HI First, let’s get to know the reality about traffic in HCMC

REALITY
HI Nowdays, traffic congestion is so common a problem in Vietnam, especially in
some megalopolises such as Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi City.

HI Look at this picture, do you find it familiar? Yes, it’s the LHP-3/2 intersection
which is really near our campus in distric 5. As you can see, this intersection is
highly congested during rush hours at about 4-6 p.m.

HI Another one, I’m sure that you all can feel suffocated when looking at this
photo. Yes, it’s the reality about traffic in Vietnam in this day and age.

HO Most people in the largest cities in the country find themselves stuck in the
traffic in the morning or in the afternoon, when workers and students flock to their
school or workplace.

LI According to HCMC traffic police: in Ho Chi Minh City there are over 7.2
million motorbikes and 0.8 million cars in use, and an additional of 888 motorbikes
and 174 cars being registered each day. However, the total road surface area for
vehicles in Ho Chi Minh City is currently about 37,7 million m2.

HU Which means that there is not enough space for all of the vehicles.

HU So what are the reasons? Let’s follow us

THE CAUSES OF TRAFFIC JAMS
LA The first reason explained for the traffic congestion is, as mentioned, is the
insufficient space for vehicles in some major cities such as HCMC or HN.
THU According to Mr. Ngô Hải Đường - Head of Road Traffic Infrastructure
Management Department - the area for traffic needs 200 to 240 million m2 but the
total road surface area for traffic in Ho Chi Minh City is currently about 37,7
million m2 and sidewalk about 15.5 million m2,

HI which means that the demand is from more than 3.7 to nearly 4.5 times higher
than the current reality.

HU Another important reason is the low sense of compliance with the Traffic
Law by drivers . Although they know the traffic rules and proper manner while
driving but they refuse to follow and instead failed to.

LA For example, counter-flowing, changing lanes unnecessarily, illegal parking,

beating the red light are all things that are against the traffic law but people still
violate them every day.

LI And traffic congestion imposes many negative effects on human beings. The
first to suffer is each individual.

EFFECTS OF TRAFFIC JAM

ON INDIVIDUALS
Delays
HO The first thing many people think of when it comes to congested roadways is
the delay. During the morning commute there is additional stress because delays
caused by traffic can make people late for work.

THU And at the end of the day, the afternoon rush hour is again a frustrating time
because the workday is done and is already tiring so people want to get home to
relax, and traffic is preventing them from it.

"Just In Case" Time

HU A secondary effect of traffic congestion related to delays is the inability to
estimate travel times. Those who regularly travel congested areas know
approximately how long it usually takes to get through a particular area
depending on the time of day or the day of the week.

HI These experienced city drivers have to build in time "just in case" the traffic is
bad. This takes away from leisure time and time to do other tasks throughout the
day. Also, on a day when the traffic is unusually light the built in extra time may
be of no use and the person arrives too early.

Health Impacts
HU Traffic and its allied effects can have various adverse health consequences.
There is evidence which has confirmed that exposure to traffic noise significantly
increases the risk for heart-related diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart
attacks, etc.

THU Also, traffic noise can induce adverse effects on the nervous system,
leading to the increasing levels of anxiety, irritation, and sleeplessness.

LA Also, particulate matter and the increase in oxidative stress have ill-effects on
the respiratory system. Besides, traffic noise is significantly associated with
adverse pregnancy outcomes and can affect the hormonal and digestive system.

LI The public health effects of traffic during congestion are associated with early
deaths. Road traffic noise also has been shown to increase the short-term risk of
death from specific diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and hormonal
systems.

HO Moreover, people who live in areas with a higher vehicular burden and face
most traffic stress also have the lower health status and higher depressive
symptoms that people living in areas with less traffic. These findings suggest that
traffic stress may represent an important factor that influences the well-being of
urban populations.
HU And traffic jam also results in some worsening implications on the society
ON THE SOCIETY
Impact on the environment
LI Environmental pollution in large urban areas is becoming a pressing problem.
For years, scientists at Yale University's environmental research centers and
Columbia University in the United States have conducted an Environmental
Performance Index (EPI) study on the world.

LA The results show that Vietnam is among the countries with the lowest air
quality index and is expecting to fall to lower, details is: EPI score is 38.17 (rank
136/178) in 2014, 58.5 (rank 131/178) in 2016, 46.96 (rank 132/180) in 2018. This
is an alarming news with the air environment in Vietnam nowadays.

Impact on the economy

THU As for the economy, firstly, the commuters are cost more as the stopping
and starting in traffic jams burns fuel at a higher rate than the smooth rate of
travel on the open highway. This increase in fuel consumption costs commuters
additional money for fuel.

HO Moreover, Vietnam has also witnessed great economic loss due to traffic jam.
According to a calculation made about 3 years ago, each year Ho Chi Minh City
loses about 1.2 million working hours, 1.3 billion USD/year due to traffic
congestion and 2.3 billion USD due to environmental pollution from motor
vehicles.

HI It sounds quite terrible right? But there some solutions to this problem, let’s get
to know what they could be
SOLUTIONS
LI There are 3 possible solutions which are Complying with traffic laws, using
Regulations and Traffic Engineering to Control Traffic and promoting Public
transport
  HU First, let’s get to know Complying with traffic laws
- HO As a citizen, we need to follow the traffic light rules: We all know that
we should stop when the red light is on, and move on when the green light is
on. Therefore, the most important stage of traffic rules is to obey traffic
lights.

- LA Furthermore, Vehicles are forbidden to stop at bus stops, garages, or

forbidden places: you must comply with traffic regulations and know that
parking is prohibited at bus stops, garage doors, or pedestrian roads. And
remember: Stations never occur in double rows.

 THU The second thing to do is the goverment should use Regulations and
Traffic Engineering to Control Traffic.

HI Traffic regulations can be used to reduce congestion impacts on public

transport. This means adding traffic restrictions that help public transport and
removing traffic restrictions that hurt public transport. Examples of traffic
regulations include:

- HU Parking Restrictions – one main cause of delays to transit vehicles is

waiting while private vehicles maneuver in and out of parking spaces.
Parking restrictions and controls can be implemented to reduce the impact of
parking movements on transit vehicles and to provide space needed for
exclusive transit lanes.

- LI Turn Restrictions – turning vehicles are another significant source of

delay for transit vehicles. Implementing turn restrictions carefully can
significantly reduce these delays.

 THU Next, public transport should be promoted as well: Perhaps this is the
most repetitive and at the same time the most effective solution, because the
use of public transport significantly reduces the traffic density of private
vehicles in the city.
LA And there is Another possible solution: that can taken into consideration
HO The southern city's authorities are considering allowing trucks to transport
goods at night only to prevent congestion in its urban areas.

HI Congestion was largely caused by trucks delivering goods and that goods
transport at night could improve people’s quality of life. HCM City currently has
28 traffic hotspots, mostly in densely urban areas and at airport gateways and Cát
Lái Port.

THU Bùi Văn Quản, head of the association, said that congestion was not only
caused by goods transport but also poor planning. To prevent trucks from passing
through the inner city, HCM City needs to have a thorough plan on relocating
transport firms and bus stations and encouraging locals to move to suburban areas.

LI “I believe the night plan has potential and is suited to the current situation in the
city. We should take advantage of the night for smoother transportation,” he added.

HI And this is the end of our presentation

Thank you for for not sleeping