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Transport plan urged for capital
The capital still lacked planning for the development of a transport system that was in harmony with socio-economic development; land-use and urban planning, Ha Noi Transport Department director Nguyen Quoc Hung said on Friday.
"Urban precincts had been built alongside incomplete roads and this has seriously affected safety corridors," he told an international seminar to discuss the sustainable development of the city's transport system.
The seminar was dedicated to the introduction of the capital's urban development to 2030 with a vision to 2050.
The domestic and international experts who attended the event agreed that the sustainable development of Ha Noi's urban transport could only be achieved if it was included in planning for the city's urban development.
Most also agreed that planning for urban transport must be the basis for all planning.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's Environmental Impact Assessment and Appraisal Department representative Nguyen Viet Trung said the failure to closely link urban planning with the transport grid was the cause of serious traffic congestion.
The development of an integrated transport system together with the development of public transport to reduce private transport would be the most effective counter.
University of Civil Engineering representative Nguyen Quang Dao said poor planning was the major reason for the country's poor transport system.
"Most planning does not combine the functions of urban space and road networks," he said.
"The most obvious evidence of this is the hundreds of minor roads that provide access markets and schools that lead directly to a major road. This is the major cause of traffic congestion and accidents."
Public transport
Global Transport Knowledge Partnership representative Peter Midgley said walking, cycling and public transport were included in the policy and plans of many Europe countries.
These measures were used to reduce traffic volume and emissions, increase accessibility and improve safety.
The master plan for the sustainable development of Ha Noi's transport system has public transport meeting 55 per cent of demand by 2030 and 65 per cent afterward.
The city now has 1,000 buses on the road and these meet only 10 per cent of demand.
Ha Noi Metropolitan Railway Transport Project Board deputy director Luu Xuan Hung said a mass rapid transit network, including urban railway and express buses, would expand from Ha Noi to its satellite cities after 2020.
A comprehensive study for the expansion would be included in the planning for Ha Noi until 2020 with a vision to 2050 and submitted to the National Assembly for approval this year.
Seminar participants also discussed the amount of land required for the transport system; parking; planning for environmentally-friendly urban transport and suitable vehicles.
More land earmarked for transport infrastructure
The master plan for the sustainable development of Ha Noi's transport system uses up 20-26 per cent of city's land for transport by 2030.
The figure is now 7 per cent.
The capital needed for development of the system by 2020 is estimated at US$20 billion.
The money will be drawn from the State budget, the Ha Noi's budget, official development assistance, transport fees and other sources.
The seminar's findings will be included in recommendations to be submitted to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung; Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung and Ha Noi People's Committee chairman Nguyen The Thao. Ha Noi has about 3.5 million motorbikes and more than 330,000 cars on its roads.
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