City officials reveal solutions to traffic congestion

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By Mong Binh - The Saigon Times Daily A new high-rise building going up in downtown HCMC. The HCMC Institute for Development Studies (HIDS) is going to work with relevant agencies to find  measures to cope with chronic traffic congestion, especially in the downtown area where more and more buildings are springing up - Photo: Le Toan HCMC - The HCMC Institute for Development Studies (HIDS) has been assigned to team up with relevant agencies to map out proactive measures to deal with chronic traffic jams in this economic hub of Vietnam. The measures would likely cover restriction on bikes and skyscraper buildings in downtown areas as well as a brake on HCMC’s population as revealed by HIDS president Nguyen Trong Hoa and Tran Chi Dung, director of the city’s Department of Urban Planning and Architecture. Hoa and Dung answered a host of queries in relation to the city’s urban planning vision to 2025 from companies and organizations at a business luncheon held in here on Wednesday by the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) in Vietnam. Hoa said HIDS was working on policies to restrict bikes in downtown areas and impose fees on vehicles running into the central business district, while earmarking prioritized streets for buses. He stressed these policies would probably result in public outcry but would be a must to ensure sustainable development for the city. Dung of the department confirmed public transport network took one of the focuses of the HCMC government and this was proved by substantial investment in buses over the past year. But, public transport means can meet a mere 7% of the demand compared to 20-30% as targeted. In its development strategy, the city will have modern subway, monorail and tram systems to lure citizens to public transport means, and investment capital is being sought from different sources, including official development assistance (ODA) loans to translate these projects into reality. Dung said more ODA loans had been pledged from Europe for metro developments in HCMC. The first metro route stretching over 19 kilometers from Ben Thanh Market to Suoi Tien has its depot constructed and is scheduled to go online in 2015. Hoa of HIDS said the chronic traffic congestion in HCMC would be eased when six planned metro routes are in place. However, he said this would be possible if the city’s population was capped at 10 million. An adjusted master zoning plan for HCMC until 2025 envisages the city’s population at 10 million and the number of non-residents at 2.5 million. In that year, up to 7.4 million of the citizens will live in the central area and the rest in outlying districts. HCMC’s residential area will be limited at 90,000-100,000 hectares by 2025 and the central districts account for some 49,000 hectares. Hoa said as the city’s land could not be widened, its citizens should not be more than 10 million. “Ten million citizens will be the maximum population that HCMC can endure in terms of accommodation and traffic movement, given the roads, beltways, bypasses, bridges, schools, hospital and houses the city has now and in the future,” Hoa explained. At the luncheon, the audience also raised questions about licensing new high-rise buildings in downtown area and its impact on traffic jams. Hoa said new projects would be approved in accordance with a new zoning plan for the central business district. “New high-rise developments will continue to go up in downtown area but their licensing will be weighed carefully,” Hoa said. He added it was difficult for the department to consider new projects in the absence of the zoning plan. Dung expected the zoning plan would be completed and passed by the end of this year. He said more than 100 of the some 255 high-rise projects would be approved and developed. “We and the HCMC planning and architecture council will consider every new project before making the report to the city leaders to seek appropriate measures to meet the needs of investors,” Dung said.