11.11.09 – According to Thanh Nien News, the Vietnamese government has temporarily suspended issuing business licenses to congested areas in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in an attempt to alleviate the city’s worsening traffic. Businesses that attract crowds like supermarkets, foreign language centers and possibly wedding service providers will be restricted. In addition, parking in traffic prone areas will also be prohibited. Authorities have begun instructing agencies to identify areas that are prone to traffic jams as a guide for the city’s Department of Planning and Investment when granting licenses.
News addressing HCMC’s traffic come as no surprise to anyone who have set foot on the city and were first overwhelmed by the shear number of people and variety of vehicles on the roads, from bicycles to motorbikes and cars to trucks. During my last trip to Vietnam earlier this year, I experienced HCMC’s notorious traffic jam accompanied by gasoline fumes, dust, and earfuls of horns nudging to merge into the road up ahead. But not all traffic congestions were associated with an overpopulated number of motorists. There were road construction projects that had been on hold for weeks and effectively closed off half of the road, forcing some motorists to drive on the sidewalks during traffic jams.
The attempt to alleviate congestion may show progress in the short term but is likely inadequate in the medium and long terms. Suspension of the issuance of business licenses and “restriction” of certain businesses may temporarily curb the in-flow of businesses and presumably prevent further traffic congestion. Nevertheless, the plan does not fully address the current state of congestion as a result of existing businesses and fails to effectively redirect new businesses. To alleviate the congestion, it is necessary to efficiently update the city’s transportation infrastructure, such as the $1.25 billion metro line that was recently approved, and minimize down-time as much as possible. Furthermore, new businesses should be encouraged to expand to less developed areas around HCMC. To assist in directing motorists towards less developed areas, there should be an increasing focus on development of transportation infrastructure that connects the city’s centers with that of surrounding areas and thereby assuring accessibility to the city. As Vietnam’s economy continues to grow, it is unlikely that HCMC can house all businesses that would like to be in the city and, therefore, it is inevitable that businesses will need to expand to surrounding areas and attract motorists in the process.
The fact is that there are numerous construction projects launching recent years, which were extremely slow in progress. I believe that was the main reasons for congestion. The government should figure out how to speed up the construction project at its priority.
Why didn’t they reorganize the traffic at supermarket, school…instead of restricting them. The problem was that people usually park their motorbike in front of these places to wait for other person. The government can require these places to have a guidance for traffic. I witnessed some places did so very effectively.
Another issue is that, who knows which companies are restricted, and which are permitted. Maybe only the government knows.
TS.