In many cities around the world, traffic congestion has become an obsession but it is so familiar that no one seems to care about effectively solving this problem. In Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, most of the day is spent on commuting.Peter Elias, a lecturer specializing in planning at the University of Lagos, says traffic jams usually start around 6 a.m. and last for at least 9 o’clock. From 13:00 to 15:00, parents pick up their children to go to school to block the road. Then, Lagos slips during the evening rush hour, which can last until 20-21h. Traffic jam in Lagos Along with the rapid development of Lagos, the traffic congestion in this city is getting worse. The travel speed was so slow that the authorities even installed a television around a roundabout so that drivers could watch entertainment. Satellite maker Tomtom and data company INRIX used to rank cities by traffic congestion. Outstanding on the list are often cities in rich, above-middle-income countries. Examples of traffic jams include Cairo (Egypt), Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Jakarta (Indonesia), Lagos (Nigeria), Manila (Philippines), Nairobi (Kenya) and Sao Paulo (Brazil). ). Most of these cities have 3 things in common. The first is too crowded. Second, with the exception of Delhi, nowhere has a fast and widespread rail-based public transport system so people have very few travel options. Third, these cities are in a trend to rapidly increase the number of private vehicles. In Delhi, the number of motorbikes increased from 4.3 million units in 2011 to 6.7 million units in 2017. Cars increased from 2.2 million units of lane to 3.2 million units. at the end of the month, because at that time, the workers receive salary before they can buy gas. Chart of increase in private vehicles and declining public transport in major Indian cities over the years. Source: Times of India According to Nation Thailand, private vehicles in Bangkok as of 2018 were 9.7 million vehicles, 8 times more than the capacity of the infrastructure system. Besides, the area for static traffic is also alarmingly low, only 8-10% compared with 20-30% in Western countries. While everyone is upset with traffic jams, it’s a reality that’s unavoidable in many major cities. Economists believe this situation is a huge drain on the country’s resources. The Bangkok Post in 2019 stated that traffic jam caused people in the Thai capital to lose 97 million baht / day (74 billion VND) and 3.5 billion baht / year (27,000 billion VND) for fuel. . The city’s economy also suffered a lot of damage from traffic congestion. About 11 billion baht / year is wasted due to the time people are congested on the road every day. The two major cities of Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, also lose billions of dollars each year due to traffic. According to calculations, each year Ho Chi Minh City lost about 1.2 million working hours, 1.3 billion USD / year due to traffic congestion and 2.3 billion USD due to environmental pollution from motor vehicles. . Evaluation from the Institute of Transportation Strategy and Development (Ministry of Transport) also said that congestion causes damage to the city. Hanoi is about $ 1-1.2 billion a year. Travel time on the same distance in Hanoi takes up to 45 minutes, while Ho Chi Minh City takes 30 minutes. Meanwhile, INRIX estimates, traffic congestion causing damage to two US cities, Los Angeles and New York, is 19 billion and 34 billion USD in 2017, including fuel costs and loss of labor productivity. Every hour in traffic is also an unused hour for being productive. And, according to Matthias Sweet of Ryerson University in Canada, traffic congestion slows job growth in US cities because it prolongs commuting time on average by more than 4.5 minutes. In a situation where the situation could hardly be improved quickly, some people have figured out how to adapt themselves. For example, Nara, a housekeeper in Sao Paulo, usually takes three hours to get to work. She started off by walking 20 minutes to a bus stop. After an hour long journey, she walked to another bus stop and took the second train, which took about an hour more. Then she walked again. Nara can travel faster if she takes the subway, but she is afraid to squeeze among the teasing men on the train. She decided to choose the long-distance bus to create “a small world” for herself, immerse herself in music and reflect on life. She enjoys the journey. TomTom Traffic Index 2020 chart of the world’s worst traffic congestion cities. Percentage indicates the amount of time traveling on the road more than when not in traffic. In cities where traffic is often congested, very few drivers obey a ban on texting or making phone calls. Whenever the car does not budge, they turn to gossip with their friends, even focus on personal things like shopping online. Meanwhile, street vendors appeared everywhere, supplying from soft drinks, grapes, chips, eggs, hot water … to the drivers. A 43-year-old man named Lawal sells inflatable mattresses. He used to have a stall in a roadside market selling old clothes and phones. But the police cleared the market to reduce traffic congestion, so Lawal went peddling. Lawal likes slow-moving traffic, not a complete stop. Because of that, he can easily slip through the lanes to sell goods. But for drivers, many people are fed up with sitting in the middle of the traffic jam. Doctors at the American University of Beirut (Lebanon) conducted a study, measuring the blood pressure of drivers who pulled into a gas station when traffic was heavy, and compared them to those who pulled over. sparse traffic in the middle of the road. The results showed that people suffering from congestion had an average systolic blood pressure of 142 and diastolic blood pressure of 87. And those who drove on the empty road were in better health, with two figures of 123, respectively. and 78. Even a late driver has no effect on their blood pressure. Traffic jams in Delhi Despite all these annoyances, time spent in traffic jams seems soon to be forgotten. Scientists Eric Morris and Jana Hirsch have researched using US time to find evidence that people in big cities do not forget feelings of discomfort when rush hour. However, they found almost nothing. The traffic jam made those who were stuck angry. But when the flow of cars started to move, people seemed to forget this feeling. That could help explain why Americans (and other expats) often oppose measures like congestion charges, according to the two experts. In 1966, the Argentinian writer Julio Cortázar gave an impressive conclusion in his work.In the short story The Southern Thruway, a man was driving to Paris when he was caught in a traffic jam that lasted for many days. . At first, he and the other drivers were very angry, but gradually they created a miniature society, shared food and drinks, and turned a car into a hospital. But when the cars start to move, the protagonist goes crazy. Turns out there was no place where he enjoyed the traffic jam in the middle of the road.

