[sustran] Re: regarding thesis topic HCMC

[Sunny]

Hi AD,

 From wht you have written I can visualise that HCMC has good 
infrastructure for pedestrians but the problem is their reduction. I 
would suggest to think of implementing traffic calming and prioritising 
Public Transport.

You have identified some of the problems with the motorbikes like they 
are faster, easy to park  etc.. so target those points tht make 
motorbiking easy and aim to make the ride uncomfortable. Try to develop 
a plan where the speeds of bikes are reduced and the bus is given 
priority. Trying to develop pedestrian streets and reduce parking or 
price parking for motor vehicles.

For the start I would recommend our (GTZ-SUTP) module on mobility 
management. further you can even visit www.vtpi.org Todd Litmans website 
for TDM (Travel Demand Management) where you might get more ideas for 
possible solutions that you can adopt for HCMC. Also do read 
Sustainability and Cities by Peter Newman and Jeff Kenworthy.

IMO, finding alternative fuels would not be a good option  for HCMC like 
city becoz they would not help in reducing the accidents or the main 
target mobility. So try something that involves encouraging walking 
(NMT) and public transport and reduces motorbike dependency. High 
density areas with large pavements are a very nice place to implement 
pedestrianisation.

Cheers!!
Sunny

AD wrote:
> Thank you everybody for your helps.
>
> Concerning Metro plan, I think that it should be a must in the long 
> run for any city with high density like HCMC? Although the cost for 
> building a metro system may be high, it will give benefit for a long 
> time... Please tell me if I am wrong.
>
> About finding alternatives of two-wheelers, in my opinion, it would be 
> really hard because motorcycle is so convenient that even though there 
> is a bus route from home to work, people still prefer their own 
> motorcycle.  It  is  because  a motorcycle requires  a little space to 
> park, or is faster and cheaper than traveling by a bus...
>
> HCMC is an old, French-style city with small streets and big pavements 
> in the city center. Therefore, it has disadvantages for developing bus 
> routes on streets which are also shared by motorcycles. The authority 
> is currently reducing the pavements' sides to make more space for 
> motorized vehicles, which I think is not a good idea for a city with 
> sustainable transportation where pedestrians and cyclists are preferred.
>
> Because of the nature of the city, in my opinion, HCMC should stop 
> widening the streets for private motorized vehicles, saving streets 
> mainly for buses and increase the number of cyclists and pedestrians 
> (can cyclists and pedestrians share the pavements?).
>
> Is it possible to ban motorcycles from the streets ? Or we can have 
> other better solutions? And what could my thesis do with limited time?
>
> All the best.
>
> Nguyen Anh Dung
> M.Sc Student.
> Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies.
> Mahidol University, Thailand.

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