The disruption of fuel supply on a key expressway for more than 20 days is not simply a business matter.
The expressway is designed for continuous traffic, high speed, and limited stopping and parking. When there is no legal fuel supply point, fully licensed, vehicle drivers fall into a passive position.
Long-distance vehicles are forced to calculate fuel levels close to the threshold. Just a small deviation can cause the vehicle to stall in the middle of the route.
On the highway, stopping cars due to running out of gas poses a very high risk of chain accidents, especially at night or when the traffic density is high. Not only inconvenient, it is a direct danger to human life.
Temporary options such as placing mobile tanks or using fuel tanks only solve the tip of the iceberg.
This is a patchwork solution, posing potential fire and explosion risks, difficult to control quality and fire safety procedures.
Meanwhile, the gas station infrastructure is already available, only hindered by procedures and legal disputes.
If there is no flexible inter-sectoral coordination mechanism, issuing temporary operating licenses while waiting for definitive handling, then people will still be the ones bearing the risks.
The problem here is not the lack of technical solutions, but the lack of decisiveness in management.
A dispute that has lasted for many months without being resolved shows that the handling process is still cumbersome and lacks a clear accountability mechanism.
Meanwhile, traffic demand during Tet is predictable very early. It cannot be said to be "surprising".
If the shortage of gas stations on the expressway continues, passenger and cargo transportation activities will be directly affected.
Businesses have to adjust routes, increase costs, and incur time costs. People may be forced to leave the highway early to find gas stations outside, increasing pressure on local roads, potentially causing congestion and accidents.
The expressway is invested to shorten the journey and improve transport efficiency. But if auxiliary infrastructure is not operated synchronously, that benefit will be significantly reduced.
A highway cannot be "perfect" without essential services such as fuel.
During Tet days, what people need is not roundabout explanations about procedures, but brightly lit gas stations operating according to standards.
Ensuring the supply of gasoline and oil on the expressway is not just an economic matter, but a responsibility to protect the safety of traffic participants' lives.
