Hanoi has been preparing conditions for banning motorbikes in its downtown before 2030, Kinh te & Do thi Newspaper reported.

The city will expand the bus fleet and improve the services of Hanoi’s mass transit network from now to 2030.

Public transport has received due investment with the bus network expanding to 126 bus lines across the city. The bus network currently covers all 30 districts.

Six million cars and motorbikes are registered in Hanoi. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

In the coming time, the municipal People's Committee will focus on upgrading transport infrastructure, giving priority to executing road infrastructure projects to ease traffic jams, environmental pollution, and private vehicles.

Hanoi will also increase the application of information technology in transport management and operation.

The municipal government also attaches importance to raise people’s awareness in abiding by the Law on Road Traffic and encourage local residents to use public vehicles instead of private ones.

According to the Hanoi Department of Transport, the plan will include the end of licensing of new motorbikes.

The capital city’s population is nearly eight million. Currently, six million cars and motorbikes are registered for operation in the city, another two million have been brought from other provinces, and one million from the police and defence forces.

However, experts and the public have been unhappy with the idea of banning motorcycles in the city, saying that public transport has yet to meet the demands of local residents. Meanwhile, cars should be restricted as well, since they are also a cause of traffic jams.