Three days in, the trial of vehicle segregation on Hanoi streets has failed to calm traffic.
VN Express reports that the pilot program, which restricts cars and motorbikes to separate lanes using barricades, has failed to reduce heavy traffic which “remained chaotic.”
While some stretches of road are barricaded in the center to separate cars and motorbikes, the barricades are not continuous, which allows vehicles to exit their designated sections.
Sending in traffic police to direct the chaotic traffic and instruct drivers to use correct lanes has not been sufficient to quell the problem, although following the trial period, drivers using incorrect lanes would be subject to fines.
On some thoroughfares, like a section of road near Thuong Dinh elevated metro, traffic patterns have been the same during the pilot program as they were prior to its introduction, with drivers using lanes indiscriminately.
Elsewhere, drivers have chosen to travel against the grain of traffic in the wrong direction, to avoid congestion.
Officials continue to adjust barricades and evaluate the situation to determine how best to implement the separation of vehicles.
Last year the Government of Laos announced heavier fines for drivers who infringe on traffic laws by speeding or driving drunk.
In Vientiane Capital, some roads, like Khouvieng, have seen the recent expansion of roundabouts to accommodate heavier traffic without added congestion.
