Hanoi will be more drastic in accelerating road infrastructure development to gradually solve the long-standing issue of traffic congestion in the city, Kinh te & Do thi quoted Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Transport Vu Ha as saying.

Traffic jam on Nguyen Trai street during rush hour. Photo: Thanh Hai/Kinhtedothi.vn

As for digital infrastructure, the city's transport authority has actively applied modern technology, such as the use of GovOne software in infrastructure management, the GPS tracker for online tracking of all bus routes, as well as a surveillance camera system to monitor urban traffic. Mr. Ha said.

Mr. Ha added that since 2016, the city has reduced traffic congestion at 63 streets and junctions. However, new gridlocks have emerged due to the rapid increase of traffic volume.

Besides, many traffic infrastructure development projects have lagged behind schedule due to shortage of funding, others have not been completed on schedule because of slow site clearance.

In addition, the application of scientific and technical advances to the traffic management and operation is insufficient. People’s law abiding sense is still poor, leading to the worsening road traffic situation.

Therefore, it is vital to continue implementing the target program to mitigate traffic congestion and ensure traffic safety in Hanoi in the 2021 - 2025 period. The program aims to reduce traffic jam in at least 8 or 10 places, decrease the number of traffic accidents by 5 - 10% annually.

Moreover, the city needs to continue to drastically implement six groups of solutions, including:

- Developing transport infrastructure, which is a sustainable and long-term group of basic solutions;
- Strengthening maintenance of traffic infrastructure and rational traffic organization;
- Synchronously developing various modes of mass transit and soon putting urban railway network into operation;
- Applying information technology in traffic management and administration;
- Improving the efficiency of road traffic law education, raising drivers’ awareness and building a traffic culture;
- Strengthening inspection and handling road offenses.