Wild times in Da Lat.
VnExpress reports that officials in the popular tourist destination plan to add traffic lights at major intersections in the city to deal with worsening traffic. Currently, there are no stop lights in Da Lat.
Truong Huu Hiep, director of the Lam Dong Province Department of Transport, told the news source that they are gauging public opinion on the move. Expected light locations include the Phan Chu Trinh intersection, the five-way intersection near Da Lat University and the Ba Thang Hai roundabout.
These installations would be on a trial basis, with no current timeline available, and if traffic lights help to reduce congestion, they will be added elsewhere in Da Lat.
In January, the Lam Dong administration announced a VND1 billion (US$43,346) competition for submissions aimed at solving traffic congestion in Da Lat. The deadline is April 14, and submissions are expected to have a vision until 2035.
Officials have also approved two parking lots outside of Da Lat in an attempt to stop people from parking on roads in the city center and causing traffic jams. It is not known when these projects will be completed.
In recent years, the mountain city has become an extremely popular tourist destination, and on weekends and domestic holiday it fills with people driving in from other parts of southern Vietnam, causing mayhem on its unique road network, which relies heavily on roundabouts instead of traffic lights.
[Photo via Kinh Te Moi Truong]
