Traffic jam in Sai Gon reaches critical level

Traffic jam in Sai Gon reaches critical level

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam’s largest city and home to over 7 million people, is a favorite tourist destination for the contagious energy and vibrancy of the city’s busy districts brimming with life. Known to be filled with entertainment and unforgettable travel experiences, a considerable amount of visitors come by every year. But in the midst of the beautiful mixture of wide boulevards and colonial French architecture, prepare to be annoyed with the city’s overly congested roads and growing traffic jam problem.

Getting around the roads of Saigon is a bit of a nightmare, at least that’s how I call it. Being stuck endlessly in the middle of a tight traffic jam, bringing down our car, as well as everyone, to a frustrating maddening crawl of 5 kilometers an hour, sort of proves true how people brands Asia as having the meanest streets in the world. Since it was my first time in the city, I figured that renting a car might make things a lot more convenient. But as I was in the middle of the crowded, fast, noisy, overwhelming street, I realized how the place badly needs a mass transit system.

They say all the traffic gridlocks have started out since 2003 and grew critical over the years. To evaluate the city’s traffic problems, services of a UK-based consultancy firm were employed, hoping to come up with a quick fix. According to them, all the congestion reduces motorists’ speed by 25 percent. But as how I saw it, especially during the peak hours, it takes over an hour to get to a place located just a few miles ahead, I figured if it would be better to walk next time.

VnExpress, a local news website, cites that there are about 400,000 cars in the city, yet they use up to 55 percent of the road system and 60 percent of total parking space. But if you stand in the middle of Ho Chi Minh’s busiest streets, and witness the 3,000,000 bicycles and 5,000,000 motorcycles fused, it creates one of the world’s most unique brand of traffic. Its streets are filled with a tumultuous and deadly mix of busy pedestrians, bicycle drivers with ‘me-first’ attitudes, inexperienced car drivers, aggressive public utility vehicle drivers, reckless smoke-belching delivery trucks, all on their way to survival of the fittest.

WSP Group, the consultancy firm, is now working closely with HCMC-based Innovative Technology Development Corp. in designing an Electronic Road Pricing system to help ease the traffic congestion problem. Under such system, boundaries will be set around Saigon where toll collection will be implemented to vehicles entering the city. This same system has been implemented by Singapore to take hold of their growing traffic along with other measures including higher gas prices, high toll fees, restricted movement of single passenger vehicles and fee collection for restricted zones.

In 2008, the HCMC administration proposed an implementation of VND10 million (US$530) annual traffic fee on cars seating less than seven, but such was rejected by the Finance Ministry. As the central government allowed the city to adopt a suitable toll system this year, on this recently designed Electronic Road Pricing system, the size of the toll collection area as well as of a smaller toll area inside the first boundary to include more vehicles will yet have to be studied closely, of which, final proposals will be submitted to them for approval in April.

The administration initially planned to set up the system last year but was greatly criticized by experts, looking at their solution as a half-measure, or more like a wrong measure, and claimed it would only result to newer problems. As this electronic toll system is also estimated between VND500 billion and VND700 billion, the cost would expectedly spark up more issues.

Quite a lot of chaos is on Sai Gon’s colourful streets, this is itself a touristic attraction. Yet, the city’s unmistakable beauty and interesting history makes everything well worth it. Gladly, there are quiet museums, relaxing spas, soothing pool resorts, cool, calm cafes and fine restaurants to get away from all the madness and enjoy an air of restful moment.