Major General Do Thanh Binh, Director of the Traffic Police Department (Traffic Police Department, Ministry of Public Security), said on 17/9 that the Department will coordinate with localities to calculate the narrowing of lane widths.

Currently, according to the national technical standards for urban technical infrastructure works in Vietnam, the width of motor vehicle lanes on special urban main axes such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and class 1 roads (highways, main axes) ranges from 3.5 to 3.75 m; class 2 and 3 urban main roads (inner city, inner city) range from 3.25 to 3.5 m; and streets range from 2.75 to 3 m.

Many urban roads currently have two lanes, each 3.75 m wide, and many cars drive abreast. "If the lanes are made 3.5 m wide, two cars driving close together will allow all motorcycles to travel on the right side, which is safer than the current situation", Mr. Binh said. If this method is applied, Nguyen Trai Street (Hanoi) can be separated into 6 lanes, separating cars and motorcycles.

According to Major General Binh, he once proposed separating motorcycles from cars when crossing Thanh Tri Bridge, arranging three lanes with reduced speed. After this was implemented, accidents were significantly reduced. "Vehicles will have increased traffic flow, reduced fuel consumption, and reduced emissions. People will be less frustrated by traffic congestion", Major General Binh shared the benefits of narrowing lanes in urban areas.

Supporting the above proposal, Dr. Phan Le Binh, Chief Representative of the Japan OCG Consulting Office, said that narrowing lanes will save urban space, helping newly opened routes reduce the area of land clearance and road construction costs.

In Japan, many urban roads are designed with lanes ranging from 3 to 3.25 m wide, and vehicles still travel normally. These routes often have broken white lines allowing vehicles to change to adjacent lanes.

Congestion on Nguyen Trai Street (Hanoi). Photo: Ngoc Thanh

Congestion on Nguyen Trai Street (Hanoi). Photo: Ngoc Thanh

According to Mr. Phan Le Binh, Vietnam can learn from Japan's experience. Narrowing lanes is suitable for many urban roads with low traffic speeds. Urban roads often have two 7 m wide car lanes, which can now be narrowed to 3 to 3.25 m each to increase the area for motorcycles and non-motorized vehicles.

"Initially, people may feel apprehensive about driving cars on narrow lanes, but they will gradually get used to it. In reality, cars in the inner city drive very close to each other", he said.

However, some experts expressed concern that narrowing lanes could increase the risk of collisions between vehicles. According to Mr. Dang Van Chung, Vice President of the Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association, the maximum width of a car is 2.5 m, and a space of about 50 cm on each side of the vehicle is needed to avoid collisions, so urban lanes are designed to be 3.5 m wide. For main roads and urban highways, each lane is designed to be up to 3.75 m wide due to the high speed of vehicles.

If lanes are narrowed to 3.5 m or less, collisions are likely to occur between vehicles traveling in opposite directions or close to each other at high speeds. Trucks and buses will have difficulty circulating and are prone to collisions with vehicles next to them when turning left or right. "Narrowing car lanes should only be applied to routes with high vehicle density and low speeds", Mr. Chung said.

Dr. Dinh Thi Thanh Binh, from the University of Transport and Communications, stated that when cars travel at 45-50 km/h, a minimum clearance of 50 cm on each side is needed. If two cars travel close together and there is fluctuation, collisions are likely to occur. Larger trucks that occupy more road space will have even more difficulty moving on narrow lanes.

The current width of urban lanes is designed according to standards, depending on vehicle speed and road level. If the solution of narrowing lanes is applied, the authorities must research and change the entire set of road design standards.

According to Ms. Binh, on many urban roads with high traffic volume and many intersections, separating lanes may not be effective because vehicles have to change lanes continuously. When narrowing car lanes and widening roads for motorcycles, cars can still enter motorcycle lanes.

Experts also suggested that the authorities study the feasibility of this option and pilot it on some streets. Along with that is appropriate traffic organization, for example, not drawing solid white lines (prohibiting lane encroachment) on narrowed lanes, and not penalizing vehicles that encroach on lanes.

Doan Loan - Pham Chieu