Heavy fines for motorbikes climbing sidewalks
Decree 168/2024/ND-CP of the Government regulating administrative penalties for violations in the field of road traffic, deduction of points, and restoration of driving license points officially takes effect from January 1, 2025. According to the new Decree, many acts and groups of acts have their penalties increased, with some acts having their penalties increased many times compared to Decree 100/2019.
For example, those who drive motorbikes on the sidewalk (except for those who drive on the sidewalk to enter a house or office) will be fined from 4-6 million VND. This is considered a very high fine, enough to deter people from climbing on curbs and sidewalks, causing damage to traffic infrastructure.
However, the Lao Dong Newspaper reporter's observations on Nguyen Xien Street towards Nguyen Trai intersection (Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi) showed that the sidewalk was rocky, uneven, and bumpy... motorbikes followed each other on the sidewalk, weaving through cars that were also parked close together. At times, pedestrians had no way to walk on their own side of the road.
Expressing her dismay at the dusty scene, Ms. Nguyen Thi Chong - owner of a business on Nguyen Xien Street said that the sidewalk on this road has been degraded for a long time but has not been repaired. Sharing with reporters, Ms. Chong hopes that the authorities will strictly handle cases of motorbikes going onto the sidewalk and at the same time strictly handle cases of cars illegally parked on the sidewalk, because this is also one of the reasons for sidewalk damage.
Need to increase fines for cars parked illegally on sidewalks
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh (former Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association), punishing motorcyclists on the sidewalk who occupy pedestrian space and cause traffic safety problems will require punishing cars at the same or higher level.
According to Mr. Thanh, it is necessary to strictly and fairly handle all vehicles that violate the law, without exception. However, in Decree 168, the fine for cars parked on the sidewalk in violation of regulations is still light and unreasonable, so the authorities need to accept and amend it to make it more reasonable.
"Using sidewalks as car parking lots is a waste because Hanoi has spent thousands of billions of dong to renovate, repair and pave new sidewalks but instead uses them as car parking lots," said Mr. Thanh.
Sharing the same opinion, architect Tran Huy Anh said that the penalty for riding motorbikes on the sidewalk and parking cars on the sidewalk according to Decree 168 is "strict on motorbikes but lenient on cars", because these are both acts that affect pedestrian traffic and damage traffic infrastructure.
"In fact, we must punish to ensure fairness and strictness of the law for all subjects, all traffic participants must have equal legal responsibility. If motorcyclists are heavily fined, then of course cars parked on the sidewalk and road must also be punished and severely punished. That is to ensure fairness, and will help solve the situation of encroachment on sidewalks and roads, using them for private purposes" - Mr. Anh said.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hong Thai - Head of the Faculty of Transport Economics, University of Transport - said that in principle, sidewalks are for pedestrians and possibly cyclists. But for a long time in the development process, we have forgotten about static traffic (vehicle parking), many areas in the inner city do not know where to park.
When the number of vehicles exploded, we discovered that there was no parking space, while the static traffic rate must account for over 30%, while in Hanoi it is extremely low. To solve this problem, we need to re-plan which streets are allowed to park and at what level, and it needs to be public.
Traffic on the sidewalk causes traffic obstruction and unsafety and needs to be strictly handled. A heavy fine is enough to be a deterrent because on many streets in Hanoi during rush hour, motorbikes going on the sidewalk and going in the opposite direction is not uncommon. Therefore, we need to have a plan for which sidewalk sections and under what conditions cars can be parked on the sidewalk. The purpose of the sidewalk is for pedestrians and rudimentary vehicles to circulate, but in some countries sidewalks are also for business, but must be suitable for each condition, must pay taxes, fees and ensure the environment.
“The ultimate goal is sidewalks for pedestrians, not all sidewalks can be used for business, businesses must also have a pedestrian section” - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Thai emphasized.
According to Decree 168/2024/ND-CP, the act of parking or leaving a car on the sidewalk in violation of the law; parking where there is a "No parking" or "No stopping and parking" sign will be fined from VND 800,000 - VND 1,000,000.
