Traffic congestion on the rise
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The main causes of congestion are traffic accidents (22 accidents accounting for 66.7%), crowded commuters (3 cases occupying 9.9%), and other causes such as fire, landslides (8 cases accounting for 23.4%). Also rush hour high density of traffic flow and slow speed (about 10 – 12km per hour), activities that encroach road safety corridors, sidewalks, pavements, parking vehicles are also mentioned as the causes for local traffic jams.
Furthermore, congestion become usual when it rains, the streets are partially submerged or construction works occupy the roads. Congestion, indeed, tends to expand even more in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The Vice Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Khuat Viet Hung said that in order to overcome congestion, the National Traffic Safety Committee has worked with other ministries, agencies and localities to handle gridlocks in main roads and urban areas, particularly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The Prime Minister also chaired two sessions with the leaders of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to propose solutions to overcome congestion.
Measures proposed at these meetings include speeding up the construction of key transportation projects, especially urban railways and construction of flyover at junction. Furthermore, it is important to improve the means of massive transport and adjust the bus route and schedule. Also the Bus of Rapid Transit system needs to be further expanded, for instance the BRT route from Kim Ma to Yen Nghia bus station.
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City also drastically adopted the motto "reordering roads and sidewalks". The two cities have implemented many local anti-congestion measures at clogging intersections.
Currently, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are also prepared to reduce cars and motorbikes ownership and launch the public bicycle service in downtown areas.
However, so far in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there are so many clogging intersections, many intersections are left without flyovers and road sections with long-term construction works, or unreasonable traffic flow organization which are making traffic congestions worse.
