Vietnam eyes motorcycle curbs in five largest cities until 2030
The Vietnamese government in its attempt to get the partly insane motorcycle traffic in its largest cities under control has ordered the local administrations of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and Can Tho to work on a motorbike restriction plan for the period after 2030.
The five cities, currently the only centrally controlled municipalities and the largest in Vietnam, have been told they must either substantially restrict or even ban motorbikes outright in certain districts until then.
They have also been ordered to develop a scheme of charging motor vehicle fees in some areas which are at the highest risk of congestion and environmental pollution.
Eliminate congestion points, boost public transport
Furthermore, the cities should develop policies to boost the use of mass transportation with the aim of having public transport cover 30 to 35 per cent of overall passenger volume by that year. This could be achievable at least in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi where currently the first metro systems are being built.
Also, the municipalities have to come up with plans to deal with and eliminate frequent congestion points, mainly such in which traffic jams normally last for more than 30 minutes. The city councils have also been ordered to only approve projects of high-rise buildings, apartment buildings and shopping malls that are linked with major traffic systems, preferably public transportation.
Motorcycle bans in downtown districts planned
Whether the plans will be working remains to be seen. Talks about motorcycle bans in Vietnam have been going on since at least 2013. Hanoi in 2016 rolled out a plan to ban motorbikes in its core districts as early as from 2025. Vietnam’s business hub of Ho Chi Minh City joined the capital and said in 2019 that it would restrict and eventually ban motorbikes from a number of downtown areas.
Those two biggest cities in Vietnam had to deal with around 5.7 million and 7.5 million motorbikes, respectively, as of last year. Overall, Vietnam is home to roughly 50 million motorbikes, according to the country’s National Traffic Safety Committee. Among a population of nearly 99 million, most adults use motorbikes as the most common means of transport.
[caption id="attachment_38369" align="alignleft" width="300"] In Ho Chi Minh City, 7.5 million motorcycles are clogging the streets[/caption] The Vietnamese government in its attempt to get the partly insane motorcycle traffic in its largest cities under control has ordered the local administrations of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and Can Tho to work on a motorbike restriction plan for the period after 2030. The five cities, currently the only centrally controlled municipalities and the largest in Vietnam, have been told they must either substantially restrict or even ban motorbikes outright in certain districts until then. They have also...
The Vietnamese government in its attempt to get the partly insane motorcycle traffic in its largest cities under control has ordered the local administrations of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and Can Tho to work on a motorbike restriction plan for the period after 2030.
The five cities, currently the only centrally controlled municipalities and the largest in Vietnam, have been told they must either substantially restrict or even ban motorbikes outright in certain districts until then.
They have also been ordered to develop a scheme of charging motor vehicle fees in some areas which are at the highest risk of congestion and environmental pollution.
Eliminate congestion points, boost public transport
Furthermore, the cities should develop policies to boost the use of mass transportation with the aim of having public transport cover 30 to 35 per cent of overall passenger volume by that year. This could be achievable at least in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi where currently the first metro systems are being built.
Also, the municipalities have to come up with plans to deal with and eliminate frequent congestion points, mainly such in which traffic jams normally last for more than 30 minutes. The city councils have also been ordered to only approve projects of high-rise buildings, apartment buildings and shopping malls that are linked with major traffic systems, preferably public transportation.
Motorcycle bans in downtown districts planned
Whether the plans will be working remains to be seen. Talks about motorcycle bans in Vietnam have been going on since at least 2013. Hanoi in 2016 rolled out a plan to ban motorbikes in its core districts as early as from 2025. Vietnam’s business hub of Ho Chi Minh City joined the capital and said in 2019 that it would restrict and eventually ban motorbikes from a number of downtown areas.
Those two biggest cities in Vietnam had to deal with around 5.7 million and 7.5 million motorbikes, respectively, as of last year. Overall, Vietnam is home to roughly 50 million motorbikes, according to the country’s National Traffic Safety Committee. Among a population of nearly 99 million, most adults use motorbikes as the most common means of transport.
