Another initiative, less hardship for people

Thêm một sáng kiến, người dân bớt cực - Ảnh 1. — The Kha Van Can intersection with Road No. 2 (old Thu Duc City) has a fairly open sidewalk, and people suggested that the right turn could be temporarily widened. And now this right turn has been opened - Photo: CHAU TUAN

Kha Van Can Street is not long but is often congested because the road is narrow, there are many shops selling construction materials, ornamental plants, household appliances and many intersections. Kha Van Can intersection with Highway 2 is always congested, during rush hour it takes 2-3 green-red lights to get through.

On September 28, the Department of Construction cut a 12m long, 2.5m wide sidewalk from Kha Van Can Street to the beginning of Road No. 2 and allowed vehicles to turn right. Just a small move has completely changed the traffic situation and this area has become more open.

However, to successfully replicate this, the Department of Construction should spend more time observing the field and listening to the people, where people live and do business right at the sidewalk cutting point, and the traffic police to give practical suggestions.

For example, there should be a sign about 20-30m from the sidewalk opening to inform drivers of the right turn so they do not encroach on the lane, because if only 1-2 motorbikes stop at the red light blocking the right turn, there will be immediate congestion.

Of course, not all sidewalks can be cut arbitrarily. It can only be applied to sidewalks with a width of 4m or more, because 1.7m must still be left for pedestrians, of which 1.5m is the road surface and 0.2m is the curb, and the cut-in part cannot be less than 2m to be enough for at least one vehicle to enter.

In addition, if the sidewalk is cut, it should be covered with square stones, not beveled because beveled pavement will create conditions for motorbikes to climb onto the sidewalk.

Similarly, the trimming of islands in the middle of intersections also needs to be done carefully. Islands that are too large and take up too much road space can be narrowed down, but the spatial balance must also be taken into account and the size must be large enough for vehicles such as buses and trucks to not make sharp turns.

The sidewalk trimming and continuous right-turn lane arrangement have brought about clear results, reducing the number of vehicles waiting for green lights, helping traffic flow more smoothly.

And people expect innovative initiatives from the government in all areas, not only transportation but also drainage, waste treatment, healthcare , public administration... sometimes just a small initiative is needed but the benefits it brings to the people are huge.

The city government should open a separate mailbox to receive initiatives from the people. Life is colorful, the city is multifaceted, the people have many good initiatives, the government should listen and observe carefully to bring more practical changes to the city.

For example, the idea of making uneven public benches to limit homeless people from using them as places to eat and sleep was sent to the city government by an old man who often walks in the park in Bangkok. It has now become a model used in public bus stations in many countries.

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NGUYEN MINH HOA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/them-mot-sang-kien-nguoi-dan-bot-cuc-20251005081114051.htm