Master's Tea Club No. 4: Should motorbikes be banned in Hanoi?

In response to the question “Should motorbikes be banned in Hanoi before 2020?”, students shared different opinions on this issue. Some people said that motorbikes have existed for a long time, long enough to become a part of the traffic culture of the capital’s people, so it will be very difficult to completely eliminate this type of vehicle from social life. Some people agreed with the proposal to ban motorbikes, but said that before 2020 is too early, not enough to fully develop public transport infrastructure as well as form new traffic habits for the people. It can be pointed out that there are many benefits from banning motorbikes such as reducing traffic jams, environmental pollution and traffic accidents... However, banning motorbikes also means trading off convenience in travel, along with the disappearance of some types of transport jobs based on this means of transport such as motorbike taxis, shippers...

Sharing the opinions of students, Professor Detlef Briesen said that the current traffic situation in Hanoi has many similarities with cities in Europe decades ago. Traffic jams are common, leading to the fact that on many small streets in Hoan Kiem district, walking is sometimes faster than driving a motorbike or car. The walking space of the capital's residents is limited due to narrow sidewalks, which are often occupied for parking, small businesses, etc. The most serious is that the traffic awareness of Hanoi residents is still poor, many people drive recklessly, often violate the law, leading to many unfortunate traffic accidents.

Overview of the 4th meeting of Master's Tea Club - English club for students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities

However, Professor Detlef Briesen also said that the public transport infrastructure in the capital is changing, with the emergence and rapid development of many types of transport such as BRT buses, urban railways... However, this is a very long development process, requiring a lot of time and preparation in terms of human resources, materials, funding... and cannot be rushed. In addition, the Professor also suggested a number of solutions to reduce traffic pressure and personal vehicles that have been applied in Western countries such as limiting the number of cars traveling on the road each day, limiting parking spaces, encouraging people to travel by public transport with preferential prices, applying car rental forms... In addition, Professor Detlef Briesen also emphasized: with the current traffic situation in the capital Hanoi, limiting motorbikes is not necessarily an effective solution compared to limiting cars, a type of vehicle that occupies several times more road space than motorbikes. Therefore, should we consider measures to enhance safety for motorcyclists, in parallel with limiting the number of cars circulating during rush hour?

At the end of the discussion, Professor Detlef Briesen and the students agreed that, in order to solve traffic problems in the capital Hanoi, it is necessary to improve both infrastructure and public awareness, in which the human factor plays an important role. In addition, it is necessary to implement measures to improve the quality of public transport services, as well as have long-term development planning strategies, such as establishing satellite cities, applying new forms of work management organization via the Internet, etc.