Public transport - A Solution for future cities

Traffic jams are a pressing issue in major cities, cause a lot of impacts on society and economic development in the area. In provincial development strategy for transport sector, encouraging people to use public transport concerned Binh Duong.

Reducing traffic of personal vehicles

Hoa Lan crossroads, My Phuoc - Tan Van route, 550 intersection (Di An town)... are traffic hot spots in Binh Duong province. Traffic jam, consisting of all kinds of vehicles, buses, cars, and motorcycles, in afternoons is very popular. If there is rain in the afternoon, traffic jam will become more serious; it usually takes at least 2 hours to ease the congestion.

Binh Duong promotes the development of public transport system towards the goal of building smart urban area in the future. In photo: More and more people choose bus as their means of transportation in Binh Duong. 

According to experts, we cannot blame motorcycles for traffic jam during peak hours. Traffic jam has many causes such as transport infrastructure, awareness of traffic participants, public transport do not fully utilized its capacity ... In developed countries, the using rate of public transport (bus, subway, etc.) accounts for 30-40% of people demands, but in Vietnam this figure is very modest.

Vietnam Motorbike Manufacturers’ Association (VAMM) announced Q1-2018 sales was 803,204 units (from January 2018 to the end of March 2018), up 1.9% year on year. Thus, these members still consumed averagely more than 8,000 motorbikes per day ... The annual consumption of motorbikes in Binh Duong was also in the top of the country, with tens of thousands motorbikes each year. If public transport service is not developed soon, with the advantage of affordable price for the majority, people will continue to buy motorbike as a means of transport; causing heavy traffic congestion while Binh Duong is accelerating urbanization. Therefore, Binh Duong should develop more means of transport to gradually encourage people to limit personal vehicles.

Binh Duong has a new way

According to a report of Binh Duong Transport Association, bus transportation has been implemented since 2003. Up to now, there are 28 bus routes in the whole province, of which there are 17 inner bus routes, 11 inter-provincial routes; 11 bus transportation businesses with 235 vehicles. However, choosing public transportation of the people is still limited. The reason is means of transportation of businesses are old, backward, low quality.

Implementing the project "Improving the capacity of Binh Duong's main traffic and public transport management ", Binh Duong Department of Transportation cooperated with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to undertake activities to promote the conversion from private means of transport to public transport in Binh Duong ... which are being implemented very well by the province.

Becamex Tokyu rapid bus system has two parallel routes from Becamex Tower on Binh Duong Boulevard to Provincial Library, following Pham Ngoc Thach Street to Provincial Exhibition & Convention Center, Provincial Administrative Center to Aroma Building and ending at Eastern International University. The second route also departs from Becamex Tower, extends to Go Dau stadium to Provincial Bus Station, following Cach Mang Thang Tam road to the center of Thu Dau Mot city then to Binh Duong New City, passing through schools, cultural houses, residential areas.

To shorten the route between Binh Duong - Ho Chi Minh City - Dong Nai, Binh Duong just set up a project to develop traffic infrastructure and bus rapid transit (BRT) Binh Duong New City - Suoi Tien. This BRT will link Di An, Thuan An, Thu Dau Mot, Binh Duong New City with Ho Chi Minh City, contributing to increase user number of Metro line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) , promoting the use of public transport and the foundation for extending Metro line 1 to Binh Duong and Dong Nai.

In the proposed project implementation, Binh Duong province assessed the rapid socio-economic development, urban development, and the establishment of many industrial parks attracting many workers to the province, would put pressure on the transport system in the area. Addressing traffic jams in the near future will require the construction of a large, high-speed public transit system that does not operate at the same level as urban roads and railways, subways…

The planning process for the development of diversified types of public transport in Binh Duong is being implemented by agencies to meet people needs in the future. Right now, changing people's habit of using personal vehicles will help reduce traffic jams.

Reported by Xuan Vi – Translated by Ngoc Huynh

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