On August 9, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Construction for the evaluation and approval of the adjusted master plan for Ho Chi Minh City until 2040, with a vision to 2060.
According to the plan, regarding traffic infrastructure and congestion policy, Ho Chi Minh City will charge congestion fee in the central area (District 1 and part of District 3) in the initial phase before 2030.
Subsequently, Ho Chi Minh City will expand the congestion fee area to within the inner ring of the Metro system when the lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 are completed in the central area and put into operation.
In the central area, public parking lots (concentrated lots or arranged along some roads) and parking lots within shopping centers or private buildings will be provided.
All parking lots in the central area will be required to charge by the hour and the number of parking spaces will be strictly managed and regulated with a limit below 50-70% as stipulated by the standard.
Park&Ride (parking lots for public transportation users) will be organized at the starting points of Metro lines, arranged in combination at inter-provincial bus stations, points of intersection between Metro lines and Ring Road 3, and within a radius of approximately 4km around Ring Road 3.
The area within Ring Road 2 will not be arranged for Park&Ride, but will encourage the arrangement of green transportation including parking lots and charging points for environmentally friendly vehicles serving starting and ending trips, and parking points for shared vehicles.
Bus transfer stations with a size of 1-2ha will be arranged at key urban development points. Existing bus stations will be retained and planned as public bus transfer points.
At a press conference in May 2024, a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation (DOT) stated that they are completing a report to submit to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City for approval of the plan to "charge cars entering the central area of Ho Chi Minh City."
After the plan is approved and implemented, it will determine the content of activities related to charging and managing the revenue from charging, ensuring compliance with regulations.
The DOT of Ho Chi Minh City noted that charging cars entering the central area will affect traffic conditions, the need for people to travel, and many aspects of society.
Therefore, the plan will be thoroughly researched, consulted with relevant units and experts, and socially evaluated to provide detailed solutions to effectively implement and ensure legal and scientific appropriateness with the condition of infrastructure and the capacity of the public transportation system.
Ho Chi Minh City will prioritize the development and completion of parking lots in the ring road area, enhance the public transportation system, and increase the number of public transportation vehicles and services for passengers using public transportation.
Ho Chi Minh City is currently managing nearly 9.5 million cars and motorbikes. If all these vehicles are placed on the road, it would require twice the current road surface area.
The number of vehicles in Ho Chi Minh City increases by an average of 6.5% per year, while the road surface area increases by only 0.2%. In this, the road surface area in the inner city of Ho Chi Minh City has not increased over the past 5 years.
