This morning (May 23), Ho Chi Minh City officially deployed a pilot plan to eliminate the form of circular traffic (corail) at the Dien Bien Phu - Nguyen Binh Khiem intersection (in Tan Dinh ward). According to the new plan implemented by functional agencies, all vehicles will circulate according to a 2-phase traffic light system, instead of running around the corail as before.
According to records in the first morning of applying the new plan, traffic jams did not occur in this area. Vehicles moved relatively stably, only the situation of slow traffic flow appeared in the Dien Bien Phu and Dinh Tien Hoang intersection area to find a turnaround point.
Along the Dien Bien Phu route, items such as median strips, painted lines to organize lanes and traffic light clusters have operated smoothly. Traffic police forces were present early to regulate and divert traffic to help people travel conveniently.
In the area at the foot of Dien Bien Phu bridge, the separate waiting lane for cars turning left and turning back towards Hoang Sa has promoted the effect of separating the flow, limiting direct conflicts with the direct flow of cars. The lane from the center to Dien Bien Phu bridge is also organized with an additional right turn lane continuously into Nguyen Binh Khiem street.
As someone who regularly passes through here, Mr. Le Van Nam (resident of Tan Dinh ward) assessed that the new plan is quite feasible. "Although at first road users were a bit confused because they could no longer'hold' the roundabout, having to push down to the lower intersection to turn around, causing the car to slow down, but importantly, it was not jammed or jostled like before. Everyone followed the lights, so it was much more orderly," Mr. Nam shared.
Ms. Pham Thi Tuyet, who runs a business near the intersection, also expressed optimism about the traffic situation being more smooth than usual. However, she believes that it is still necessary to wait until peak hours on Monday morning to accurately assess the effectiveness of the new traffic light system when the number of people going to work increases sharply.
This pilot phase is expected to last until June 23. During this time, functional units will continuously closely monitor actual traffic flow to adjust the traffic light beam to be optimal, aiming to completely solve the black spot of congestion at the city gateway.
