LookAtVietnam – The city should issue licences to and collect fees from organisations and individuals for using parts of footpaths or streets for trading in goods and services,

Poor people who used part of sidewalks for vending should have to pay lower fees.

Most representatives said that the regulation would resolve existing issues on road and sidewalk encroachment and satisfy the huge demand for using parts of sidewalks or roads among organisations and individuals in the city.

Nguyen Hoang, head of residential area No4 in District 5’s Ward 14, said all the four main streets in his area were totally occupied by nearly 400 household businesses and there was almost no sidewalk space available. The roads were always crowded with cars and trucks parked to deliver goods.

The regulation had received agreement from the majority of businesses and if passed, would lay a legal foundation for people’s use of sidewalk or road spaces, Hoang said.

Au Duong Kim, a member of the city’s Traffic Safety Committee, said that the regulation had to ensure proper management of the use of sidewalks and roads, or else the city would become disorderly and traffic congestion would worsen.

The fee for car parking should be increased from the current regulated level of VND5,000 (US$0.3) for one turn with a prescribed time limit, Kim said, adding that the fee for advertising should be higher than that collected for trading or parking lot purposes.

Poor people who used part of sidewalks for vending should have to pay lower fees, Kim said.

The regulation would create a budget for the city to repair sidewalks and roads, and keep them clean and beautiful while stopping illegal trading, said Huynh Dang Linh, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front’s HCM City Chapter.

Initially, the licensing and fee collection would be applied to some roads and streets approved by the municipal People’s Committee, said Deputy Director of the city’s Finance Department Ta Quang Vinh.

They include 134 roads permitted to be used as public parking lots, 42 for trading in goods and services, and 41for car parking.

The municipal Transport Department and Finance Department would use opinions gathered at the conference to adjust the draft and submit it to the municipal People’s Committee for approval.

According to the draft, the highest monthly fees for using part of sidewalks would be in District 1 at VND46,000 ($2.5) per sq.m, followed by District 3 and District 5, at VND29,000 and VND21,000 per sq.m, respectively.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News