Passengers wait in long queues for boarding procedures at Tan Son Nhat airport. (Photo: CTV / Vietnam +) Over the past few days, Tan Son Nhat airport has been constantly overloaded and congestion in the security screening area, causing frustration for passengers, delayed flight and affecting service quality at this airport. . The number of visitors increased dramatically According to the report of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, in recent days, the number of passengers pouring into this airport has increased dramatically. Specifically, in peak hours, the number of visitors increases by about 30% compared to other times of the day, especially during the morning peak period (5am-10am). Among them, there are many flights operated by airlines using large aircraft such as Airbus A350 or Boeing 787-9. To reduce congestion, Tan Son Nhat International Airport has strengthened its personnel to guide passengers when they arrive at the airport to check in and at the same time require airlines and ground service units to increase their staffing. implement measures to quickly relieve the number of passengers when checking in. At the security checkpoints, this port also arranged additional support forces and maximized the scanning system. Regarding the cause of congestion, the representative of Tan Son Nhat International Airport explained that after the COVID-19 epidemic was well controlled, the demand for passenger travel by air increased, especially on weekends. . Meanwhile, airlines also increase flights and operate large aircraft while ensuring 100% of passengers complete electronic medical declarations when passing the checkpoint. security screening . Airport representatives said that the Aviation Department has regulated the airline staff must check whether passengers have declared medical or not before loading into the screening security screening area. However, many passengers still arrived at the security door and were asked to return to add additional declarations, making the congestion worse. Therefore, the airlines are advising passengers to come Tan Son Nhat Airport early and online check-in before flight. Medical clearance is required before arriving at the airport To make quick flight procedures, Tan Son Nhat International Airport recommends that before boarding the airport, passengers should proactively make medical declaration on https://tokhaiyte.vn/, save information ( take a photo of the QR code after successful declaration). Passengers present this QR code to the airline staff at the check-in counter, at the kiosk check-in area, or at the area in front of the security checkpoint entrance to get a medical confirmation mark. before entering the security check. In addition, the airlines, ground service units arrange enough staff at the check-in counters, the check-in kiosk area, in front of the entrance to the security checkpoint and at the location of the declaration desk. medical to control and assist passengers, ensuring 100% of passengers must complete the electronic medical declaration before entering the screening security checkpoint. Previously, to prevent the COVID-19 epidemic, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam required airports, airlines, agencies and units in the aviation industry to continue promoting the propaganda of love. The requirement of medical clearance is required prior to flight. Accordingly, the airlines have the right to refuse to transport cases that do not comply with medical declarations and epidemic safety regulations. In case passengers have not made medical declaration according to regulations on board, the airlines must be responsible. The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam also requires airlines to arrange personnel at check-in kiosks at passenger terminals to assist and guide passengers in making medical declarations. The airlines Vietjet and Bamboo Airways said they had arranged more staff to remind and assist passengers with online medical declaration procedures at the ticket booth area. “For passengers who do not use smart phones, the airline staff will assist customers to make medical declarations with paper declarations or to the desktop layout areas for the fastest electronic medical report, to reduce work time flight procedures , “said representatives of these two airlines. Customers should check-in online In addition, in order not to wait in line for check-in at the airport, passengers should use other convenient check-in methods such as check-in via website www.vietnamairlines.com, Vietnam Airlines mobile app. ; check-in at the airport kiosk counter; using auto check-in service on mobile apps; Check in by phone at the call center 1900 6265 if traveling from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or in-town check-in if traveling from Hanoi, Da Nang. When performing security screening, passengers should take care to prepare identification papers and boarding passes, store all personal items such as watches, bracelets, keys … in backpacks, bags hands before entering screening and immediately retrieving luggage to clear the scanner. In the event that the flight is about to arrive but has not been screened yet, please contact the airline staff present at the security check-in area for priority assistance. In this regard, Vietnam Airlines notes that passengers proactively arrange their schedules to be at the airport at least 2 hours before the scheduled departure time and move to the security screening area to perform screening procedures. right after completing the check-in procedure. In addition, Vietjet and Bamboo Airways also recommend passengers to check in online (via website, mobile apps, airport kiosk) to reduce waiting time at the counter. While at the airport, guests need to complete the electronic medical declaration procedure required by the Aviation Administration to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks before entering the screening security area./.

