Ho Chi Minh City moves to untangle school gate gridlock as summer grace period ends

The congestion is particularly common during the 6:30-7:30 am and 4:00-5:30 pm rush hours, when parents gather to drop off or pick up their children, said Lieut. Col. Le Hoang Phong, deputy head of the city's administrative police division, at a socio-economic press briefing.

Parents stopping or parking vehicles in front of school gates, along with street vendors encroaching on roads and sidewalks, can force students to walk on the roadway, causing congestion and posing accident risks while also affecting urban order, hygiene, and food safety, Phong said.

The public security department identified 526 educational institutions with complicated public-order issues after reviewing more than 3,500 schools and other educational facilities.

The number of schools with such problems has since fallen to around 62, most of them in central areas, according to the department.

The schools still facing problems include Vo Thi Sau High School on Le Van Duyet Street, Ly Tu Trong Middle School on Le Duc Tho Street, Go Vap High School on Nguyen Thai Son Street, Ha Huy Tap Middle School on Phan Dang Luu Street, Pham Van Chieu Middle School on Pham Van Chieu Street, and Phu Dong Elementary School on Ap Chien Luoc Street.

During the first nine months of this year, municipal police detected and administratively sanctioned more than 215,000 violations, including over 16,000 cases of vehicles being illegally parked on sidewalks, more than 8,500 cases of vehicles left on roads and obstructing traffic, and over 13,100 cases of stopping or parking in violation of regulations.

Around 1,500 of these violations occurred at school gates, according to police.

Phong attributed the congestion mainly to a high concentration of parents picking up and dropping off children within a short window, widespread non-compliance, quick roadside purchases, and ingrained stopping habits.

He also acknowledged that some commune-level police units had not been sufficiently proactive in advising local authorities, coordinating with relevant agencies, conducting patrols and inspections, or handling violations.

To ease congestion, the public security department has asked the management boards of the 62 schools to work with local authorities to arrange parking areas and designated stopping points for parents picking up students, Phong said.

The schools have also been asked to arrange canteens on their campuses so students can buy food inside school grounds instead of from vendors outside the gates.

The department said police will step up coordination with local authorities to remind businesses not to encroach on roads and sidewalks during school dismissal hours.

It has also proposed that the municipal Department of Education and Training require schools, depending on their conditions, to organize designated areas for picking up and dropping off students during peak hours, develop plans to limit vehicles stopping or parking in front of school gates, and study suitable stopping and parking locations.

Police and local security personnel will be deployed during peak hours to maintain public order and traffic safety around schools and handle violations, the public security department said.