In a continuing effort to ease congestion in the capital, Hanoi’s Department of Transport is planning to turn Gia Lam, My Dinh, Giap Bat and Nuoc Ngam bus stations into car parks and major bus interchanges by 2020.
According to Vietnam Plus, the move is part of the department’s aims to improve the city’s bus stations and parking lots by 2030. Plans for the development have already been submitted to the People’s Committee for approval.
The four bus stations included in the plan are all based in heavily-populated areas and therefore add to congestion in a city where car ownership is on the rise.
Under the plans, the bus stations will still feature spaces where passengers can be picked up or dropped off, but will also include multi-layer car parking spaces, with the aim of reducing gridlock and improving public transport.
The first bus stations to be completed will be Gia Lam and Giap Bat in 2020, with My Dinh and Nuoc Ngam due for a revamp five years later. The department also aims to construct 6 new bus stations in the capital by 2030.
Hanoi faces a shortage of parking spaces, which is due to limited availability of public land. Citywide, 66% of demand for parking is met, but in central areas, that number drops to as little as 8-10%.
The Department of Transport will aim to find organizations or individuals to invest in the new car parks, particularly those who are interested in creating spaces which are suitable for large numbers of vehicles, such as underground or multi-layered car parks.
Hanoi has been trying to find ways of dealing with its increasing traffic woes for a number of years now, and in early 2017 even went as far as offering US$200,000 to anyone who could suggest a viable plan.
[Photo via Viet Vision Travel]
