From March 1, Hanoi will pilot a ban on cars with more than 16 seats (except buses and school buses) operating during rush hour in the old town and around Hoan Kiem Lake to reduce congestion and environmental pollution.
The pilot period is limited to peak morning from 6:30 to 8:30 in the afternoon from 16:30 to 6:30. After 6 months, the agencies will evaluate the effectiveness and report to the city for consideration and decision.
The route restricting vehicles with more than 16 seats includes the routes Hang Giay - Dong Xuan - Hang Duong - Hang Ngang - Hang Dao - Dinh Tien Hoang; Hang Dau - Tran Nhat Duat - Nguyen Huu Huan axis in Hanoi's Old Quarter and the streets of Ly Quoc Su, Nha Tho, Nha Chung, Quang Trung (from Trang Thi to Nha Chung), Au Trieu, Bao Khanh, Hang Trong, Hang Hanh Alley, Bao Khanh Alley.
The new regulation has more or less affected restaurants, hotels, accommodation establishments, and travel businesses operating in the Old Quarter. In particular, hotels and accommodation facilities with different scales have mixed reactions.
Mr. Vu Canh - Manager of The Queen Hotel & Spa 2 (Hang Trong Ward, Hoan Kiem) said: "In my opinion, the main affected hotels are large 3, 4, 5-star hotels and travel businesses".
Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thinh - Manager of La Dolce Vita Hotel (Hang Bo Ward, Hoan Kiem) said that the pilot ban on vehicles and the time frame is very reasonable, helping to reduce traffic congestion in the old quarter. However, difficulties in passenger transport will affect large hotels and travel companies.
Meanwhile, a representative of Apricot Hotel (Hang Trong Ward, Hoan Kiem) said that the ban on vehicles greatly affects business operations when the hotel has more than 120 rooms. Some tour guests are reserved when booking rooms at hotels because of this ban.
This person believes that if vehicles are banned on some routes, visitors will tend to look for places that are not affected to make travel more convenient.
"If Hoan Kiem district implements this plan, hotels here will be disadvantaged more than hotels in other districts. If it has been implemented, it will be implemented in all districts. If it is only done in Hoan Kiem district, it will be like a way to "share customers" between districts," said the hotel representative.
Currently, the hotel has not had a long-term solution. The hotel manager said that if the ban is implemented for a while, the picture will be clearer.
In addition, travel companies also face disadvantages due to the new regulations. Ms. Nguyen Thi Loc, Director of Arcady Cruise Travel Company, commented: "Tourists all want to join the tour to pick up and drop off at the booked hotel. Now, if we rent a 7-seat car to take visitors to the shuttle point, the company will have to pay more, but if not, the tourists may cancel the tour".
Like many travel businesses operating to pick up and drop off tourists in the old town, Ms. Loc proposed to ban vehicles that are too large, over 30 seats, allowing smaller vehicles to operate during rush hour.
"In addition, if the ban is implemented, the State should support businesses such as adding electric vehicles to make it more convenient for passengers to transit," said Ms. Loc.
