Hope the sidewalks will be more orderly after collecting fees

Thanh Nien reported that at the special session on September 19, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council passed a resolution on the temporary use fee for sidewalks and roads. From January 2024, organizations and individuals using roads for 3 purposes and sidewalks for 5 purposes will have to pay fees, such as: organizing cultural activities; household waste transfer points; vehicle parking points; service business and goods trading points; locations for public transport facilities and utilities that collect fees from users and install temporary facilities; and construction material and waste transfer points for construction works.

The People's Committee of District 3 proposed to reserve 2m of the International Square roadway as a paid parking lot for two-wheeled vehicles.

The Department of Transport said that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee will issue an implementation plan. The Department of Transport and the District People's Committees will review and issue a list of routes eligible for temporary use of sidewalks and roadways with specific functions and activities. Mr. Ngo Hai Duong, Head of the Department of Road Traffic Infrastructure Management and Exploitation (Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport), said that not all routes are eligible for business or lease. On the other hand, the collection of sidewalk and roadway fees must ensure that the principle of consensus of the people is placed at the highest level, avoiding conflicts of interest between the lessor and the operator.

Need a reasonable solution

Many readers support Ho Chi Minh City's policy of collecting fees for temporary use of sidewalks and roads, provided that this policy is implemented reasonably and transparently. Reader 8BH5 commented: "Leasing sidewalks is reasonable, but sidewalks must be 5-7 m wide, and the consent of the homeowner where the sidewalk is located is required. The government must harmonize the interests of all parties. If successful, this is a humane and responsible policy."

"When implementing sidewalk fees, priority should be given to those who own houses with street frontage to rent first, then to those who have been doing business and making a living for a long time... If the regulations are reasonable, there is nothing that cannot be done," added BĐ Hi Hi.

Similarly, the TQVP also believes that priority should be given to street-front houses, then to households doing business: "The cost of construction, repair, maintenance... of sidewalks comes from tax money, so collecting public infrastructure fees from those who need to use them is reasonable. But priority should be given to families who have been doing temporary business on the city's sidewalks, of course they must ensure compliance with the law."

The TC specifically proposed: "For small sidewalks, leave 1.5 m, for large sidewalks leave 3 m. Buying and selling on the road is strictly prohibited. Anyone who violates will be fined with pictures and only 2 levels of punishment: first time warning, second time revoked business license".

Waiting for effective implementation roadmap

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said it is seeking opinions from localities to draft guidelines for the management and temporary use of a portion of the roadway and sidewalk. BD 6517 noted the implementation method: "I agree with the sidewalk fee collection plan. The policy is correct, but it needs to be studied more carefully. Not all places can rent sidewalks, otherwise the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages, and many problems will arise in the future."

Mr. Le Nguyen expressed his agreement and suggested expanding the model: "It is possible to apply sidewalk fees nationwide. The revenue is paid into the budget for infrastructure development. Doing so will both avoid budget losses and avoid conflicts between homeowners and sidewalk users."

Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Hung reminded about the implementation roadmap: "Collecting sidewalk business fees is to arrange and manage sidewalks in an orderly, disciplined, disciplined and aesthetic manner. Therefore, this must be done in the right place, at the right time and with the right nature. In places where business fees are not collected, sidewalk encroachment must be resolutely handled to create open space for pedestrians."

"This is a difficult problem because there are many subjects affected by the policy. It is necessary to refer to the experiences of similar countries. Select a few localities to pilot first, with a specific roadmap to harmonize interests," said Minh Ly.

* I support it, but we must find a way to make sure that the money collected from sidewalk fees is paid into the budget and used effectively for infrastructure development.

Xuan Hoa Tran

* Roads and sidewalks are too narrow, traffic is chaotic in many places, and streets are dirty. Some areas should be established to concentrate trading, both to manage well and to avoid disorder on the streets.

Kenny Nt

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/mong-via-he-trat-tu-hon-sau-khi-thu-phi-185230925194108506.htm