Pilot plan to ban passenger buses on lane 1 of Hanoi - Hai Phong highway from September 15

Major General Do Thanh Binh, Director of the Traffic Police Department, delivered a speech.

This information was presented at a meeting on ensuring traffic order and safety and reducing congestion, organized by the Traffic Police Department ( Ministry of Public Security ) in coordination with the Vietnam Road Administration and the Vietnam Register Department (Ministry of Construction) on September 12th.

The discussion took place in the context of the pilot program to regulate truck lanes and speed limits on the Hanoi -Hai Phong and Phap Van-Cau Gie expressways, which has been underway for nearly a month and has initially yielded positive results, receiving support from the majority of road users.

We suggest reorganizing the position and improving the sharpness of the traffic signs.

Major General Do Thanh Binh, Director of the Traffic Police Department, stated that the goal of the exchange was to reduce accidents; create order, develop infrastructure, and promote the transportation economy , especially in the development phase of expressways and high-speed railways.

Major General Do Thanh Binh emphasized that the situation regarding accidents involving commercial transport vehicles remains complex.

Through reviewing over 1,590 images from a surveillance camera on the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway, police discovered nearly 300 drivers violating traffic regulations. Of these, over 280 drivers were not wearing seat belts. Notably, 203 of these violations involved vehicles with yellow license plates (commercial transport vehicles).

In addition, the leaders of the Traffic Police Department also suggested reviewing and reorganizing the traffic system, especially regarding the location and clarity of traffic signs. At the same time, they proposed studying traffic organization on the road surface, road markings, road surface symbols, lane divisions, etc.

Another important solution proposed is that the three units need to connect and share data, especially data from toll stations. This will help manage vehicles and speeds to prevent accidents and traffic violations.

" In the near future, the nationwide traffic surveillance camera system will be developed, especially on expressways. Therefore, units need to share data with each other," Major General Do Thanh Binh said.

Regarding the Vietnam Registering and Inspection Department, Mr. Binh suggested that solutions are needed to raise the entry standards for commercial transport vehicles. Specifically, the specialized unit should clarify the safety differences between original vehicles and modified vehicles (such as double-decker sleeper buses).

For motorcycles, it is necessary to study standards for ABS brakes and standards for ensuring environmental emissions.

"58% of traffic accidents involve motorcycles; if the braking system were better, accidents would be reduced," said the Director of the Traffic Police Department.

Regarding this issue, Colonel Pham Quang Huy, Deputy Director of the Traffic Police Department, requested the Vietnam Registering and Inspection Department to promptly research and assess the safety level of sleeper buses. In particular, it is necessary to evaluate and compare the safety level between sleeper buses and standard buses, especially under challenging conditions such as traveling on mountain passes, steep slopes, and making sharp turns.

"Based on research and evaluation, we can propose conditions for implementation such as: sleeper buses only being allowed to operate on level roads, or speed limits or traffic hours," Colonel Pham Quang Huy suggested.

The study proposes banning training vehicles from entering lane 1 on highways.

Regarding driver training, the Vietnam Road Administration currently identifies obstacles in implementing the regulation on "driver training on expressways".

In reality, there have been situations where training vehicles (especially in the beginning, when they are not yet familiar with driving) find it difficult to reach or exceed the minimum speed limit on highways. This leads to obstruction of other vehicles.

The specialized departments of the Traffic Police Department and the Road Department of Vietnam have studied and come up with two options:

Option 1: Maintain current regulations, strengthen inspection, supervision, and handling of violations by driving instructors who allow students to drive below the minimum prescribed speed; and recommend practicing driving on highways with low traffic volume, avoiding peak days and hours.

Option 2: Research and pilot program: Training vehicles on highways are not allowed to use lane number 1 (the lane closest to the median). Based on the results, amend relevant legal regulations.

Expressing his opinion, Colonel Pham Quang Huy suggested that strict management is needed for training vehicles entering highways. If they do enter, learners must ensure they meet all the necessary conditions and have reached a certain level of proficiency before being allowed to do so.

It is expected that passenger buses will be banned from lane 1 of the highway.

Regarding the lane allocation plan on the expressway, the relevant units have basically agreed to continue implementing the plan to prohibit trucks from using lane 1 as in the pilot program, and to continue prohibiting passenger buses (based on a specific number of seats) from using this lane, expected to start from September 15th.

Regarding the number of seats for the type of passenger vehicles that are expected to be banned from lane 1, there are currently two options.

Option 1 applies to passenger vehicles with 16 seats or more (including limousines).

Option 2 applies to passenger vehicles with 29 seats or more.

According to authorities, passenger buses with fewer than 29 seats account for a significant proportion of vehicles participating in traffic (estimated by BOT units at 15%).

Prohibiting these vehicles from entering lane 1 could potentially cause traffic congestion and reduce traffic capacity on lanes 2 and 3.

PV (compiled)

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/du-kien-thi-diem-cam-xe-khach-chay-o-lan-1-cao-toc-ha-noi-hai-phong-tu-15-9-520665.html