Commuters in Hanoi will continue having to deal with horrendous traffic conditions as the city strains itself to complete its many projects.
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| The intersection between Phap Van Highway and Gie Bridge is often jammed up during Tet or other holidays |
The issue was addressed at the meeting on implementing tasks for the last 6 months of 2010, held by Hanoi’s Steering Committee 197 on July 20.
At the meeting, Colonel Tran Thuy, Vice Director of the Hanoi Police Department, said that 91 traffic intersections and routes in the city will likely continue to have traffic congestion from now until the end of this year.
Thuy also shared that the number of vehicles and drivers grew rapidly in the first 6 months. Nearly 26,000 new cars and over 160,000 new motorbikes hit the roads.The progress of construction projects such as tunnels, flyovers and other road work designed to help improve traffic flow have been delayed contributing to many routes still being jammed.
Road traffic violations remained high including; using sidewalks and roads wrongfully, traveling on roads without wearing helmets and running red lights. Cars and buses have become serious hazards and added to congestion problems as they regularly drive in the wrong lanes which in turn, block traffic on both sides, especially limiting motorbike mobility.
These factors have played a heavy role in contributing to the congestion issues that have caused a traffic mess in the Capital city.
The Hanoi Steering Committee 197 requested the city’s Department of Transport to work vigorously with police to control traffic flow, focus on areas most heavily jammed, and to speed up the progress of construction in anticipation of the 1,000 year anniversary of Hanoi.
Some photos of the traffic mess in Hanoi that a DTiNews\' photographer took recently:
Roads blocked as cars use the wrong lanes
Buses often “bully” smaller vehicles
Everybody tries to get ahead
At Kim Ma – Lieu Giai intersection, traffic is stuck in a stand-still
Motorbikes stuck behind a row of cars
Awareness of drivers plays a vital role in coping with traffic jams
