Hanoi launched its crackdown on pedestrians February 1, police issuing warnings in a city with scarce footpaths or marked crossings, for failing to follow regulations, while car drivers claimed the roads with impunity.

Pedestrians, in a city famous for its "traffic chaos" and the magic of "silent music", where drivers and those on foot respected each other, will soon be fined for failing to give way to the car.

Many pedestrians cross streets between traffic. The marked crossings are few and far between, rarely lit, the black and white zebra lines barely visible, and car drivers ignore them anyway.

So, pedestrians, ignorant of the laws, which is most of them, and foreigners who wrestle with this city, not rich enough to drive an SUV in a city designed for bicycles, will now be punished, and no chicken would try to cross the road in Hanoi, now. 

Cross the road and a pedestrian faces the following fines: failure to show identification to a traffic officer, one of the lowest grades of police, off to the station for interrogation; a fine of about VND50,000 (USD2.00) for ignoring traffic lights, road signs or police instructions. Whatever they might be, because Hanoi is not big on road signage or traffic lights.

Carrying bulky things or crossing median strip, whatever that means, going on roads closed for construction works (that's VND60,000-80,000) and people who walk onto highways? Fine VND80,000-VND120,000.

Apparently pedestrians cause road accidents; maybe they do, but maybe the rich car drivers should lean how to drive, say observers, who ask: what's next?

Some photos taken on Hanoi streets on Feb 1:

Some foreigners also ignored traffic signals no one else followed to cross street in Hanoi on February 1

 

On Tay Son Street

Most rapid way of crossing the street

Traffic police gave warnings to violators.

Dtinews