Ho Chi Minh City busy Roads

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has prepared a plan to set up a $187m traffic control system and sought permission from the government for the project.

Ho Chi Minh City transport department director of the urban traffic management zone one Le Quyet Thang was quoted by Tuoi Tre as saying, if approved, the project will start in 2012 and is expected to be completed in 2017.

"We have prepared a detailed construction plan for the project, which costs about US$187 million, mostly from ODA loans from the French Government," Thang said.

Under the proposed project, the number of crossroads with traffic signals will increase from the current 590 to 1,500, plus two cameras will be installed at each crossroads to monitor the traffic. According to the department, it will also install electronic displays at the city’s gateways and on major routes to record and inform the public of real-time traffic situations.

With an aim to efficiently manage traffic, the centre will be connected with the other traffic management systems, such as the traffic signal control centre, bus management system, an electronic system for toll collection and traffic safety control system. The proposed traffic centre will also be linked with the Saigon tunnel management centre, the HCMC-Trung Luong expressway and the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway.

Work on the project is planned to be implemented in six years, with the first two years dedicated for conducting surveys, designs and equipment installation on 400 crossroads. During the remaining four years work will be completed on 1,100 other crossroads. Work on the project will first be completed in inner districts 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10, then in all other districts of the city.

Upon completion of the installation, the centre will be able to provide exact statistics about the traffic flow and traffic situation in the city, providing better traffic arrangement and management.

Additionally, the centre will enable traffic managers to better adjust the operation of these systems, including extending or shortening the stop-time (red light) at each crossroads based on traffic at each area.

Using the system, traffic regulators can warn travellers about which streets are congested, helping commuters choose the suitable route. The new system will be integrated with cameras which will help catching traffic violators and ensure compliance to traffic rules.

Image: Ho Chi Minh City has plans to install new traffic system to regulate the commuters. Photo: Ngô Trung.