HCM City’s transport authorities eye toll on vehicles entering downtown
Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport wants toll to be collected from cars entering the traffic-clogged inner districts as a means to reduce gridlock and pollution.
A large number of vehicles are stuck on National Highway No 1A in HCM City’s Binh Chanh district during peak hours. (Photo: VNA)
HCMCity (VNS/VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Transport wantstoll to be collected from cars entering the traffic-clogged inner districts asa means to reduce gridlock and pollution.
Ithas submitted a proposal to the municipal People’s Committee to implement it by2025.
Itexpects to spend nearly 500 billion VND (21.75 million USD) on it.
InnovativeTechnology Development Corporation has offered to execute it as a PPP(public-private partnership) project.
Itplans to set up 36 tollbooths on streets leading to the city centre with anoperating centre linked with all of them.
Mostwill be in districts 1 and 3 on streets leading to the downtown area. Some willalso be in traffic-clogged streets in Tan Binh district such as Truong Son andCong Hoa.
Thetollgates will automatically collect fees from on board units installed incars.
Tollswill not be collected from public buses and vehicles like ambulances, fireengines and police vehicles.
Thetoll will only be applicable during peak hours (6am to 9am and 3pm to 9pm).
Thetoll will be 40,000-70,000 VND (1.7-3 USD), depending on the vehicle, and 20,000VND for taxis registered to ply in the city
Accordingto ITD, 110,000-150,000 vehicles enter the downtown area every day.
Slappinga fee for such entry is expected to reduce the number by 30-40 percent, easingtraffic jams.
Theproject is part of the city’s master plan to promote public transport.
Privatecars meet only 10 percent of transport demand but occupy 50 percent of thestreet surface.
Buttolls alone cannot curb traffic jams, and they must be combined with othermeasures such as urban and infrastructure planning, and development of masstransport such as the metro and monorail, experts said.
Atthe end of last year there were 8.4 million vehicles registered in the city,including 819,000 cars. An average of 79 cars and 309 motorbikes are registeredevery day.
Thenumber of cars and motorbikes increased by 3.5 percent and 2 percent last year,a year ravaged by COVID-19, compared to 2020./.
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A large number of vehicles are stuck on National Highway No 1A in HCM City’s Binh Chanh district during peak hours. (Photo: VNA) 
