This information has received much attention from many people, however, many opinions are also wondering how the model of limiting polluting vehicles will begin and what the roadmap will be, when the number of motorbikes, cars, and buses running on diesel is still popular?
Illustration photo.
For many consecutive days, Hanoi has been immersed in a state of air pollution. On many roads and streets, traffic participants have to walk behind vehicles that are emitting black smoke, making it even more suffocating and difficult to breathe:
“Going to pick up my child like this, there are many cars emitting black smoke. Usually, people who drive old cars do not have the means. If we ban those cars, I don't know if there will be any support for them.”
“When a bus stops in front and gets stuck in traffic, it releases a lot of dust and black smoke, so it's very dirty. I hope we can limit the number of buses and stop it from emitting smoke like that.”
“Sometimes the exhaust is as black as ink, and there is a long line of cars stuck in traffic without turning off the engine, so I have to try to squeeze through to avoid the exhaust pipe.”
To improve the environment in general and the air in particular, the Hanoi People's Committee is seeking opinions on a draft Resolution stipulating criteria, conditions, procedures and processes for determining low-emission zones in the area to implement the 2024 Capital Law. Low-emission zones (LEZs) are limited areas within the city where air pollution levels are high. Vehicles operating in this area must meet strict emission standards. Vehicles that do not meet the standards will be restricted or have to pay a fee.
Dr. Hoang Duong Tung, Chairman of the Vietnam Clean Air Network, affirmed that building low-emission zones will be one of the effective measures to reduce urban pollution.
“Low emission zones only allow low emission vehicles to enter. This model is modeled after many countries. It can be small in a few neighborhoods, or it can be applied in a small area and then expanded to a larger area or region. Some models ban 24/7, others ban on weekends or by the hour. Hanoi is also aiming to pilot this model to reduce pollution from personal vehicles,” said Mr. Tung.
To implement this model, according to Ms. Le Thanh Thuy, Deputy Head of the Environmental Management Department, Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the City has the advantage that Article 28 of the new Capital Law passed by the National Assembly stipulates criteria and solutions for building low-emission zones.
This is an important legal basis for the City to orient and have a basis for building low emission zones. It is expected that Hoan Kiem district will be the pioneer district in building low emission zones.
Illustration photo: Natural Resources and Environment Newspaper.
According to Ms. Thuy, there are two subjects that determine the success of this model: “The two important subjects are the Department of Transport, which proposes programs and plans to rearrange traffic. The second is the local government, the unit that will implement this with specific policies, specific to low-emission areas, how to gain consensus and engagement of people in these low-emission activities. Building a low-emission area is not only the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Transport, and districts, but also the joint efforts of departments, branches and people”.
From the perspective of Dr. Dinh Thi Thanh Binh, Lecturer at Hanoi University of Transport, low emission zones are a measure to manage urban traffic. In the world, people often associate low emission zones with restricting motorized traffic causing emissions entering that area.
To implement a low emission zone, Dr. Dinh Thi Thanh Binh said that functional units must organize traffic flows to pass through and avoid restricted areas, while identifying vehicles with high emission levels and having measures to control and handle vehicles that violate the rules.
“First, we need to issue a legal basis for implementing low emission zones, such as resolutions, decisions, standards, criteria for selecting emission zones and conditions for organizing low emission zones, and then select small-scale areas for pilot implementation. From that pilot, we can draw lessons and make adjustments for further implementation. We cannot immediately apply it to large areas and many locations,” said Dr. Dinh Thi Thanh Binh.
Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Thanh Ca, former Senior Lecturer at the University of Natural Resources and Environment, also said that this model needs to be built on the basis of careful research on economic and social characteristics and pollution levels to ensure feasibility: “The pilot construction of low emission zones and restrictions on polluting vehicles needs to be carefully studied when applied in Hanoi. And if this model is successful, we can apply it to other cities. The model has a lot of meaning in reducing air pollution not only for Hanoi but also in other cities in our country.”
