The Da Nang authorities are contemplating the reduction of personal vehicles in the near future as traffic has recently become more congested in the city.

A traffic jam on a local street. Tuoi Tre

Traffic jams are now a worrying issue in the city, causing difficulty for local commuters at rush hour.

A meeting was organised by the municipal People’s Council (PCl) on Wednesday, during which the problem was for the first time brought up for discussion.

According to the Head of the municipal PCl’s Board of Urban Affairs, Mr To Van Hung, aside from achievements in urbanisation and infrastructural development, Da Nang is still facing multiple shortcomings in traffic management, which will lead to more congestion and negatively impact local citizens’ daily lives.

There had been nearly 60,000 cars and over 800,000 motorcycles in the city as of October 15, Hung continued.

“The current pace of infrastructural development might not catch up with the rapid increase in population and thus in the number of personal vehicles,” the official said.

In order to combat future congestion, competent agencies should first focus on organising one-way traffic in downtown areas while promulgating new policies to spur the construction of parking lots and the improvement of public transportation, Hung suggested.

“Bus fare subsidies should be offered to encourage local residents to use the form of public transport. The number of personal motorbikes and cars should be narrowed down from now to 2030,” he continued.

For permanent solutions, local authorities are recommended to adjust the population distribution, improve infrastructure, and diversify public transport means.

Municipal Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Xuan Anh admitted that serious traffic gridlock has occurred more often in the city center, especially during rainy evenings.

“Congestion has become a problem difficult to be solved in other metropolises, which has resulted in negative impacts on the environment,” Anh warned.

Authorities in Da Nang should mull reducing personal vehicles to promptly address the issue before it become worse, the Party chief stated.

(Source: Tuoitrenews)