occupiing car parking positions to keep motorbikes
On the afternoon of March 29, some spontaneous motorbike parking lots on Phan Chu Trinh Street (District 1) occupied car parking lots to build parking lots, collecting 20,000 VND/unit. Motorbikes are messy from the sidewalk to the road, causing disorder and affecting traffic.
On An Duong Vuong Street (District 5), the situation of occupying car parking locations also occurs. auto parts shops here have turned the roadway into a car repair area.
Shops staff set chairs on the street to greet customers, even chasing cars that needed parking with the reason of " avoiding business frontage".
According to the Youth Volunteer Public Service Company Limited, on many toll routes such as An Duong Vuong (District 5), Thu Khoa Huan, Phan Chu Trinh, Ngo Duc Ke (District 1), etc., the situation of occupying parking spaces, obstructing vehicles from entering the parking lot, illegally collecting fees and preventing staff from booking through software is still common.
In addition, many drivers avoid paying the fee by registering to park for an hour but actually park for longer without paying according to regulations.
Statistics show that in 2021, there was a peak month when more than 18,000 vehicles violated the fee payment. Although compliance awareness has improved recently, there are still 4,000 - 5,000 violations per month.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, from December 2020 to the end of October 2024, Ho Chi Minh City will implement the collection of hourly parking fees for cars on 20 routes, earning 22.04 billion VND, but operating costs will reach 24.32 billion VND, leading to a loss of 2.28 billion VND.
Applying anti- Harm technology
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said that the coordination and handling of violations between the toll collection unit and the functional forces under the District People's Committee, the police force has not yet thoroughly handled many violations.
Meanwhile, MyParking software - currently used for fee collection - still has many errors in the payment process, causing inconvenience to users.
From January 1, 2025, Youth Volunteer Public Service Company Limited has piloted fee collection using RFID technology on three routes: Hai Ba Trung, Le Lai and Pham Huu Chi.
This system will automatically deduct fees through the traffic account using the eTag/e Pass reader device posted on the vehicle or creating a dynamic QR code for the driver to scan and pay.
This method helps limit direct contact, avoid controversy and negativity, while reducing the time for downloading the application and payment. If the pilot is successful, the model will be replicated on many other routes.
According to Dr. Tran Quang Thang - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Economics and Management, despite applying new technology, combating loss of car parking fees will be difficult to achieve effectively without coordination between authorities.
Local authorities and police forces need to take strong action against individuals who arbitrarily collect fees and occupy parking spaces. At the same time, there should be strict sanctions against drivers who intentionally violate the law to avoid creating a bad precedent.
On the other hand, propaganda work also needs to be promoted, helping people and drivers understand the regulations and raise awareness of compliance. "When the toll collection system operates effectively, it will not only help the city increase revenue but also contribute to restoring urban order and reducing traffic congestion," said Mr. Thang.
