A plan to build a monorail and subway
network
to reduce the worsening urban traffic congestion in HCMC
Responding to the rapid growth in the number of vehicles, Ho Chi Minh City officials recently proposed several measures to solve the problem of traffic congestion in the city, reported the Vietnam News Agency. According to the city's traffic police record, 1,000 motorbikes and 100 cars are registered and licensed each day. In HCMC alone, the total number of registered cars and motorbikes has reached 4.3 million in first half of 2009, an increase of 300,000 against the number in 2008, or one-fifth of the number nationwide. Each day, a total of 1 million bicycles and three-wheeled vehicles travel daily in the city; plus 60,000 cars and 1 million motorbikes from neighboring provinces also added to the city’s roads. Because of the economic growth in Vietnam during the past years, more Vietnamese can afford to buy cars. According to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), car sales surged, for example, in August 2009 for the second consecutive month to 10,555 units. VAMA said that sales by its 17 members were up 31% over the same period in 2008. Citywide System Monorail Mr. Tran Quang Phuong, Director of the Department of Communications and Transportation talked to the newspaper and urged the city committee to set up a group to work on a traffic infrastructure master plan, including further research on a citywide monorail or subway system. A monorail and subway network throughout HCM City would significantly reduce the worsening traffic congestion in the city, he said. Mr. Phuong also referred to his recent discussions with Singaporean officials regarding their experiences in building a public transport systems. Although HCM City is three times as large as Singapore, with double the population, the city has only 150 bus routes and no subway or monorail routes. Singapore, however, has 138 kilometers of monorail and 325 bus routes. One subway line is currently under construction. The contract for the first monorail line is currently still in negotiations with the investor. The line, which would connect District 1 to District 5 and the Western Region Bus Station, was expected to be put in use in 2012. The line will link Ben Thanh Ward in the city center with Suoi Tien Zone on the city’s outskirts. In addition to monorail lines, the city is currently studying the feasibility of building two other subway lines, which would connect Ben Thanh Ward with Hiep Binh Phuoc Ward and the Western Region Bus Station in the city suburbs. The work will be financed by loans from the German Reconstruction Bank-KfW, European Investment Bank–EIB, and Asian Development Bank-ADB. Loan procedures are expected to be completed by end of 2009. The city is currently seeking investment to build two other monorail lines. Additional Measures to Curb Congestion in HCMC Phuong said that although it was expected to be completed in 2014, the subway line would not substantially reduce traffic congestion. To curb congestion, some of the suggestions are: - The city should raise the fee for
newly registered vehicles and impose higher taxes on newly purchased
cars and motorbikes
- The city shoul build toll stations near the edges of the city’s center which would reduce traffic during rush hours - The city needs more roads particularly because the total number of vehicles would reach 200,000 cars and 2 million motorbikes by 2014 - A plan to reduce violations of traffic regulations by residents has also contributed to traffic congestion; furthermore, an establishment of strict fines for violators needs to be implemented. Our
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