-PV: BRT bus route 01 Kim Ma bus station – Yen Nghia bus station has been operating for 5 years, what is your assessment?

– Mr. Khuat Viet Hung: Up to now, I still maintain the same opinion as when the first day of operation of this “BRT bus” line was that the service on this route could not meet the basic criteria of BRT service (Passenger transport system public bus-based mass public) that must have an absolute private lane, a hard separation, roughly fenced, not creating an opportunity for other vehicles to trespass, assign different levels or priority of credit. signal at the level intersection (when the BRT bus arrives, the traffic light turns green automatically);

The stop is closed and must have convenient and safe access for passengers; connecting infrastructure and ride diagrams with regular bus routes (with the function of gathering passengers), such as taxis, motorbike taxi; Major stops also include private parking. These infrastructure requirements are not yet available in Hanoi’s “BRT No. 1” line.

Mr. Khuat Viet Hung, Vice Chairman in charge of the National Traffic Safety Committee

More importantly, the system capacity itself is too weak, the bus can accommodate 90 seats like regular buses, the peak frequency is 5 minutes / trip, while if you have reserved a separate lane, the peak hour frequency must be 1-2 minutes / trip, ensuring the service capacity from 3,000-4,500 passengers / hour / direction, confirming the higher efficiency of using the road than conventional buses and private vehicles.

Thus, the current frequency and service capacity of the current “BRT 01” line is still very far from being able to meet the requirements of a true BRT line, not to be called public passenger transport with large volume.

Thus, if compared with the above criteria, the service operating on the current “BRT 01” route in Hanoi is actually only at the level of one bus route running on a partially dedicated lane (because it is still frequent). shared by private vehicles).

-Many experts, public opinion said that “BRT 01 line is a failed test”, what is your opinion?

– When judging as success or failure, it is necessary to evaluate carefully, explicitly and fairly. If assessing the current service, it is advisable to consider only the effectiveness of a bus service with a partial priority of road use, so that the conclusions of success or failure are true and from there it can be pointed out. the real cause of the problem.

In my opinion, the first reason is the slow pace, the investment is too slow, this BRT line should have been put into operation since about 2004-2005, when there was a demand for travel, urban structure along. the route (planned to be the Nguyen Trai – Tay Son route) was suitable for a BRT line.

The current BRT bus route in Hanoi is not exactly the nature of BRT bus

However, it was not until 2017 that the service was opened and the route was adjusted to Giang Vo – Le Van Luong – To Huu. With urban density, the need to travel along the corridor in 2017 is very different, even requiring us to have urban railway.

