port and Tan Son Nhat International Airport, he said.

Work on traffic projects related to the eastern innovative urban area, which isunder development, should also be speeded up, he said.

“Thecity’s population and number of motorbikes on the roads increase by one millionevery five years, and so the city has to build more streets and bridges.

“Public transport has to be developed.” 

Luong Minh Phuc, the board’s director, said 29 works are planned to becompleted this year.

They include expansion of the Y Bridge in districts 5 and 8, a bridge throughKim Cuong Island in District 2 and the street leading to the HCM City-Trung Luongexpressway in Binh Tan district.

Construction of an embankment to prevent erosion in Nha Be district will alsobe completed this year.

The board will continue working on 70 traffic projects this year, and invitebids for 27 others.

It will also undertake a number of investment promotions and cooperationprogrammes./.