Experts suggested that the traffic issue in Ho Chi Minh City could be resolved if the authorities were determined to curb the use of motorbikes.

Many blame traffic on too many motorbikes

At a seminar held by Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Science & Technology on July 1, Associate Professor Pham Xuan Mai, from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology pointed out, “Motorbikes are the main cause of traffic jams in the city.”

He added that each motorbike occupies 12 square metres when it travels on roads and occupies 2 square metres when it stops in one place.

Meanwhile, the number of motorbikes in the city is over 4.1 million which is 600 vehicles per 1,000 people.

According to Mai, Ho Chi Minh City has the highest number of motorbikes in the world, twice the number than other cities in the region such as Bangkok, Jakarta or Taipei.

There are 1,000-1,200 fatal accidents per year in the city, and 71% of them involve motorbikes. In addition, this vehicle consumes 92 times more fuel than buses do. It also causes environment pollution at a rate 39.3 times higher than buses.

Mai forecasted, “Under the current trend, the city will have 4.5 million motorbikes by 2011. Traffic jams are unavoidable. If the situation doesn’t change, how will the city control traffic flow?”

With such evidence, Mai suggested, “Motorbikes should not be used in a big city like Ho Chi Minh City.”

PhD. Nguyen Huu Thien, former General Director of Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality under the Ministry of Science & Technology said, “It’s necessary to suspend motorbikes and bicycles traveling on roads during peak hours. After some time, they will not be used on roads at all. Furthermore, personal cars are not supposed to be used during peak hours except taxis and privileged vehicles.”

“It’s understandable if civilians have reactions because their daily activities will be changed. However, we need to promote campaigns with an aim of mobilising and spreading a message to people to change their habits for the sake of public interests,” added Thien.

Mai said, “The city absolutely can control motorbike increases and at the same time it can develop public passenger transportation to resolve the traffic issue if the city comes up with the right solutions and really wants to do it.”

He proposed some solutions saying, “We will not ban motorbike traveling in the city. We can limit import activity, discourage the motorbike manufacturing industry, or we can impose high tax on locally made motorbikes in order to increase the price. We also can increase registration fees. In addition, we can collect annual usage fees, tax on pollution environment and stop building new motorbike parking areas in the city.”

Mai believed, “All these solutions will be effective in reducing the usage of motorbikes on the routes having a bus system. People will choose more convenient and cost-effective transportation means. Gradually, they will eliminate the habit of using motorbikes.”