After 3 weeks of implementing Decree 168, the result is that traffic jams are widespread and have not decreased. Although a representative of the Traffic Police Department affirmed that traffic order and safety in major cities has changed positively.
On January 22, Dan Viet newspaper reported with the headline “Serious traffic jam on Vo Nguyen Giap avenue, thousands of container trucks and cars stuck.” The news reported that from early morning on December 23, thousands of container trucks, trucks, and cars had to be “stuck” for many hours on Vo Nguyen Giap avenue formerly Hanoi Highway in Ho Chi Minh City.
This is said to be the reason, according to Tuoi Tre newspaper, Chairman Phan Van Mai has just signed an official dispatch directing agencies and units to implement solutions to ensure traffic safety and order, reduce congestion in the city, with a proposal to temporarily allow vehicles to circulate on sidewalks, as well as temporarily allow vehicles to turn right without waiting at intersections.
Public opinion sees that this is undeniable evidence that Decree 168 has officially “fallen.” At the same time, it also raises the question of why, up to now, HCM City and the southern provinces have had an unwritten regulation, allowing 2-wheeled vehicles to turn right at intersections, and to go straight at three-way intersections when the traffic light is red.
So why does Decree 168 introduce such strange new regulations, creating widespread traffic congestion as seen?
This is the reason why, to overcome Decree 168, the State had to install many new traffic light systems at some intersections and three-way intersections, allowing two-wheeled vehicles to turn right or go straight when the light is red as before.
Is it possible that the police force is just sitting around doing nothing and finding ways to increase fines to harass people? Even in the near future, after Decree 168, the Ministry of Public Security is presiding over the drafting of a decree regulating administrative sanctions in the field of fire prevention and fighting.
Accordingly, the ministry proposed to significantly increase the fine for people carrying lighters and using phones at gas stations. If previously, these acts were only subject to a warning fine of VND100,000-VND300,000, then in the near future, according to the latest Decree, the fine will increase to VND3 million-VND5 million.
The public is asking why there is a regulation prohibiting the use of phones at gas stations? Especially in the digital age, phones are indispensable, and must always be carried with owners to use, such as scanning the code to pay the bill at the gas station.
In fact, in Vietnam, when filling up gas, almost 100% of people buying gas have their phones with them. Therefore, the Ministry of Public Security’s proposal to increase the fine for bringing and using phones at gas stations is extremely unscientific, impossible, and perhaps only for the purpose of plucking people’s feathers like the recent Decree 168.
According to the Ministry of Public Security’s explanation, using phones can cause fires and explosions at gas stations. However, according to experts, sparks emitted from phones can theoretically cause fires and explosions, but the probability is extremely low. Therefore, the regulation prohibiting bringing and using phones at gas stations is an unreasonable and unscientific regulation.
Is it possible that in the near future, the Ministry of Public Security will propose to deduct a percentage of fines from violations of fire prevention and fighting, similar to 85% of fines from traffic violations?
With the current policies and guidelines of the Ministry of Public Security that always go against the will of the people, public opinion believes that perhaps the police forces are doing all to create difficulties for people nationwide to benefit for themselves.
Tra My – Thoibao.de
