Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam –
Obstacles and Requirements
1. Change of traffic guidelines and visions
2. Some facts about traffic in Vietnam
3. Observation of traffic situations and of traffic behavior
4. Lack of implementation and of monitoring
5. Requirement for an integrated urban traffic strategy
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
1. Change of traffic guidelines and visions
In Germany:
• 50 years ago the former German Minister of Transport and Construction had
the vision to build up a dense highway-net all over Germany to promote
economic development for all regions. „In future it must be possible to reach
a highway from every municipality in not more than 40 km distance.“
This goal could not been realized.
• 30 years later the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) of the same ministry declares: „In the 1950s and 1960s communal transport was extremely car oriented. Today the notion is more accepted that transport has to adapt to urban structures and not vice-versa.“
• Today the traffic guidelines are “shifting from car transport to public transport and to pedestrians and cyclists and reducing the travel distances” (BBR).
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
In Vietnam:
• In Vietnam recently the draft Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2011-2020 will be discussed. “Rapid and sustained growth is the guiding philosophy. If this strategy will be implemented effectively the country can enter in a new era of sustainable development.” (PM Dung, in: VN News 3/8/2010)
It is a big challenge to implement sustainability as traffic guidelines under an ongoing rapid economic growth and facing the big demand to upgrade traffic infrastructure.
Facing the threat through climate change for Vietnam the Change of guidelines to sustainable urban traffic has to be realized faster than in Germany.
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
2. Some facts about traffic in Vietnam
1. Vietnam has the highest per capita motorbike ownership in the world.
Vietnam is for motorbike producers the fourth largest market worldwide.
In the last five years 2.5 to 3 million motorbikes were sold every year.
In Hanoi 2,5 million motorbikes are registered, in HCMC 3 million (2009).
2. The pressure on transport rises in Vietnam. After rapidly replacement of bicycles by motorbikes in the last decade now more and more people move to cars especially in big cities .
3. In peak hours inner-city-traffic speed of cars and buses is much slower (under 15 km/h) then of motorbikes (18-20 km/h). A do-nothing-scenario-2020 for Hanoi forecasts that the average travel speed will decrease dramatically.
My hypothesis :
For the next years we have to deal with the fact that the Vietnamese society is dependent on motorbike. This in mind we have to find
sustainable urban traffic solutions!
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
Road traffic accidents in Vietnam 1997- 2008
There is a significant decrease of serious injury since 2002 and further
decrease since implementation of obligatory helmet use in 2007.
But there are still a high number of traffic fatality. Vietnam has still the
third highest rate of road fatality per capita in South East Asia.
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
Negative impacts of increasing motorisation in Asian Cities
• Air quality
• Noise and vibration
• Accidents
• Global climate change
• Natural habitats
• Congestion
• Economic efficiency
• Loss of living space
JakartaSource: Swiss contact foto
competition 2002
Hanoi Old Town
China has
16 of the most
polluted cities
worldwideSource: GTZ 2005
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
3. Observation of traffic situations and of traffic behavior
Red light will be ignored often
Driving in the wrong direction
is very common
photos : 2007
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
In many streets is no space for
pedestrians on the sidewalk
because it’s full of parking cars
and motorbikes
All goods - even dangerous ones -
will be transported by motorbike
photo : 2007
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
In rush hours it is very common that
cars are using the lanes for motorbikes
and motorbikes drive over the sidewalks
From the view of an European expert traffic
behavior of Vietnamese people seems to be
not very disciplined. There is a very common
principle of “try and let go”:
I go in my direction. I take the space I need before someone else will do so.
From my point of view this behavior comes to a limit in a traffic system that becomes
more and more fast and automatically controlled.
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
4. Lack of implementation and of monitoring
There is no lack of proposals and concepts for new
urban transport systems. The international transport
system producers want to sell their products. The adaption of the systems on the local
needs is insufficient. So there is a big gap between plans and implementation.
Priority for two Metro Lines in HCMC –
(HCMC Planning Exhibition 2006)
Proposal for future UMRT Network in HCMC(UPI-HCMC, Nikken Sekkei, Study of the HCMC
Master Plan up to 2025, presentation 15/1/2007)
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
In the last years good progress were made with public city bus systems.