This is a pity, if the investment was completed early in the years 2004-2005, up to now, BRT has fulfilled its mission to transition to a form of mass transit rather than road. overhead iron, urban railway. This is also a valuable lesson in transport and urban planning and implementation.

12 years behind schedule, service delivery capacity is too weak, far from meeting BRT’s basic criteria. If we had reserved a separate lane for the BRT bus, we had to provide a worthy service capacity, exploiting the full traffic capacity of the lane. At the same time, to attract passengers and create a market for the BRT, it is necessary to create favorable travel connections for passengers, keeping the right of priority for the bus when operating in the lane, when crossing intersections. …

As for now, shared infrastructure (private vehicles often violate), although there are separate lanes, types of private vehicles, other vehicles massively occupy the BRT lane, but are rarely fined, causing BRT buses ” crawling “after other types of personal vehicles during rush hour.

Besides, the station is difficult to access, the sidewalk to connect from a regular bus stop to the BRT station is encroached upon … It can be said that “BRT line 01” is like an athlete who is tied and loved. the bridge competes in the top professional competition and when he fails to win a medal, he risks being disciplined.

– So, in your opinion, how must the Hanoi transport industry deal with this BRT 01 bus route?

– It is necessary to conduct the 5-year preliminary review, point out what is the problem, must be the people who really understand, need experts who really know, enthusiastic to evaluate.

We have to accept the fact that services now need to be complete to be able to meet BRT’s criteria. Therefore, I personally would like to have a comprehensive, fair assessment, so that the service on the line is truly a BRT bus service, after 1 year, we look back and can conclude that the BRT on that line. success, or failure, as at present, the conclusion is not satisfactory.

In particular, it is necessary to clearly define “whether to prioritize the use of infrastructure for public passenger transport”, and “what is the priority, what are the priority levels”, “Type and capacity of the service is worthy of priority”.

If it is confirmed that a BRT service complete with the above mentioned criteria can help reduce traffic congestion on the route, then improve it so that it becomes complete. But if we leave it as it is now, in the psychology of the people, the functional forces and experts alike, BRT buses cause more congestion than basis.

We keep saying priority is given to public passenger transport, but the practice is very modest.

Therefore, the people, the pressing public opinion is right, because the people have not seen a true type of public transport as expected, it is the real BRT service, great service capacity, good quality, punctuality, no “crawling turtles” follow private vehicles. When public transport is given priority, whoever uses public transport will have priority, while those using private vehicles will not have priority.

-The public also said that this BRT bus route is too expensive to invest, what is your comment?

– Hanoi BRT 01 line has a total investment of about 50 million USD, this bus is expensive because we have to import all, from consultants, design, to the smallest ones to have a model. Initial picture, sometimes that is the lesson.

For now, I believe, if Hanoi wants to deploy the next BRT lines it will definitely be much cheaper. The Vietnamese have the capacity to plan, manage, design and deliver a complete BRT service at a much lower cost.

– According to the plan, Hanoi has 8 BRT fast bus routes, so how do you think it should be effectively deployed in the future?

The first thing is to turn the current BRT 01 route into a BRT fast bus as its name suggests, and then confirm whether the BRT is suitable for developing and effectively serving the travel needs of Hanoi people or not. after that, this network expansion will be considered.

Moreover, since the proposed BRT network has been put into the planning for more than a decade, there has been a huge difference in travel demand, and urban development status along the corridor has also changed. very large, even much different from the approved urban planning.

Therefore, before deciding to stop or continue with the Hanoi BRT, we need to reevaluate current practice, analyze and forecast more comprehensively to update the capital planning until 2030 and with a vision to 2050 under study and construction.

Hanoi Highway, Rach Chiec Bridge, City. Thu Duc frequently jams traffic towards the Saigon Bridge

Thu Duc is expected to be the city with the best transportation infrastructure in the East of Saigon in the future. However, that expectation is probably still a long way from being fulfilled, while the people are still facing misery every day with increasing traffic jams.

People are haunted by everyday jams

Nguyen Xien – Nguyen Van Tang (Thu Duc City) is one of the most serious congestion routes in Thu Duc during rush hour.

