The first city in Vietnam to dedicate part of the sidewalk to bicycles

The sidewalk in the park in front of the administrative center of Thua Thien Hue province (Xuan Phu ward, Hue city) is painted green exclusively for bicycles - Photo: NHAT LINH

On July 15, a representative of the Management Board of the Investment and Construction Project of the Program for the Development of Type II Urban Areas (Green Urban Areas) - a component project of Thua Thien Hue (abbreviated as the Hue City Green Urban Area Project) - said that they are completing the painting and marking of bicycle lanes on the sidewalks in the new urban area of ​​Hue City.

For the first time in Vietnam, there is a sidewalk lane for bicycles.

The Hue City Green Urban Project was approved by the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province in 2016, with the provincial Department of Planning and Investment as the investor.

The project includes 10 construction packages with a total investment of nearly 1,700 billion VND to contribute to completing traffic infrastructure, reducing flooding, environmental sanitation, production and business activities, and creating urban beauty for Hue city.

On the roads near the administrative area of ​​Thua Thien Hue province (Xuan Phu ward, Hue city), groups of workers divided themselves up to paint lanes reserved for bicycles.

This line is painted green, has a yellow border, is located inside the sidewalk, and is about 1 meter wide.

Some sidewalks on Vo Nguyen Giap Street have up to 2 green painted bicycle lanes.

Every day, thousands of people cycle and walk on these sidewalks to exercise in the early morning and late afternoon.

Mr. Le Thanh Bac, deputy head of the Hue City Green Urban Project Management Board, said that the unit has painted lanes dedicated to bicycles on the sidewalks of several main roads in Hue City with a total length of nearly 8km.

The sidewalk reserved for bicycles is painted green – Photo: NHAT LINH

Mr. Bac also said that Hue city is the first city in Vietnam to dedicate part of the sidewalk to make a bicycle lane.

This lane is paved with concrete, not stone like a sidewalk for pedestrians, so it does not cost much to build.

There are still mixed opinions.

After the sidewalk for cyclists was painted green, many people choose to cycle on this private path every day.

As a person who regularly cycles for exercise in the early morning, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam (residing in Hue city) said he welcomes the government's decision to reserve a part of the sidewalk for bicycles.

According to the Hue City Green Urban Project Management Board, there are nearly 8km of dedicated bicycle lanes on the sidewalks in the new urban area of ​​An Van Duong (Hue City) - Photo: NHAT LINH

According to Mr. Nam, To Huu and Vo Nguyen Giap streets have a lot of traffic in the morning and afternoon, especially large trucks serving construction at many key projects around these routes.

“Having a separate path for bicycles will be safer for cyclists,” said Mr. Nam.

However, there are still some opinions that reserving a bicycle lane on the sidewalk like that is not appropriate.

Mr. NTH (living in Hue city) said that sidewalks should be reserved for pedestrians, especially sidewalks in Vietnam are often shared for motorbike parking. According to Mr. H., allowing cyclists to ride on the sidewalk is more or less dangerous for pedestrians.

“To Huu and Vo Nguyen Giap streets have separate lanes for non-motorized vehicles, including bicycles. However, these lanes are often parked by cars, so they are very narrow. Should the government find a solution to make these lanes more open and better for cycling?” said Mr. H.

Talking to Tuoi Tre Online about this issue, Mr. Le Thanh Bac said that reserving a part of the sidewalk for cyclists is to ensure safety for cyclists.

“Reserving a portion of the sidewalk for bicycles is to realize the province’s determination to turn Thua Thien Hue into a green, environmentally friendly city. This has been done by many large cities in the world and has been very successful and civilized,” said Mr. Bac.

The bicycle lane on the sidewalk is green with yellow borders – Photo: NHAT LINH

The main roads in the new urban area of ​​An Van Duong (Hue City) are completing the painting of road markings on the sidewalks for cyclists - Photo: NHAT LINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thanh-pho-dau-tien-o-viet-nam-danh-mot-phan-via-he-cho-xe-dap-20240715083836466.htm