But recently nearly 30 percent of all HCMC City buses and coaches fail to meet
Vietnamese/Euro2 emissions standards. (VN News 4/8/2010)
The Government has ordered nearly 21,000 unsafe old buses off the road. But
they are still carrying passengers throughout the whole country. (VN News 27/7/2010)
In the first half of year 2010 three hundred fatal accidents happened at railway
crossings all over Vietnam. Beside only 15% of level crossings nationwide are
manned or have alarm systems the main reason for accidents are reportedly
impromptu crossings and reckless crossing of rail track by many vehicle drivers.
(VN News 2/8/2010)
Despite of many programs peoples awareness in traffic safety is very limited.
Traffic injuries and fatalities of poor people are 10times higher than of others. (Le Minh Chau, 2006)
80% of the recently offered motorbike helmets did not meet national standards. (VN News 2/8/2010)
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
BRT Bogota
BRT Jakarta
BRT Tehran
BRT started in South American cities:
Curitiba, Quito and Bogota.
BRT also runs in many Asian cities.
Critical points remain:
• the safety at crossings with individual traffic
• the travel speed and
• the technical solutions for access of
passengers
5. Requirement of an integrated urban traffic strategyUpgrading public transport - the example BRT
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
LRT Tokyo
Metro System MoscowLRT Hamburg
Example Metro and LRT
Metro Systems and LRT Systems are efficient but also very expensive.
One line only will not solve the traffic problem.
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
‘Sky train’
Bangkok
TRAM in Orleans and Strasbourg, France
Example Tram
There is a revival of tram systems in Europe. These systems could be integrated
better in the existing urban environment than LRT systems like the Sky Train.
The critical point of tram systems remains the crossings with MoT.
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
Express Boat Service Bangkok
New environment friendly traffic elements and new public transport
systems could improve City Centers
New Tram System in Dublin
Pedestrian Street:
Nanjing Road Shanghai
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
Congestion charging London
ERP Singapore
Regulations and Restrictions - Beside all improvements and new transport systems
there will be a need for regulations and restrictions for the motorized traffic in City Centers.
Some of the Road Toll Systems
failed other are successful.Wheel clamp in Dublin
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
Vietnam is one of the most important markets for motorbikes. So changing of the engines is possible
by a long time announcement in advance by the government. The State California is a good example.
In case continuous power supply is given, Vietnam could register only environment friendly Electro
Bikes in the big cities in a few years.
Proposal: Electro bikes as replacement for motorbikes.Aiming on reduction of pollution and on reduction of road accidences
Electro Bike BejingElectro Bike Bejing
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
The ongoing replacement of motorbikes through cars has a great impact
on land use structure and on traffic volume. The historic compact urban
structure of many Vietnamese cities starts to disappear. The use of cars
enforce suburbanization and disperse settlement structures.
There is a recent discussion in the big Vietnamese cities to limit the number
of businesses in their city centers to ease traffic congestion. From my point
of view this proposal could not solve the problem. Traffic will be not reduced
traffic will be only shifted:
- Compact cities have the shortest distances that means less traffic.
- Compared with other big South-Asian Cities the density in the big
Vietnamese cities is not very high.
- Decentralization could be a relief strategy. But first an environmental friendly
mass rapid transit system has to be build which is affordable for the people
otherwise traffic becomes worse.
Traffic and land use
Sustainable Urban Traffic in Vietnam -Obstacles and Requirements
HCMUARC Dr.-Ing. Michael Bose
Urban traffic and urban transport are key issues for the future economic, social
and environmental development of Vietnamese cities. Not one stand-alone high
tech system is the solution, only integrated strategies for all kind of traffic can
solve the problem.
I sum my requirements up in four points:
1. Change of guidelines with the new priorities: first avoid or reduce
traffic, second shift the mode and third make the remaining traffic
well-tolerated.
2. Building up an environment-friendly urban transport system with
effective integration of other modes.
3. Restriction measures for cars and motorbikes and improvement
for non-motorized traffic.
4. Reducing the gap between plans and regulations on the one hand
and changing the traffic behavior of Vietnamese people on the other.
Conclusions