Open bicycle lanes, gradually expand green traffic

In just a few months, Ho Chi Minh City will have its first priority lane for bicycles on Mai Chi Tho Street (An Khanh Ward) to serve people in safe travel, contributing to encouraging green transportation according to the Government's orientation.

People riding bicycles on Mai Chi Tho Street (An Khanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) - a road planned to pilot a bicycle lane - Photo: TRI DUC

Many people and experts expressed support for Ho Chi Minh City to soon expand more space for bicycles.

Nearly 13 billion VND to open priority lanes for bicycles

On the afternoon of September 22, Mr. Doan Van Tan - Director of the Urban Traffic Management and Operation Center (HCMC Department of Construction) - said that the unit is selecting a contractor to implement the project of organizing priority lanes for bicycles on Mai Chi Tho Street (from Nguyen Co Thach Street to D1 Street, both directions) with a total length of about 5.8km, with an investment of 12.7 billion VND.

This lane was renovated from a strip of vacant land in the middle of Mai Chi Tho Street, renovated with dense asphalt concrete and finished with paint. After the bidding stage, the units installed signs and painted lines to separate the lanes from cars and motorbikes. According to the design, the priority lane for bicycles is 2m wide, the sections over the bridge are 1.5m wide, the design speed is 20km/h.

"In addition, the project also arranges parking lots and public bicycle stations in convenient locations, near residential areas for easy access. The center is preparing to start construction on October 1 and complete construction on December 31," said Mr. Tan.

Why is there a need for separate lanes for bicycles in Ho Chi Minh City? According to Mr. Tan, through surveys, the movement of using bicycles for commuting among people in urban areas and apartment buildings is on the rise. Building separate lanes will help separate cyclists from high-speed motor vehicles, thereby minimizing collisions and casualties, bringing traffic safety.

Not only that, the specially designed lanes, combined with the surrounding landscape, will contribute to improving the quality of the urban area, creating a comfortable and quiet public space. Thereby promoting the need to use bicycles to move, exercise, and sightsee to improve community health.

Regarding the plan to complete additional bicycle lanes on Mai Chi Tho Street, Mr. Doan Van Tan informed that it is expected to be implemented in 2026. Accordingly, section 1 will be from Nguyen Co Thach Street to Saigon River Park (two-way). Section 2 will be from D1 - Mai Chi Tho intersection to Vo Nguyen Giap Street, connecting to An Phu metro station. The length of the two sections is about 3.9km.

After the two phases are completed, the bicycle network on Mai Chi Tho street will be formed, connecting large residential areas on the route (Saigon riverside park, Sala urban area, Newcity, The Sun Avenus with metro line 1 at Rach Chiec station and vice versa - according to the graphic).

A representative of the Road Traffic Infrastructure Management Center (HCMC Department of Construction) added that the unit is currently waiting for the priority lane project on Mai Chi Tho Street to be completed and for its social impact assessment. Based on the results, the unit will calculate and propose expansion on other eligible routes such as Tran Hung Dao, Vo Nguyen Giap, etc.

"Priority lanes must be arranged appropriately to the actual traffic situation, ensuring the most effective public transport connection," he emphasized.

Priority lane for bicycles on Mai Chi Tho Street - Graphics: TAN DAT

Should expand to many places

Ms. Huynh Ngoc Thu - a resident of The Sun Avenue - said that she likes to ride bicycles within the area, sometimes choosing to ride public bicycles in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. However, she finds that traveling by bicycle is not convenient because of having to squeeze into the motorbike lane which is quite dangerous. Not to mention that a few cyclists always ride into the car lane, which can easily cause traffic accidents.

Therefore, it is very reasonable for units to arrange priority lanes for bicycles because it not only ensures traffic safety but also changes travel habits, towards developing public transport and green transport. "If we only make priority lanes for a section on Mai Chi Tho Street, it is not enough, we need to do it along the entire route. At the same time, research to expand to many other roads, the funding source can be socialized to do it," Ms. Thu suggested.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Bao Thanh - planning expert of Van Lang University - commented that Ho Chi Minh City is implementing many solutions to convert to electric buses to develop a green transport network, in line with the Government 's net zero orientation. Having priority lanes for bicycles is partly contributing to encouraging people to use environmentally friendly means of transport.

According to Mr. Thanh, to effectively exploit the priority lane, the management unit needs to pilot first on Mai Chi Tho Street, choose a few more routes in newly built urban areas where traffic is not too dense. Based on the pilot, conduct an assessment of social impacts, advantages and disadvantages before expanding. Major roads that can be considered for expansion are Pham Van Dong, Vo Nguyen Giap, Tran Hung Dao...

Along with opening roads for bicycles, according to Dr. Nguyen Bao Thanh, the issue of connecting bicycles to public transport networks such as buses and metro is very important.

"I want to talk about the goal of 15-minute access to public transport. When Ho Chi Minh City builds a transportation network with bicycles, buses, and metro coverage, people will only need a maximum of 15 minutes to access all modes of transport. They will gradually change their travel habits," Mr. Thanh shared.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper, a representative of Tri Nam Group, the investor and developer of public bicycle services in Ho Chi Minh City, said they support the opening of priority bicycle lanes in Ho Chi Minh City to create conditions for people and tourists to access and use bicycles more. This ensures safety, protects the environment, and promotes green transportation...

Currently in Ho Chi Minh City, there are 43 public bicycle stations connecting people with other public transport such as buses and especially metro line 1. Most of the stations are located in the central area, near parks, metro station 1... When there is a priority bicycle lane, the unit will also propose to arrange more public bicycle stations along Mai Chi Tho street.

Hue City: People respond positively

Hue is the first city in Vietnam to have separate lanes for bicycles - Photo: P.D.

Hue City is the first place in Vietnam to have a dedicated bicycle lane, put into use from mid-2024 and received extremely positive feedback from the people.

Bicycle lanes in Hue City are implemented by the Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of the Program for Development of Type 2 Urban Areas (Green Urban Areas) - a component project of Thua Thien Hue (now Hue City) - on main roads near the centralized administrative center of Hue City.

This road is painted green, with a yellow border, located inside the sidewalk, about 1 meter wide. Some sidewalks on Vo Nguyen Giap Street have two green bicycle lanes.

Nguyen Huu Nam, a resident of Hue City, said that this dedicated bicycle lane is very special and safe. Because the lane is on the sidewalk, far from the main road with frequent traffic, cyclists are very comfortable, able to cycle and enjoy the scenery at the same time. "The dedicated bicycle lane in Hue City is a very civilized and friendly way, worthy of the title of green city of Hue City," said Nam.

According to the Management Board of the Investment Project for the Construction of the Program for the Development of Type 2 Cities (Green Cities), after the bicycle-only lanes were put into operation, they received many positive comments from the people. The Board said that in the near future, they will continue to research to expand more such lanes.

THU DUNG - NHAT LINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mo-lan-xe-dap-tung-buoc-mo-rong-giao-thong-xanh-20250923075844018.htm