After 6 months of piloting the reorganization of traffic in the Old Quarter area and around Hoan Kiem Lake, Hoan Kiem Ward People's Committee proposed to expand the scope of restrictions on cars with more than 16 seats during peak hours to the entire central area to reduce congestion and synchronize with the roadmap for deploying "low emission zones".
According to the proposal, the restricted scope is determined according to routes including Trang Thi - Phung Hung - Hang Dau - Tran Nhat Duat - Tran Quang Khai - Trang Tien - Hang Khay returning inside. The application time frame is daily from 6am to 9am and from 4pm to 7:30pm.
Travel businesses seek ways to welcome guests
Records from travel businesses show that after the initial pilot period encountering difficulties due to changes in operating plans, most units have proactively adapted with many tourist transfer solutions.
Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu - Marketing - Communications Director of Vietluxtour said: "In the early stages, businesses also encountered certain difficulties due to having to change pick-up and drop-off points, incurring additional transit time and operating costs, especially for large groups, elderly customers or international guests carrying a lot of luggage.
But currently, most travel companies have proactively adjusted their itinerary, using small cars, electric cars or coordinating with hotels to support more suitable shuttle buses for tourists".
According to Vietluxtour representatives, limiting large vehicles in the Old Quarter also contributes to reducing traffic pressure, limiting local congestion and improving the walking experience of tourists in the central area.
Many international visitors now also tend to explore the Old Quarter in a slower way such as walking or using small vehicles instead of traveling entirely by large vehicles as before," Ms. Thu said.
Agreeing with this view, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel Company informed that travel businesses, hotels and transportation units have also adjusted operating plans such as arranging transfer points, using small cars, electric cars or optimizing passenger pick-up and drop-off schedules.
However, in reality, there are still some inadequacies, especially during peak hours when multi-route transfers can increase travel time and affect the experience of international visitors, especially large groups," Mr. Tu said.
Proposal to increase transit connectivity
Regarding the proposal to expand the scope of restrictions on cars with more than 16 seats in the Old Quarter area, Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu said that the important thing is not "ban or not ban", but whether the traffic organization and transshipment connection are convenient or not.
If there are reasonable stops, flexible connection vehicles and clear guidance, tourists can completely adapt to the model of limiting large vehicles in the Old Quarter area," Ms. Bao Thu assessed.
On the other hand, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu emphasized that the policy of reducing traffic pressure, reducing pollution and improving the quality of tourism space in the Old Quarter area is necessary. However, if expanding the limited scope, there needs to be an appropriate roadmap and more synchronous replacement solutions.
This business proposes planning convenient transit points for tourists, increasing connectivity for electric vehicles, shuttle buses, arranging reasonable short-term parking areas for tourist vehicles, and researching flexible mechanisms according to time frames or routes to serve international tourists.
According to Hoan Kiem Ward People's Committee, to ensure that transportation and tourism activities are not interrupted, the locality proposes 4 main transfer points including Ba Trieu street, Tran Nhat Duat street, Tran Quang Khai street and Tran Khanh Du street. At the same time, Tran Quang Khai parking lot is being studied for investment in a smart parking system to increase the connectivity between large vehicles and the Old Quarter and the bus network.
