Directive No. 252/2000/CT-BGTVT on Strengthening the Protection of Roadside Protection Zones

DIRECTIVE

On Strengthening the Protection of Roadside Protection Zones

Implementing the Ordinance on the Protection of Transport Works issued by the State on December 10, 1994; Government Decree No. 36/CP dated May 29, 1995 on ensuring traffic order and safety on roads and urban traffic order, the Ministry of Transport issued Circular No. 314/ĐBVN dated November 21, 1995 guiding the installation of road boundary markers and clearance zones for the first phase of roadside protection zones (RPZ) to ensure the safety of road works and traffic order; the Vietnam Highway Administration, the Departments of Transport (Transport and Communications), and the units managing roads throughout the sector have made significant efforts to implement effectively the state regulations on the installation, management, and protection of road boundary markers, RPZs, contributing to the implementation of Government Decree No. 36/CP.

Most national highways, provincial roads, and district roads have been marked with road boundary markers by the road management units and handed over to local authorities for management. Many road management units have cooperated well with localities in managing and protecting road boundary markers, RPZs; promptly preventing and resolving re-intrusion into RPZs, maintaining clear roads and sidewalks, contributing to ensuring traffic order and safety in localities and along the routes managed by these units.

However, upon inspection of some national highway routes, some road management units found that:

The installation of road boundary markers has not been fully and strictly implemented; some important sections of national highways such as National Highway 1 have not been fully marked with road boundary markers.

- Management and maintenance have not been conducted regularly; road boundary markers have not been treated as part of road transport infrastructure that must be protected according to the Ordinance on the Protection of Transport Works. Therefore, up to now, many road boundary markers on some routes have been lost or damaged but the road management units have not supplemented or repaired them in a timely manner.

The management of RPZs remains inadequate; coordination with local authorities to promptly prevent violations of RPZs has not been tight enough. As a result, re-intrusion and violation of RPZs remain quite common, affecting traffic order and safety on roads.

To address these weaknesses and strengthen the protection of RPZs, contributing to ensuring traffic order and safety, the Ministry instructs the Vietnam Highway Administration, the Departments of Transport (Transport and Communications), the Highway Management Areas, and the road management units to immediately implement the following actions:

1- Organize for key cadres of road management units from section chiefs and deputy chiefs upwards to study and thoroughly understand the Ordinance on the Protection of Transport Works, Government Decree No. 172/1999/NĐ-CP, Circular No. 314/ĐBVN, and Circular No. 213/2000/TT-BGTVT of the Ministry of Transport to grasp and effectively implement these legal documents.

2- Road management units need to organize regular patrols and inspections to promptly detect violations, coordinate with local authorities to handle and prevent violations of RPZs in a timely manner.

3- The Departments of Transport (Transport and Communications), Highway Management Areas should direct the road management units to review and check the system of road boundary markers, install complete road boundary markers on national highways and provincial roads in 2000 in accordance with the Ministry of Transport's regulations.

4- Localities and road management units must establish cooperation mechanisms for the protection of transport works, with the core force being the commune (ward) authorities, road management units, local traffic inspectors, and traffic inspectors of the Highway Management Areas.

5- It is necessary to rearrange and consolidate the traffic inspector forces of the Highway Management Areas, the Departments of Transport (Transport and Communications) in accordance with Government Decree No. 80/CP and the Ministry's regulations to ensure sufficient capacity to fulfill their tasks as stipulated by law.

6- The Vietnam Highway Administration, the Departments of Transport (Transport and Communications), the Highway Management Areas, and the road management units, based on their assigned functions and responsibilities, need to review their good practices to promote them, identify and address shortcomings, and seriously deal with officials lacking a sense of responsibility who fail to complete their assigned tasks.

The Director of the Vietnam Highway Administration, the Heads of the Departments of Transport (Transport and Communications), the General Directors of the Highway Management Areas, and the heads of road management units are required to urgently organize the implementation of this Directive. The results of implementation must be submitted to the Ministry of Transport (through the Ministry Inspectorate) before December 31, 2000.