On 27/7, the Traffic Police Department (CSGT) proposed studying a new traffic organization scheme for expressways. This proposal designates the lane adjacent to the median strip as an "overtaking lane", where vehicles would only be allowed to use it for overtaking and must return to the right lane after completing the maneuver.

This plan was previously agreed upon by the CSGT and the Vietnam Road Administration. The objective is to develop solutions for infrastructure planning, engineering design, and road traffic organization to enhance safety and modernity.

According to the CSGT, on many expressways with two or more lanes per direction, some drivers, particularly those of trucks and passenger buses, travel at low speeds while occupying the lane adjacent to the median strip (lane 1). This behavior obstructs traffic flow, causes prolonged congestion, and frustrates other drivers.

The agency stated that the 2024 Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety stipulates that slower vehicles must keep to the right in the direction of travel. However, to effectively address the deliberate refusal to yield lanes, clearer traffic organization is needed.

Under the proposal, lane 1 will be exclusively for vehicles performing an overtaking maneuver. When traveling in lane 2 and encountering a slower vehicle ahead, drivers are permitted to move into lane 1 to overtake. After overtaking, vehicles must return to the right lane and comply with lane-changing regulations. The CSGT emphasizes that continuous travel in the overtaking lane is not permitted.

According to the CSGT, this traffic organization approach will enhance traffic flow, reduce left-lane hogging, and improve safety on expressways.

Previously, at the request of the CSGT, the Vietnam Road Administration reorganized traffic on some eligible expressways by prohibiting trucks and passenger buses from using the lane adjacent to the median strip. According to the agency, this initial solution has helped improve traffic flow.

In addition to the overtaking lane proposal, the CSGT is also studying solutions such as: only permitting stopping and parking in designated areas, eliminating mixed traffic, reducing the number of road signs, organizing traffic so that vehicles move at relatively consistent speeds within each lane, traveling in single file to reduce lane changes and traffic conflicts, and reducing intersections to increase throughput and prioritize vulnerable road users.

By Pham Hai