The Ministry of Transport has again proposed limiting personal vehiclesin Vietnam's major cities through increased parking fees, in addition toa congestion charge for vehicles entering city centres. This has causedconcern from experts and the public alike, with many noting that thelong-term plan must be to develop public transportation so there is lessneed for personal vehicles.
Viet Nam News examinesthe issue with Tu Sy Sua, former head of the Faculty of Roadway,University of Transport, Hanoi; Associate Professor Nguyen Quang Toan,independent transportation development expert; and Markus Ernst,technical advisor, Environmentally and Climate-Friendly UrbanDevelopment in Da Nang, GIZ (German Society for InternationalCooperation).
- This is not the first time thatthe Ministry of Transport has suggested measures to limit the use ofpersonal vehicles. Do you think it's feasible to do it now?
+ Tu Sy Sua: The plan reflects the ongoing need to address trafficcongestion in Vietnam's major cities. Measures including the impositionof personal vehicle fees when driving in crowded city centres or higherparking fees are just administrative, short-term measures. Instead ofrestricting personal vehicles, we should develop a transport system inwhich various types of travel - private or public - are co-ordinated inharmony, offering passengers a range of convenient travel options.
The plan lacks drastic breakthrough measures, such as the developmentof underground or monorail public transport as our existing bus systemscan only meet around 15 per cent of demand.
Moreover, the plan targets only five cities - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City,Da Nang, Hai Phong and Can Tho - while other cities across the countryincluding Vinh, Viet Tri and Vung Tau also have similar trafficcongestion problems.
In transport development, weshould prioritise cities in terms of need and scale. For example,normally cities with a population of at least 1 million people need toconsider building an underground system.
+ NguyenQuang Toan: Cities with populations of 500,000 people can be consideredbig cities and those with millions are mega-cities. In Vietnam, Hanoiand Ho Chi Minh City can be considered mega-cities and their transportsystems are quite much-used and complicated, requiring tens of millionsof trips each day.
In Vietnam's big cities,motorbikes now account for 70-80 percent of all travel. With financialcompetence, it is reasonable for people to expect to own personalvehicles. The switch to other modern advanced means of transportationdepends much on peoples' incomes and desires.
Although there is an increase in the ownership of personal vehicles,personal transportation alone will not be able to meet travellingdemands in big cities with a high population density. The need todevelop public transport is as obvious as the need for multi-storeybuildings in urban areas. Imposing bans on personal vehicles in crowdedcity centres is only a temporary measure and not a proper solution. Inthe past, Vietnam imposed high taxes on cars and consequently affectedautomobile production. If the country encourages car ownership andtighten controls including road taxes or fuel taxes, it could raisemoney for the State budget, promote the automobile industry and adjustconsumers' behaviour. When people have available options, they feel lesspressured.
+ Markus Ernst: It is a right step inthe right direction. However, the introduction of parking fees andtraffic fines will not be the total solution. It has to be part of amore comprehensive approach. It is important that the introduction ofthese fees is reasonably explained to the general public right from thebeginning. It is understandable - and the same worldwide - that theintroduction of fees causes reservations and public resistance.
But, for example, the introduction of traffic fines in general is alsolinked to traffic education and helps to ensure traffic safety. It'svery important in this case that traffic police are well trained, thefees are transparent and non-discriminatory, while determined steps mustbe taken against corruption.
- Are personal vehicles to blame for current levels of traffic congestion? How can we become less reliant on motorbikes?
+ Tu Sy Sua: Personal vehicles - including bikes, motorbikes and cars -have advantages because of their high mobility. People canindependently decide their journey in terms of time, destination andmode of travel. Riding a bike is good for health and the environment butnowadays, when people want to travel faster in less time and urbanareas are continuously expanding, bikes fail to fulfill people's needs.
In Vietnam, people in urban areas are seeminglyturning their backs on bikes as a daily means of transportation. Thedomination of motorbikes and increased usage of cars can be clearlyseen. But if the number of personal vehicles keeps increasing,infrastructure including roads and parking areas will become overloaded,exacerbating traffic congestion. As a basic idea in any transportplanning, limiting personal vehicles is always taken into account.
+ Nguyen Quang Toan: It is not the number of personal vehicles thatcauses traffic congestion but the frequency of usage. Now, people mostlyrely on personal vehicles, causing traffic jams. If they have their ownvehicles but still go to work or school by bus and only use theirvehicles in certain cases, it will be much less money.
The proposals on personal vehicle circulation fees or higher parkingfees aim to change peoples' personal vehicle habits. However, it will beeffective if there is alternative transport means which can meet theirminimum requirements, including affordable prices, convenience andpunctuality.
+ Markus Ernst: We have to considerthat besides the number of motorbikes, the number of private cars isalso increasing, already causing a lot of traffic jams and accidents incities. For sure, if we are talking about reducing the usage of privatevehicles, we have to talk about development of a public transport systemand to enhance the quality and availability of buses or other means oftransport.