As noted by the reporter of Traffic Newspaper, when there is a traffic jam, the whole forest is almost buried without moving on the road. On the dense line of tall buildings and schools, but only a single two-way street, there are no herringbone lines that share the traffic. Meanwhile, the road surface is only large enough for two cars to avoid each other.

Mrs. Pham Thi Mai, a house on Nguyen Xien street (Long Thanh My ward, Thu Duc city) urgently: “The road is small, but early in the morning, trucks are noisy. At the same time, the bus transporting students to and from school is dense, making the route always crowded and overloaded ”.

Near the intersection of Thu Duc intersection, Dinh Phong Phu – Le Van Viet street is also often congested during rush hour. The section of Le Van Viet street was widened at the end, but at the intersection with Dinh Phong Phu, there was congestion. This place is like “bottleneck” because the vehicles are rushing in so much that the whole road is always suffocating.

Similarly, Do Xuan Hop street, which intersects Tay Hoa street, Phuoc Long B ward, has also become a people’s obsession. Meanwhile, this is a unique route for people to go to the Hanoi Highway towards the Saigon Bridge. To reduce congestion, authorities recently installed signal lights and traffic regulators. Still, the congestion did not get better.

Without funding to widen the road, the congestion persists

Nguyen Xien Street intersects Nguyen Van Tang with only 2 cars avoiding each other, but there are many vehicles

According to the HCM City Department of Transport, to develop transport infrastructure east of Saigon towards a smart city in the next 10 years, Ho Chi Minh City plans to invest 300,000 billion VND.

“

Not only TP. Thu Duc, but the whole of Ho Chi Minh City is also facing a serious traffic jam. Many projects and works are implemented to eliminate traffic jams is not easy. Because at present, the megacities in the world invest a lot in public transport but do not completely solve this problem. If the city does nothing, the traffic jam cannot move. The city must invest in public transport for sustainable development, reducing traffic jams in the future.
TS. Vu Anh Tuan, Director of Transport Research Center Viet Duc

“

However, this is just a project the city is aiming for, and at present, the people of the city. Thu Duc still faces daily and hourly congestion with no effective solution yet.

Representative of City Traffic Police Team. Thu Duc said that during rush hours, there are still many congestion spots in the area due to crowded cars, narrow roads, while many apartments and schools are surrounded.

“At the key routes, every day there are still traffic police forces to divert and regulate, but not because the number of vehicles is too crowded. The long-term solution is to soon deploy road widening projects at congestion points, ”he said.

Regarding Nguyen Xien Street, Mr. Le Ngoc Hung, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Construction Investment Management Board, said that before, there was an investment project to expand about 800m of the first section from Tan Van. However, it coincides with the Ring Road 3 project.

“Therefore, in order to avoid waste, the above project will not be implemented because the Ring Road 3 already exists. There are other projects included in the city’s transport development project but the possibility of not having capital in the fifth period. 2021 – 2025. Therefore, the city needs to have a different capital production mechanism to be able to invest, ”said Mr. Hung.

To reduce congestion, the representative of the Center for Road Traffic Infrastructure Management under the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City said that the projects to expand a number of roads such as Le Van Viet, Do Xuan Hop, Nguyen Xien … has been included in the 10-year upgrade plan but has not yet been implemented due to the lack of capital allocation.

“If the work in progress are completed such as: Construction of Nam Ly Bridge, Tang Long Bridge, Long Dai Bridge …, congestion will decrease significantly. The above projects were suspended because of compensation for site clearance. At the same time, when metro line 1 comes into operation, it will reduce traffic pressure for the city. Thu Duc “, this person said.

TS. Vu Anh Tuan, Director of the Vietnam-Duc Transport Research Center, said that the first metro line 1 in operation has a great impact on the transport and economic development not only of the creative urban area in the East, but also of the Ho Chi Minh City. At the same time, in the future, the mass transit public transport routes will relieve the pressure of traffic congestion in the area.

With available infrastructure, TP. Thu Duc needs a specific plan. Projects that need to be completed soon, such as closed investment in Ring Road 2, Ring 3 and unfinished projects. At the same time, connecting functional areas to complete the inter-regional road network such as Le Van Viet, Nguyen Duy Trinh, inter-port road …