Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi has started to get serious about traffic congestion, especially when it comes to public transport.
Under a recent ruling, buses from provinces neighbouring Hanoi, such as Hai Duong, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen, can only pick up and drop passengers at bus depots on the outskirts of the city, according to Nguyen Hoang Linh, head of the Industrial Transport Office.
“The change aims to reduce traffic jams in the city and gradually organise suitable bus systems for each type of road,” said Linh.
Large buses (those carrying about 80 passengers) will continue to operate on main roads, however, mini-buses (24-30 seats) will begin to take over from big buses on roads under 8metres wide.
At the end of last year, Hanoi changed bus routes in the Hoan Kiem district of the Old Quarter.
The changes are expected to become operational by the end of this month on bus routes 8, 9, 14, 31, 33, 98.
Besides making the size of buses reflect the size of the streets they traverse, the Department of Traffic and Public Works, which runs the Industrial Transport Office, has also suggested that buses be used to take students to and from schools instead of their parents’ vehicles clogging up the roads. “If the city agrees to fund the programme, students at primary and secondary schools will be able to take public buses for free,” said Linh.
“At the moment, we are trying to increase the size of public buses, however, this is one of the factors contributing to traffic jams,” said Nguyen The Thao, Chairman of Hanoi’s People’s Committee.
At present, the city’s committee is also studying two other ideas. The first is that big buses be used to run on the outskirts of the city and mini-buses in the inner city. The second is to only use modern mini-buses within the city, not the run-down vehicles used on many routes.
And in some small streets, such as Hang Bong and Hang Gai, buses will not be allowed to operate at all.
Hanoi has 75 bus routes within the city itself catered to by 309 big buses, and 165 mini-buses. Buses and taxis meet 20 percent of demand by city residents.-Enditem
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