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Aug 20, 2017 / 00:37

If there is no bus in Hanoi anymore…

Bus is and will be the main means of transport in Hanoi. But, if one day the bus " disappears", what will happen?

 Mobile parking lot ...
Some people blame the bus on causes of traffic jam, as it is too large and stop at the station continuously. They even take some examples of traffic accidents involving buses. Though in certain cases, such as narrow roads or roads under construction, bus is quite bulky, but in general, the bus has many benefits compared to personal vehicles.
If one day the bus "disappears", accidents will certainly increase. Motorcycles is quite dangerous, especially for streets with many alleys and restaurants like in Hanoi.
BRT on Le Van Luong street. Photo: Chien Cong
BRT on Le Van Luong street. Photo: Chien Cong
 
If there is no bus anymore, the prospect of a mobile parking lot will appear. Fifty to sixty people in a bus turn into fifty to sixty motorcycles on the street? The moving vehicles are no different than a huge moving parking lot. Currently, Hanoi has about 1,500 buses, each carries 40 passengers / trip on average. If multiplying the number of bus with the amount of passengers, there will be an additional 60,000 individual vehicles on the street.
That is the story under the road, and the sidewalk and parking lot will definitely be affected. If the personal transportation is too much, the sidewalks will be occupied for parking, the pedestrians will have no way to move, the living space will be narrowed down, the beauty of the city will also be affected. At that time, motorcycles will become confused and disoriented.
More air pollution
According to research by scientists, the emissions of motorcycles are much more than those of automobiles as they are popular means. Vietnam is applying Euro 3, Euro 4 emissions standards, so cars pollute less compared to motorcycles.
According to Green Innovation and Development Centre (Green ID), at present, PM 2.5 dust amount in Hanoi is up to 50.5 μg / m3, twice as high as the national standard and 5 times higher than the average standard of the World Health Organization (WHO). If the bus "disappears", it is estimated that there are about 60,000 private vehicles onto the road, equivalent to 60,000 continuous CO2 emission pipes. The centuries-old trees cannot purify the air, people will have to scramble each other for "liters of oxygen" to breathe, hospital will be occupied of thousands of patients with respiratory diseases. That is enough to evidence the role of bus.
Loss of social costs
Petroleum is a national resource, so saving and limiting private vehicles is not only beneficial for the user's pocket, but also for the country. People can go on all the routes with just about 100,000-200,000 VND of monthly bus ticket. Meanwhile, if using personal means of transport daily, the amount of money spent on petroleum is at least about 600,000 VND per month (three times higher), not regarding to vehicle depreciation. In addition, as for the society, petroleum gasoline will be saved and used in economic sectors, the pressure of fueling vehicles will decrease markedly.
With the existing consequences as above, the role of public transport is huge, especially the bus. In addition to the city’s policy of limiting individual vehicles, developing public transport, every citizen should have a comprehensive vision of supporting the bus and actively abandoning private vehicles.
On July 4, 2017, Hanoi People's Council approved the scheme on enhancing the management of road traffic means to reduce traffic jam and environmental pollution in Hanoi in 2017-2020 period with a vision to 2030, which emphasized the ban on motorcycles circulating in urban districts before 2030.