Thousands of motorcycles and cars were stuck in severe traffic congestion on Pham Van Dong Road, heading from Thu Duc City to Binh Thanh District due to the short duration of green lights on Wednesday morning.

The duration of green lights at Pham Van Dong - Nguyen Xi Intersection in Binh Thanh District was shorter than that of the red lights, creating traffic jams during rush hours.

Bui Tuan Hai, a 30-year-old resident of Thu Duc City, a district-level unit under Ho Chi Minh City, shared that a few months ago, he only waited through one or two cycles of the red light to pass through the intersection on his way to work in Tan Binh District. 

However, it has recently taken him four to five cycles to get through, while inching forward slowly.

“Sometimes, the green light at this intersection lasts only over 20 seconds, but the red light lasts twice or even three times as long. Vehicles are unable to clear the intersection, leading to traffic jams,” he explained.

This light cycle can be applied during non-peak hours, but it has worked ineffectively during rush hours, he said, suggesting that traffic police officers should be stationed to control traffic signals.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Binh from the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department’s Road and Railway Traffic Police Unit told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the city is entering its peak travel period leading up to the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet), which is two weeks away, so traffic volume is expected to increase.

Police officers have been implementing various measures to ensure traffic safety during this period.

To ease traffic congestion, traffic police have deployed additional personnel at congestion-prone intersections, bus stations, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and along key national highways to regulate traffic and quickly resolve accidents.

Traffic police officers have been closely teaming up with the municipal Department of Transport to review and adjust traffic light cycles at crowded intersections, as well as to install additional signs and right-turn signal arrows that allow motorbikes to turn right on red.

Six rapid response teams have been set up in key areas, including the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and Cat Lai Port, to monitor and manage traffic efficiently, Binh said. 

The lieutenant colonel also encouraged residents to follow traffic safety and laws by staying in designated lanes, not running red lights, and avoiding driving on sidewalks.

This would help enhance the city's appearance, reduce traffic congestion, and lower the number of accidents as Tet approaches.

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