Along with determining criteria and methods for implementing low emission zones, according to Mr. Chu Manh Hung, former Director of the Department of Science and Technology (Ministry of Transport), determination from all levels of government is also needed to ensure effectiveness in implementation:
“We should consider doing it in urban centers, core areas, areas where environmental indicators are affected when monitored, and there is consensus from the people. I think it is necessary to do it, these methods and models have been done in many cities around the world, now we just need to focus on doing it, the proposed targets will be very feasible,” said Mr. Hung.
Illustration photo.
Give people a reason
According to experts, to "save" Hanoi from fine dust, there is no other way but to control the main sources of pollution today, the most significant of which are emissions from traffic activities.
But to ensure successful implementation, from the perspective of VOV Traffic , the first step is to give people a convincing reason and roadmap.
The “low emission zone” that Hanoi plans to implement from 2025 may be a good suggestion for the increasingly congested urban area. People see opportunities there, but also many accompanying challenges.
If viewed as an opportunity to limit private vehicles entering the inner city, this opportunity may be more open. In the plan to build a low-emission zone, vehicle restrictions are identified as one of the tools to achieve environmental goals, not the goal of reducing congestion.
Those affected do not feel resentful because they feel they are being considered the “culprit” causing traffic jams, so acceptance may be easier. People will see it as a local traffic organization solution, like expanding pedestrian streets or creating streets only for bicycles and buses, although inconvenient but adaptable.
But if we look at it from a challenge perspective, it is clear that the challenge is not small. After all, the essence of the story is still to limit personal convenience in exchange for common benefits, both short-term and long-term for the whole community.
The habit of not walking, the need for too much availability, combined with the lack of awareness of the seriousness of traffic jams and air pollution, are the reasons why private car and motorbike users may not be ready. Without a thorough and thorough preparation, starting to build a low emission zone in Hanoi from 2025 will encounter many difficulties.
However, this is a difficulty that all cities have had to go through in their pursuit of sustainable development. By organizing public transport well, by institutionalizing regulations on emission control and tax responsibility for owners of polluting sources, urban authorities will have a solid foundation to do this.
According to the pilot model of Hanoi's "Low Emission Zone" - LEZ, from 2025, polluting vehicles will be restricted from entering crowded areas, environmental "hot spots".
Hanoi has operated two elevated railway lines with quite satisfactory experiences from the people. The shift from private vehicles to public trains, buses, and bicycles of residents living near the stations is a positive signal to increase the market share of public transport.
Plans to green the bus fleet and streamline routes are being implemented, both to increase passenger appeal and reduce emissions from traffic activities.
Along with solutions to promote the self-transformation process, Hanoi is also gradually considering coercive measures to increase displacement pressure, in areas where the response level of public transport is higher. That is the right direction.
However, in order to avoid such a strong reaction that the plan must be shelved repeatedly as it has been, the steps and goals need to be very clear and specific. By 2025, when applying low emission zones in some inner-city areas, how much of the demand will be met by public trains, buses, and bicycles on these routes? What is the specific adjustment plan for each type? How will the city prepare the parking system at the gateway and adjacent areas? How will purely commuting activities and commuting activities associated with livelihoods on private vehicles be differentiated and managed?
There are still many questions to be clarified.
The current rules of urban mobility are largely governed by the location of agencies, offices, schools and hospitals, which have been planned to be relocated from the inner city for decades, but have not been able to do so yet.
People have no other choice if their destination is still in the inner city. Therefore, if they are restricted from using private vehicles in the inner city for reasons that are not convincing enough, the enforcer may feel that he is “taking the blame” for the responsibilities that the authorities have not fully fulfilled. This hinders consensus to implement the policy.
Not to mention, if the discipline and order of construction planning are not strict enough, and information about plans is not public enough for people to monitor, it can lead to other risks, such as the risk of real estate fever in the inner city being pushed higher, the risk of circumventing the law to build illegally, or even a race to move residents to the inner city to avoid fees, or to cling to convenience.
However, difficult does not mean impossible, if it is necessary and cannot be delayed any longer. The important thing is to provide a reason and a roadmap that is convincing enough for those affected.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ha-noi-han-che-phuong-tien-gay-o-nhiem-bat-dau-tu-dau-ar904244.html
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