But there are also simple changes we canconsider and many do not require lots of research, planning andinvestment. It is important to encourage residents to rely less on theirmotorbikes and cars, by enhancing the quality of the sidewalks forexample. This could include planting trees to shade the sidewalk,banning motorbike parking on sidewalks or introducing parking fees.
- So should we wait to improve our public transport system to then limit personal vehicles?
+ Tu Sy Sua: We can learn from Singapore with its very tightprocedures or requirements for operating personal vehicles. So, as soonas someone wants to buy a car, he has to think about the costs,including administrative procedures and taxes which are there todiscourage car use. In fact, it is much simpler to use publictransportation.
In theory, people would see the busas a reasonable choice if travelling by bus was faster than by bikes andtwice as cheap in terms of time, fuel cost and parking fee. If bustransport could meet these expectations then people would choose it. So,to limit the use of personal vehicles, public transport must bediversified, with improved quality and affordable prices.
The combination of different means of transport is the key toaddressing traffic problems in Vietnam's big cities now. Until publictransport can meet 20-25 percent of total travelling needs, we shouldintroduce measure to encourage the switch to public transportation use.
Public transport also needs to be developed to bemore environmentally friendly, for example by using electric vehicles,renewable energy-run vehicles or those which can carry a large number ofpassengers at the same time, to save space and energy. Public transportshould be more accessible and user friendly for people withdisabilities as well.
The Government should continueoffering incentives or subsidiaries to promote public transport as asocial welfare like healthcare or education.
+Nguyen Quang Toan: Now is not the right time to restrict personalvehicles because we don't have enough alternatives. Hanoi now has buseswhich only meet 10 percent of demand. If resources are properlymobilised for transport development and a proper system is developed, itwill take decades to ease urban traffic congestion.
It's estimated that by 2020, personal vehicles will still account for70 percent of traffic in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Until people areoffered proper public transport services, they won't be happy to switchfrom using highly-mobile personal vehicles to public ones. I think therestrictions for personal vehicles should be piloted on a smaller scale.This could be done in the Old Quarter or the area around Hoan Kiem Lakein Hanoi. This would help citizens get familiar with using personalvehicles less.
+ Markus Ernst: In my view, Da Nangcity is taking future transport problems very seriously. Da Nang isstill in a good position to take measures to resolve this. City plannerscan especially learn from experiences in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.Both cities are examples of congestion and occasional traffic chaos.
In recent years, there has been huge infrastructureinvestments in Da Nang's roads and bridges, so traffic is still runningsmoothly most of the time. However, this will change with the increasingnumber of cars and motorbikes on the road. With the development of thenew Bus Rapid Transit System, Da Nang is already on its way toovercoming the future challenges of the transport system./
Viet Nam News examinesthe issue with Tu Sy Sua, former head of the Faculty of Roadway,University of Transport, Hanoi; Associate Professor Nguyen Quang Toan,independent transportation development expert; and Markus Ernst,technical advisor, Environmentally and Climate-Friendly UrbanDevelopment in Da Nang, GIZ (German Society for InternationalCooperation).
- This is not the first time thatthe Ministry of Transport has suggested measures to limit the use ofpersonal vehicles. Do you think it's feasible to do it now?
+ Tu Sy Sua: The plan reflects the ongoing need to address trafficcongestion in Vietnam's major cities. Measures including the impositionof personal vehicle fees when driving in crowded city centres or higherparking fees are just administrative, short-term measures. Instead ofrestricting personal vehicles, we should develop a transport system inwhich various types of travel - private or public - are co-ordinated inharmony, offering passengers a range of convenient travel options.
The plan lacks drastic breakthrough measures, such as the developmentof underground or monorail public transport as our existing bus systemscan only meet around 15 per cent of demand.
Moreover, the plan targets only five cities - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City,Da Nang, Hai Phong and Can Tho - while other cities across the countryincluding Vinh, Viet Tri and Vung Tau also have similar trafficcongestion problems.
In transport development, weshould prioritise cities in terms of need and scale. For example,normally cities with a population of at least 1 million people need toconsider building an underground system.
+ NguyenQuang Toan: Cities with populations of 500,000 people can be consideredbig cities and those with millions are mega-cities. In Vietnam, Hanoiand Ho Chi Minh City can be considered mega-cities and their transportsystems are quite much-used and complicated, requiring tens of millionsof trips each day.
In Vietnam's big cities,motorbikes now account for 70-80 percent of all travel. With financialcompetence, it is reasonable for people to expect to own personalvehicles. The switch to other modern advanced means of transportationdepends much on peoples' incomes and desires.
Although there is an increase in the ownership of personal vehicles,personal transportation alone will not be able to meet travellingdemands in big cities with a high population density. The need todevelop public transport is as obvious as the need for multi-storeybuildings in urban areas. Imposing bans on personal vehicles in crowdedcity centres is only a temporary measure and not a proper solution. Inthe past, Vietnam imposed high taxes on cars and consequently affectedautomobile production. If the country encourages car ownership andtighten controls including road taxes or fuel taxes, it could raisemoney for the State budget, promote the automobile industry and adjustconsumers' behaviour. When people have available options, they feel lesspressured.
