Motorbikes to be prohibited in 12 metropolitan districts by 2030

The project aims to restrict the use of motorcycles in this area in line with the infrastructure and service capacity of the public passenger transport system, with a view to a total ban on motorcycles in 12 metropolitan districts of Ha Noi by 2030.

The 12 metropolitan districts are Hoang Mai, Long Bien, Thanh Xuan, Bac Tu Liem, Ba Dinh, Cau Giay, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem, Ha Dong, Tay Ho, and Nam Tu Liem.

The municipal Department of Transportation, in coordination with relevant agencies, has been tasked with formulating a plan to designate inner-city areas with sufficient public transportation infrastructure as motorcycle-free by 2030.

The Ha Noi People's Committee has also asked the Department of Transport to develop a plan to charge motor vehicles entering certain areas of the city. This measure is expected to ease traffic congestion and reduce pollution.

Ha Noi currently has around eight million vehicles, of this number, over six million motorcycles. More than one million vehicles from other provinces and cities frequently travel to the capital city.

Plans to ban motorbikes from inner-city areas have been floated several times over the years, and experts and residents have expressed concerns about their feasibility.

According to the city's Department of Transport, Hanoi residents make 14 million trips per day, but only 10 percent of them use the city's public transportation system, and about 70 percent currently rely on motorcycles for mobility.

Earlier, the Vietnamese Government asked Ha Noi and four other major cities, including Ho Chi Minh City, Haiphong, Danang and Cantho, to plan to ban motorcycles after 2030 to reduce traffic congestion and emissions.

The request was made in a governmental resolution issued on April 6 to ensure traffic safety and prevent traffic congestion in 2022-2025./.