Promoting the application of technology to reduce traffic congestion

Traffic congestion in Ho Chi Minh City is getting more and more serious, especially at gateway roads and central areas. The main reason is the rapid increase in personal vehicles, while the transport infrastructure has not been expanded accordingly.

Many roads are often congested.

Serious traffic jams often occur at the intersection between Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street (Ban Co Ward) and Pham Viet Chanh Street (Cau Ong Lanh Ward), especially during rush hours in the morning, noon and afternoon.

Vehicles are packed waiting to move on Cong Hoa Street (HCMC). Photo: QUOC HUNG

The cause is said to be due to the unreasonable traffic diversion plan in this area, especially at the intersection between Pham Viet Chanh and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai streets, near Cong Hoa roundabout. Here, the number of vehicles turning left from Cong Quynh street to Pham Viet Chanh street and pouring into the roundabout is very large, while the road surface is narrow, not enough to meet the travel needs. At the same time, vehicles from other directions such as Nguyen Van Cu street, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street and internal roads converge, making this area a "bottleneck", causing prolonged congestion. Motorbikes, cars, and buses jostle each other to move, sometimes creating chaos.

Actual observations show that the flow of vehicles from Pham Viet Chanh Street when exiting Cong Hoa Roundabout often has to merge with traffic flows from many different directions, causing continuous traffic conflicts. Many people have to squeeze through small gaps to move forward, leading to a high risk of collision and obstructing traffic flow. Meanwhile, the direction from Cong Quynh Street to Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, in the direction of the roundabout, is considered more convenient and safer. Organizing priority for this flow of vehicles will contribute to reducing pressure at Pham Viet Chanh intersection, while limiting complex intersections, helping vehicles move more continuously and orderly. This is a feasible solution to improve traffic efficiency, reduce congestion and ensure traffic safety in the city center.

Vo Van Tan Street (Ban Co Ward) is also often congested, with long traffic jams, especially from Phung Khac Khoan Street to Cach Mang Thang Tam Street. The main reason is that cars stop and park everywhere on the road, while some sidewalks are occupied to park motorbikes. Mr. Nguyen Huu Phuoc, who lives near the intersection of Tran Quoc Thao - Vo Van Tan, said: "During rush hour, cars park on both sides, leaving only a small lane for motorbikes. There was a day when the road was congested, it took me nearly 20 minutes to go less than 500m. The sidewalks were encroached, pedestrians had to go down to the road, which was very dangerous."

Recently, many roads in the central area of ​​Ho Chi Minh City are also facing serious traffic congestion. Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, from the Democracy Roundabout to Phu Dong intersection, is often congested due to high traffic density and many short intersections. Dien Bien Phu Street, especially the Saigon Bridge area, is also a "hot spot" where container trucks, trucks and private cars jostle each other for space. In addition, roads such as Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Vo Thi Sau, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia - Nguyen Van Troi, Pasteur, Hai Ba Trung, Ly Tu Trong, Ton Duc Thang, 3 Thang 2, Highway 13, An Duong Vuong... are often congested during rush hours.

Synchronize solutions

According to the Department of Construction of Ho Chi Minh City, currently 51% of the city's streets are only 7-12m wide, 35% of the streets are under 7m, and only 14% of the streets are over 12m wide enough for large buses to circulate. The new traffic infrastructure system only meets about 30% of the planning, leading to serious overload.

Nguyen Van Cu Street (Cau Ong Lanh Ward) is often congested during rush hour. Photo: QUOC HUNG

Faced with that situation, to reduce traffic congestion in the central area of ​​Ho Chi Minh City, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction Vo Khanh Hung informed that the city has identified traffic congestion reduction as a key task, in which infrastructure solutions and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) play a key role. The city is speeding up the construction progress, expanding main roads, completing ring roads 2, 3, 4; at the same time deploying overpasses and underpasses at key intersections such as Tan Son Nhat airport, Cat Lai port, Ly Thai To roundabout... Opening more parallel routes and branch roads behind the main axis will help disperse traffic, reducing pressure on the center.

At the same time, the city has increased the application of smart technology in traffic management. The system of surveillance cameras, image-based violation handling and flexible traffic light control according to traffic volume has helped reduce congestion at many "hot spots".

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, one of the strategic solutions is to develop public passenger transport. The city aims to have public transport cover at least 30% of people's travel needs by 2030. To achieve this, the city focuses on expanding the bus network, upgrading parking infrastructure, applying electronic tickets, and accelerating metro and bus rapid transit projects. When public transport is convenient and modern, people will limit the use of personal vehicles, contributing to reducing long-term congestion.

In addition, the city is also promoting planning and rational traffic flow. Adjusting traffic directions on high-density routes, arranging smart traffic lights, and reorganizing complex intersections will help vehicles move more smoothly. In some central areas, the city is studying a roadmap to limit motorbikes during rush hours to reduce traffic conflicts.

In his speech at the conference to study and disseminate the Resolution of the 1st Congress of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, term 2025-2030 on the afternoon of November 17, comrade Tran Luu Quang, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, shared his real-life experience of driving himself across Binh Trieu Bridge during rush hour, taking 2 hours to travel a distance of 12km, showing the serious level of congestion that people have to face every day and wasting a lot of time traveling. This experience helped comrade Tran Luu Quang better understand the real-life concerns, and at the same time emphasized the need for urgent and effective solutions to reduce traffic congestion and improve infrastructure...

QUOC HUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/day-manh-ung-dung-cong-nghe-giam-un-tac-ket-xe-post824209.html