+ Markus Ernst: It is a right step inthe right direction. However, the introduction of parking fees andtraffic fines will not be the total solution. It has to be part of amore comprehensive approach. It is important that the introduction ofthese fees is reasonably explained to the general public right from thebeginning. It is understandable - and the same worldwide - that theintroduction of fees causes reservations and public resistance.
But, for example, the introduction of traffic fines in general is alsolinked to traffic education and helps to ensure traffic safety. It'svery important in this case that traffic police are well trained, thefees are transparent and non-discriminatory, while determined steps mustbe taken against corruption.
- Are personal vehicles to blame for current levels of traffic congestion? How can we become less reliant on motorbikes?
+ Tu Sy Sua: Personal vehicles - including bikes, motorbikes and cars -have advantages because of their high mobility. People canindependently decide their journey in terms of time, destination andmode of travel. Riding a bike is good for health and the environment butnowadays, when people want to travel faster in less time and urbanareas are continuously expanding, bikes fail to fulfill people's needs.
In Vietnam, people in urban areas are seeminglyturning their backs on bikes as a daily means of transportation. Thedomination of motorbikes and increased usage of cars can be clearlyseen. But if the number of personal vehicles keeps increasing,infrastructure including roads and parking areas will become overloaded,exacerbating traffic congestion. As a basic idea in any transportplanning, limiting personal vehicles is always taken into account.
+ Nguyen Quang Toan: It is not the number of personal vehicles thatcauses traffic congestion but the frequency of usage. Now, people mostlyrely on personal vehicles, causing traffic jams. If they have their ownvehicles but still go to work or school by bus and only use theirvehicles in certain cases, it will be much less money.
The proposals on personal vehicle circulation fees or higher parkingfees aim to change peoples' personal vehicle habits. However, it will beeffective if there is alternative transport means which can meet theirminimum requirements, including affordable prices, convenience andpunctuality.
+ Markus Ernst: We have to considerthat besides the number of motorbikes, the number of private cars isalso increasing, already causing a lot of traffic jams and accidents incities. For sure, if we are talking about reducing the usage of privatevehicles, we have to talk about development of a public transport systemand to enhance the quality and availability of buses or other means oftransport.
But there are also simple changes we canconsider and many do not require lots of research, planning andinvestment. It is important to encourage residents to rely less on theirmotorbikes and cars, by enhancing the quality of the sidewalks forexample. This could include planting trees to shade the sidewalk,banning motorbike parking on sidewalks or introducing parking fees.
- So should we wait to improve our public transport system to then limit personal vehicles?
+ Tu Sy Sua: We can learn from Singapore with its very tightprocedures or requirements for operating personal vehicles. So, as soonas someone wants to buy a car, he has to think about the costs,including administrative procedures and taxes which are there todiscourage car use. In fact, it is much simpler to use publictransportation.
In theory, people would see the busas a reasonable choice if travelling by bus was faster than by bikes andtwice as cheap in terms of time, fuel cost and parking fee. If bustransport could meet these expectations then people would choose it. So,to limit the use of personal vehicles, public transport must bediversified, with improved quality and affordable prices.
The combination of different means of transport is the key toaddressing traffic problems in Vietnam's big cities now. Until publictransport can meet 20-25 percent of total travelling needs, we shouldintroduce measure to encourage the switch to public transportation use.
Public transport also needs to be developed to bemore environmentally friendly, for example by using electric vehicles,renewable energy-run vehicles or those which can carry a large number ofpassengers at the same time, to save space and energy. Public transportshould be more accessible and user friendly for people withdisabilities as well.
The Government should continueoffering incentives or subsidiaries to promote public transport as asocial welfare like healthcare or education.
+Nguyen Quang Toan: Now is not the right time to restrict personalvehicles because we don't have enough alternatives. Hanoi now has buseswhich only meet 10 percent of demand. If resources are properlymobilised for transport development and a proper system is developed, itwill take decades to ease urban traffic congestion.
It's estimated that by 2020, personal vehicles will still account for70 percent of traffic in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Until people areoffered proper public transport services, they won't be happy to switchfrom using highly-mobile personal vehicles to public ones. I think therestrictions for personal vehicles should be piloted on a smaller scale.This could be done in the Old Quarter or the area around Hoan Kiem Lakein Hanoi. This would help citizens get familiar with using personalvehicles less.
+ Markus Ernst: In my view, Da Nangcity is taking future transport problems very seriously. Da Nang isstill in a good position to take measures to resolve this. City plannerscan especially learn from experiences in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.Both cities are examples of congestion and occasional traffic chaos.
In recent years, there has been huge infrastructureinvestments in Da Nang's roads and bridges, so traffic is still runningsmoothly most of the time. However, this will change with the increasingnumber of cars and motorbikes on the road. With the development of thenew Bus Rapid Transit System, Da Nang is already on its way toovercoming the future challenges of the transport system./
