The HCM City Department of Transport has instructed its agencies to quickly implement the plans drawn up to reduce the number of accidents and lengthy traffic jams by 10 percent.

Speaking at a meeting earlier this week, Le Toan, its director, said the measures must be implemented early this year to meet the targets since they are not easy to achieve.

They include addressing causes of accidents at accident-prone sites, restoring order along kerbs and pavements that are now used to do business and park vehicles, redesignating lanes for vehicles and roads as one-way or two-way, and installing median strips.

This month relevant agencies must complete the task of reviewing 24 sites that were prone to accidents in 2011, and clear the sites by the end of the second quarter, he said.

By the end of the second quarter, the department will also complete installing median strips on 31 roads to separate two-wheel and automobile traffic, and re-designate roads at 30 places prone to traffic jams.

The department's urban traffic management zones will make changes at 17 road junctions to increase road area and ease traffic flow.

The department will consider building flyovers for vehicles weighing less than 3 tonnes over some important roads, including Dien Bien Phu Street, National Highway No. 22, and Duong Minh Giam Street.

The cost of implementing all these measures will be more than 400 billion VND (19 million USD), according to the department./.