Experts at a March 15 workshop in Hanoi, jointly held by the ministries of Construction and Transport and Health Bridge Canada, said they do not expect an improvement in the next five or 10 years if traffic infrastructure does not change.
Congestion could be attributed to a variety of causes, the biggest of which is transportation development’s failure to keep pace with the city’s rapid urbanization, said Deputy Minister of Transport Truong Tan Vien.
The lack of vision in urban planning and weaknesses in city management has also worsen the situation, he added.
Vien pointed out a limited amount of land designated for traffic infrastructure in the city – only about 13 percent compared to the standard 20-25 percent.
Hanoi is faced with a seriously under-developed “static traffic system” including parking spaces and pavement, especially in the inner city, according to the general director of Transport Engineering Design Inc, Pham Huu Son.
The current available parking space meets only 30 percent of the demand. Meanwhile, private vehicles have kept increasing by 12-13 percent per year, putting huge pressure on the traffic system.
In addition, the system can meet only 15 percent of the travel needs of local residents, although public transport is currently running at full capacity.
“The city seems to count on public transport to help improve traffic, but it has spent little money on developing the system,” said Khuat Viet Hung from the Hanoi University of Transport.
In fact, the capital city has not had any kind of rapid mass transit, light rail transit or rapid bus transit to date.
According to Nguyen Ngoc Quang from Holland Twente University, Hanoians prefer private motorbikes and cars because public means of transport do not deliver them close enough to their desired destinations. “It often takes people longer to travel by bus to their offices every day than by private vehicle,” he said.
In order to encourage people to use public transport, urban planners must focus on improving accessibility and extending routes to different destinations including schools, hospitals, parks and offices.
Kristie Deaniel from HealthBridge Canada also recommended that the city study plans of developed cities in the world, such as Amsterdam, to encourage people to travel on foot and by bicycles.
According to Le Vinh, deputy director of the Hanoi Construction Planning Institute, the city should focus on completing construction of ring roads and major avenues such as Lang-Hoa Lac, Ngo Gia Tu, Le Van Luong and Le Trong Tan streets in the next five years.
The national railway, which divides the city into two parts, also hinders movement through the urban centre and measures should be taken to solve the problem, Vinh said.
“A single solution could never work, but a combination of long-term and immediate solutions could help,” said Pham Sy Liem, vice president of the Vietnam Federation of Civil Engineering Associations.
Liem also stressed the planning of satellite cities requires careful consideration in order to maintain their populations and prevent residents from flocking to the centre of city.
Under the Hanoi master plan to 2030 with a vision for 2050, the capital will be expanded to cover an area of more than 3,340sq.km with a population of 9.2 million by 2030, including more than 6 million people living in the urban area.
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