>> Hanoi to spend $66m to reduce traffic jams
Hanoi plans to start its first fast-bus route in the third quarter of this year, with an aim to ease current heavy traffic.
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| Express buses will gradually replace normal bus routes |
Nguyen Hoang Linh, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Transport, said the route will consist of 80 buses, with 80 seats each.
Once operational, the line will have bus service every five minutes, Linh noted. Currently, on the regular routes, passengers must wait for around 15 minutes.
The 17-4-kilometre route will run through Kim Ma, Giang Vo, Lang Ha, Le Van Luong, Le Trong Tan, National Highway No. 6 and Yen Nghia bus station in Ha Dong district.
The new express route will be given separate lanes in the medians of the street, with barriers to prevent private vehicles from using them.
In addition, seven new, comfortable bus stops will be built, which passengers can access by overpasses, he said.
He added that after the first new line is installed, Hanoi will continue to develop other such routes in the coming years, especially in areas with high population density.
Currently, traffic jams are a normal sight in Hanoi, especially during rush hour. This is a result of fast population growth along with the boom in personal vehicles. Another factor is that people commonly ignore the rules of the road.