Hanoi bans cabs and cars from traffic hotspots during rush hour
Hanoi has decided to ban taxis and cars from a number of streets during rush hour as part of the city's latest efforts to tackle traffic congestion.
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Cabs will not be allowed on Mai Xuan Thuong and Hoang Hoa Tham between 6.30 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays.
They will also be prohibited from crossing Chuong Duong Bridge between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Every day at the same time, they are not allowed to go into Cau Dien Street (from Nhon Area in Tu Liem District to the downtown), or turn to Pham Van Dong Street from Co Nhue Street and enter Phu Doan Street from Trieu Quoc Dat Street.
The ban is applied every day at Mai Dich Roundabout, the intersection of Nguyen Co Thach and Ho Tung Mau streets, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and taxi drivers have been told to follow Pham Hung-Me Tri-Le Quang Dao-Le Duc Tho-Tran Huu Duc-Nguyen Co Thach streets.
Except for weekends and holidays, all taxi cabs are forbidden on De La Thanh and Kham Thien streets from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.
All types of autos are prohibited from Xuan Thuy Street every day, and from Hang Bai Street on Fridays and weekend nights.
Starting from December 25, the capital city will disallow taxi cabs on Giang Vo-Lang Ha-Le Van Luong streets from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. to give space for its Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network.
Hanoi legislators in early July approved a proposal to ban motorbikes from the city center from 2030 to reduce traffic congestion, despite strong opposition from transport experts and the public.
The decision said motorbikes would be banned from downtown districts and limited in areas with adequate public transport.
Cars, which occupy over 40% of the city's roads according to police data, would have to stay away from specified streets during certain hours and days.
Figures from Hanoi police released late last year showed the city of 7.6 million people had more than five million motorbikes and 550,000 cars. The country had around 45 million registered motorbikes last year, according to official data.
The city is working on a metro rail system which includes elevated and underground sections with nine lines running 318 kilometers.
