Threats for transportation safety“If repaired and maintained frequently, a end-of-use motorbike can last for another 10 years; but afterwards it is difficult to say. If a mechanical failure occurs on the road, it is a real danger to the driver”, said Nguyen Hong Viet, a veteran motorbike technician.
According to statistics from the Traffic Police Department, of a total of 5,2 million motorbike registered in Hanoi, about half has been in operation for 15-25 years. This is equivalent to around 2,6 million scrap motorbikes which imply safety threat to drivers and people in the surroundings.
Scrap motorbikes pose risk to transportation safety
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Source of pollution
A study on air quality conducted by the Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) shows that the average Air Quality Index (AQI) of Hanoi is 123 (a poor level), and real-time outdoor air quality PM2.5 is more than 5 times the limit standard recommended by the World Health Organization.
Nguyen Van Thanh from Hai Ba Trung districtmentions one of the major issues right now is to set up list of technical criteria and emission standards to evaluate the impacts of obsolete motorbikes to Hanoi’s environment. “ I am sure that if we have the emission standards for reference, the number of motorbikes failing to meet environmental standards will be higher” he said.
The Director of Hanoi Transport Department Vu Van Vien said on this issue that if approved by competent authorities, Hanoi will finish working out regulations and technical/environmental specifications for motorbikes by June 30 next year. At the same time, the City will set up facilities to test motorbike emissions..
Experts also mention that not only dust and smoke, but also the noise from motorbikes are the sources of environment pollution. In the process of developing technical and environmental standards for motorbikes, the responsible agencies need to include the noise criteria into the testing list.
PM 2.5 are tiny particles in the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated. AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. the AQI 123 level in Hanoi is causing respiratory disease for children and elderly people.
According to survey from Strategic Institute, out of 6 sources of air pollution in Hanoi, motorbikes and cars emit 70% of hydrocarbons. And the majority of these hydrocarbons are coming from 2.6 million obsolete motorbikes which are daily on the traffic in Hanoi.
