District 1's People Committee recently sent a proposal to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation regarding traffic management for Nguyen Hue Boulevard.
The People's Committee proposes a ban for all motorized traffic on the street by 2020, according to Sai Gon Giai Phong. To ease the process of the blanket ban, District 1 will start banning traffic on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday beginning 2019.
Currently, the district authority is imposing a de facto ban on weekend traffic on the popular pedestrian street between 7pm and 11pm. However, the ban is not yet approved by the city's people committee, which makes it difficult for traffic authorities to enforce the rules without the legal framework. Therefore, District 1 is urging city authorities to make the final decision.
To further ensure safety for pedestrians and tourists on Nguyen Hue, District 1's People Committee also suggests the transportation department research and develop a ban on vehicles over 1.5 tons from entering the street, to restrict a traveling speed between 10-20km/h and prohibit stopping and parking for all vehicles.
The plan seems to be consistent with an earlier proposal by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture in September, in which it suggests that areas linking Ba Son, Nguyen Hue and Ben Thanh to be turned into green pedestrian zones.
