Experts urge authorities to take action to extend city roads

VMC Real Estate Co Ltd managing director Deth Channa told Post Property that the municipality should come up with a master plan to improve city roads to avoid traffic problems in the future when the population increases.

He said the city’s small roads were more likely to cause problems in the future, adding that authorities should build bigger roads and four-lane highways.

“I am very worried now because the city roads are not built to the same standard. The roads are too small.”

Sung Bonna, chairman of Bonna Realty Group, agrees with Channa. “We think that if the government doesn’t focus on expanding roads, given the size of Phnom Penh and the growing population, these roads will become a problem in the future,” he said.

He said the problem was not too serious at present, but it might become more serious in the future. “The authorities should have a master plan before carrying out development.”

He continued: “I think municipalities should limit the size of roads before allowing any residential development. Compensating later is not a wise solution. It costs the public purse.”

Bonar continued: “The authorities should calculate exactly how much traffic is likely to flow and set the size of the road at the outset.”

Long Dimanche, a city hall spokesman, said the municipality had drawn up a master plan, which it prepared in coordination with French experts, but the government had not yet approved it because the document was still before a council of ministers.