Traffic congestion at the Ta Quang Buu - Bach Mai junction in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi authorities are drawing up plans to set asideadditional streets for pedestrians only to “lessen public dependency” onprivate vehicles, especially motorbikes, said Vu Van Vien, head of themunicipal department of transportation.
He revealed the information at a recent workshop on traffic safety which wasorganised by the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Republic of Korea’sMinistry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Propelled by the success of the walking streetsaround Hoan Kiem Lake, considered the heart of the capital city, replication of this model is just one of an array of measures that cityauthorities are considering in an ambitious attempt to stop the use ofmotorbikes altogether.
According to the transport director, somecountries in the region implemented a five to ten-year roadmap to purge innercities of the (hitherto) ubiquitous presence of motorbikes. In thecase of Vietnam, and Hanoi in particular, the department deems that a 13-yearroadmap (towards 2030) is appropriate, during which period public transportwill be developed.
Currently, Hanoi’s traffic infrastructure cannotcope with the pressure of the swelling number of private vehicles, while Hanoi’sbus system can handle only 14-15 percent of people’s demand for transportation.
Responding to the concerns, Vien said measuresare being taken to improve the rate to 20-25 percent by the end of 2020, and to35-40 percent in 2030. He added that buses are expected to be the main means oftransport in inner city areas, being capable of handling 50-55 percent ofpublic demand.
“In the near future, on certain routes andareas, private vehicles will be denied entry or at least limited, especially onroutes backed by good public transportation,” Vien said.
Khuat Viet Hung, deputy head of the NationalTraffic Safety Committee, said Vietnam has received a lot of internationalsupport in crafting the urban development master plan, however “aprovincial-level master plan for traffic safety in line with internationalpractice has not received much attention.”
Hung added that if Hanoi’s traffic safety masterplan proves successful, projects and measures implemented under the plan willbe incorporated into the development strategy for other centrally-directedcities and provinces in the future.
Dr Changhwan Mo, director of the Division ofMass Transit & Transport Administration in the Korea Transport Institute,said the capital city Seoul had faced the problems that Hanoi is now strugglingwith. Seoul initially addressed them by expanding its road system, however, themethod was not very successful and the city switched to focusing on publictransportation and better management in order to reduce congestion andaccidents.
Other representatives from the Korea TransportInstitute and Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology alsoshared their experience in reducing the mortality rate of children in trafficaccidents. Seoul’s master plan for traffic safety was also discussed forpossible lessons applicable to Hanoi.-VNA
He revealed the information at a recent workshop on traffic safety which wasorganised by the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Republic of Korea’sMinistry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Propelled by the success of the walking streetsaround Hoan Kiem Lake, considered the heart of the capital city, replication of this model is just one of an array of measures that cityauthorities are considering in an ambitious attempt to stop the use ofmotorbikes altogether.
According to the transport director, somecountries in the region implemented a five to ten-year roadmap to purge innercities of the (hitherto) ubiquitous presence of motorbikes. In thecase of Vietnam, and Hanoi in particular, the department deems that a 13-yearroadmap (towards 2030) is appropriate, during which period public transportwill be developed.
Currently, Hanoi’s traffic infrastructure cannotcope with the pressure of the swelling number of private vehicles, while Hanoi’sbus system can handle only 14-15 percent of people’s demand for transportation.
Responding to the concerns, Vien said measuresare being taken to improve the rate to 20-25 percent by the end of 2020, and to35-40 percent in 2030. He added that buses are expected to be the main means oftransport in inner city areas, being capable of handling 50-55 percent ofpublic demand.
“In the near future, on certain routes andareas, private vehicles will be denied entry or at least limited, especially onroutes backed by good public transportation,” Vien said.
Khuat Viet Hung, deputy head of the NationalTraffic Safety Committee, said Vietnam has received a lot of internationalsupport in crafting the urban development master plan, however “aprovincial-level master plan for traffic safety in line with internationalpractice has not received much attention.”
Hung added that if Hanoi’s traffic safety masterplan proves successful, projects and measures implemented under the plan willbe incorporated into the development strategy for other centrally-directedcities and provinces in the future.
Dr Changhwan Mo, director of the Division ofMass Transit & Transport Administration in the Korea Transport Institute,said the capital city Seoul had faced the problems that Hanoi is now strugglingwith. Seoul initially addressed them by expanding its road system, however, themethod was not very successful and the city switched to focusing on publictransportation and better management in order to reduce congestion andaccidents.
Other representatives from the Korea TransportInstitute and Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology alsoshared their experience in reducing the mortality rate of children in trafficaccidents. Seoul’s master plan for traffic safety was also discussed forpossible lessons applicable to Hanoi.-VNA
VNA
