Five cities to pilot a public bicycle project
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the five cities of Hanoi, HCM City, Haiphong, Danang and Can Tho to pilot a public bicycle project in the city centres.
According to the PM, this is among measures to restrict private vehicles in order to ease traffic in the cities.
In a document that was recently sent to these cities, the government leader urged the cities to complete transport infrastructure projects to meet increasing public demand. Local people’s committees are requested to cooperate with the Ministry of Transport to implement the trial public bike project.
Dr. Khuat Viet Hung, Head of the Transport Department, under the Ministry of Transport, said several private enterprises are willing to invest in a public bike service. They proposed being allocated enough space for the service. Residents and tourists use the service would be provided with a map.
According to Dr. Hung, the biggest difficulty lies in finding the infrastructure and space for parking as well making separate lanes for bikes. Many people who disagree with this solution have said that bikes are out of date and would add to traffic congestion.
The Ministry of Transport submitted a project on the development of public means of transport in big cities in Vietnam to restrict private vehicles by solutions such as lane and time divisions for vehicles and applying higher parking fees to vehicles in city centres.
Under the proposal, big cities would build their detailed plans for the report to be submitted to the government in March, 2014.
However, to date, Hanoi has yet to start any such detailed plan, as it is waiting for the government’s approval for the Ministry of Transport’s official project.
Dr. Hung said that, once approved, the Ministry of Transport’s project will help to focus cities’ detailed plans.
As part of the project, the ministry has proposed reducing the rate of private vehicle use from 80% to 55%.
