Police in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District, where the Old Quarter area is located, started yet another campaign to deal with overcrowded and blocked pavements from March 7.
The police are mainly targeting illegal parking and individuals and businesses that have encroached on to the streets for their business activities. Any violator will be fined.
The pavement violations have increased in Hoan Kiem District after Tet Holiday
Local households are also reminded to replace old lean-to roofs and remove extension to their property which encroach upon pavements.
Deputy Head of Hoan Kiem District’s Police Department Bui Van Dang said that since Tet Holiday, the pavement violations have increased.
Wards have called on the households to sign commitments to ‘ensure public order’. Those who have ignored the regulation will be fined.
It is very common to see shops encroach on pavement, particularly in business areas in Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung and Ba Dinh districts.
The practice is also rampant on streets in the Old Quarter, such as Hang Dao, Hang Ma and Dinh Liet in Hoan Kiem, where the entire pavement is used to display clothes, footwear, wallets and cosmetics or to park vehicles.
On these streets, promotional signs also make their way onto the road, and shoppers often stop their vehicles in the middle of the road to negotiate prices.
On other streets, restaurants and tea shops turn the pavements into gathering places for people from all walks of life.
While the police actions may well be legally justified, changing the habits of Hanoians may prove far harder than expected.
