VietNamNet Bridge – New congestion-busting regulations came into effect yesterday on the Tran Khat Chan-Dai Co Viet road in Hanoi..

Under the new rule, cars, motorbikes and pedestrians will have to use different lanes.

Car drivers breaking the law will be subject to fines of VND400,000 (US$25), while motorbike riders will be fined VND80,000-100,000 ($5-6.20). Pedestrians and cyclists who venture into the wrong lane will be subject to fines of VND20,000-40,000 ($1.20-2.50).

The 1.635km stretch of road has been divided into five lanes: two for cars, two for motorbikes and one for pedestrians and other forms of transport.

Any driver who crosses the central partition will also be subject to an on-the-spot fine.

The Tran Khat Chan-Dai Co Viet road has four major intersections and a number of turn offs that have been the sites of numerous accidents.

Deputy head of Ha Noi traffic police Nguyen Van Ngoan said: "It is very difficult to implement this pilot project as the distances between the intersections are so small. Each time the lights turn green there is chaos."

Adding to the problem was the uneven distribution of traffic, which meant some lanes were chock-a-block while others were empty, the police chief said.

Vu Duc Khiet, who works for Joint Stock Construction Company 189, regularly uses the highway. He supports traffic segregation - as does motorbike taxi driver Nguyen Dinh Trinh, who lives on Doan Tran Nghiep Street. He said: "Car drivers, particular bus drivers, often venture into the motorcybike lanes."

Thanh Tri District traffic policemen Hoang Van Lai said police officers would be lenient with traffic violators this month.

"From now till the end of February, anyone violating the law will be reprimanded. After that they will be fined up to VND400,000," Lai said.

Michimasa Takagi, chief human resource development advisor in Hanoi, said he was confident the pilot project would help reduce traffic accidents on the road.

Later this year the traffic-segregation programme will be extended to include Giang Vo-Lang Ha, Ba Trieu, Hue-Hang Bai and Lieu Giai-Tran Duy Hung roads.

Several years ago, with assistance from the Japanese International Co-operation Agency, traffic was segregated on Kim Ma-Cau Giay Road, but the project was unsuccessful.

(Source: Viet Nam News)