Ho Chi Minh City may make sidewalks narrower in bid to reduce traffic jams Ho Chi Minh City transport department is seeking the municipal government’s permission to expand some streets by narrowing the sidewalks, in an attempt to reduce traffic congestion. The expansion of roads will be made at some traffic “hot spots” where congestion usually happens, namely Nguyen Thai Son and Phan Van Tri Streets in Go Vap District and Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street in Binh Thanh District. It also proposed banning vehicles from traveling on D5 in Binh Thanh District from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m. Vehicles will not be able to travel from D2 to D5 Streets; they will have to take a detour, D2-Dien Bien Phu-Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, instead. Previously, the Saigon River Tunnel Management Center also sought the transport department’s permission to install 13 CCTV cameras at seven traffic "hot spots." According to the department, there are currently 24 spots in the city that are prone to congestion during rush hours. The main reason is that the road area increases by only around 2 percent annually while the number of vehicles can go up by 10 percent, it said. Each day the city has an additional 1,000 motorbikes and 100 cars. More than seven million motorbikes and cars have been licensed. By Dinh Muoi, Thanh Nien News