Hanoi applied a change in office and school hours on February 1, but there has not been much improvements on major streets.
Nguyen Hoang Giap, Chief Inspector of the Hanoi Department of Transport, said the hour change has helped to ease traffic congestion at several key spots in the city. The density of vehicles at peak hours has dropped 5-15%, he said.
The better traffic situation has helped save 10-15 minutes for vehicle owners. The city has also seen a fall in the number of accidents and traffic-related injuries and fatalities.
However, traffic jams are still visible, especially at schools during pick-up and drop-off times, he added. Large intersections such as those at Nguyen Chi Thanh-Kim Ma near DAEWOO Hotel, Truong Chinh-Ton That Tung, Le Duan-Kham Thien, La Thanh streets continue to be congested. These streets often see the large participation of state employees and free labourers who are not required to conform to the change hour.
After the hour change took effect, the municipal Department of Transport raised the number of bus routes to 17 per day, prioritising major streets with every route for 10 minutes.
The department has also joined hands with police for traffic zoning from 6:00 a.m to 22:00 p.m every day; banning trucks and taxi at some important roads such as Nguyen Chi Thanh, Tran Duy Hung, Lang Ha and Le Van Luong at rush hours.