Other vehicles are often seen in the BRT lanes in Hanoi
The city's Transport Department has just urged for the installing of physical barriers to prevent other vehicles from entering the Yen Nghia-Kim Ma Station BRT lanes. The installation should be completed by January 20.
At present, the dedicated BRT lanes are indicated through road markings and signs and are managed by the traffic police. However, other vehicles are often seen in the BRT lanes, and the express buses are also running at the same speed as bikes or cars during rush hours.
Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of Hanoi Public Transport Management and Operation Centre, said barriers would be set up at some places from the bus shelter to the next intersection to limit lane encroachment.
In the future, the city’s transport department will install warning systems at intersections and fine violators to discourage lane encroachment, he said.
The public, however, are voicing concerns over the setting up of physical barriers here. Many say that roads in the city are already heavily congested during peak hours. The risk of accidents is higher on such roads, and the barriers will affect traffic regulations if there are jams.
The city’s first BRT route became operational on January 1. The 14.7-kilometre route runs from Kim Ma Bus Station in Ba Dinh District to Yen Nghia Station in Ha Dong District through some busy streets including Giang Vo, Lang Ha, Le Van Luong, Le Trong Tan, Tran Phu and Ba La. The bus is expected to complete its one-way journey within 30-45 minutes.
Hai said that the number of people using BRT system is increasing to around 15,000 passengers a day. Passengers can travel on the BRT buses for free until the end of the Tet holiday.
Under Government Decree 46 on traffic violation fines, vehicles can be fined between VND800,000 and VND1.2 million (USD38-USD57) if going into the lane for the high-speed bus route.
