The Vietnam Register is preparing a plan to put motorbike exhaust under control in a move intended to ease pollution, said Trinh Ngoc Giao, head of the agency.
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| Emission controls will be carried out every year starting in mid-2013 for all motorbikes, except those that have been used for less than three years. |
The plan will be submitted to the Government later this month and if it is approved, the emission controls will be carried out every year starting in mid-2013 for all motorbikes, except those that have been used for less than three years.
The Vietnam Register is collecting opinions from relevant ministries, local authorities and agencies to finalize its emission control plan, he added.
The agency is planning to assign companies that are manufacturing and assembling motorbikes in Vietnam, such as Honda, Suzuki, Piaggio, and Yamaha, to set up exhaust control centers since they already have equipment and technicians at their warranty centers. They will also repair vehicles that fail to meet emission standards.
According to Decision 909, 100 such centers are needed for Hanoi and 150 others for Ho Chi Minh City by next year, but the actual necessary number may be higher, as the number of motorbikes in the country’s two largest cities has rapidly grown.
Therefore, besides motorbike firms, any other business can engage in controlling emissions provided that they meet requirements on premises, equipment and personnel for the work, Giao said.
Emission control stamps
According to the Decision, a network of emission control centers must be set up to ensure that 80-90 percent of motorbikes in Hanoi and HCMC – the special cities – will be controlled in terms of emissions in the 2013-2015 period.
At present, less than half the bikes in circulation in Hanoi don’t meet standards so, says Giao, this goal is very ambitious.
As for level 1 and 2 cities, the proportions are expected to be 60 percent.
When the emissions control plan is applied, the owners of motorbikes meeting emissions standards will be granted a stamp as confirmation of exhaust quality, and motorbikes that do not meet the standards must be repaired in order to become qualified.
Users of motorbikes without an emission control stamp will be fined by traffic police, Giao said.
