Zigzag sidewalk separation lines create confusion in Hanoi

As part of local authorities’ ongoing efforts to reclaim sidewalks in the city, multiple promenades have been separated into two sections with painted white lines; one allowing businesses to park their motorcycles, the other reserved for pedestrians.

However, along the pavements of several streets, the lines have been painted in a zigzag fashion, causing confusion as well as compromising the aesthetics of the street.

Some citizens have expressed fierce opposition to such a disorganized way of marking the sidewalks.

“I noticed local officers drawing the lines the other day. We don’t agree with the approach as it creates a negative look to the footpath,” Huong, one resident on Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan District, complained.

“If the sidewalks are marked with zigzag lines, I would prefer if there are no lines at all. No one will find them attractive,” Le Xuan Ba, a motorbike taxi driver based on Nguyen Trai Street, said.

Other residents believed that marking the sidewalks in a zigzag fashion would create confusion for vendors along the street as their allotted space is unequal.

According to an official of the local administration, businesses along pavements over 3.5 meters wide are allowed a 2-meter wide section to operate in.

However, houses along the street are not built in a straight line, resulting in the zigzag-ing lines.

“We are erasing the old lines and marking new ones in a more organized manner,” he said.

Meanwhile, along Doi Can Street in Ba Dinh District, thanks to the new ‘white line,’ pedestrians are only allowed a 20-centimeter wide space to walk on, and have begun walking on the road instead.

According to Bui Thanh Binh, head of the office of the People’s Committee in Ba Dinh, authorized units shall be tasked with inspecting and fixing the issue.