VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City should consider building car parks across Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe and Tau Hu canals in order to cope with traffic congestion downtown, according to Mai Trong Tuan, a retired pilot.

HCM City should consider building car parks across Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe and Tau Hu canals in order to cope with traffic congestion downtown, according to Mai Trong Tuan, a retired pilot.

Tuan has had the idea since 2008, but the most difficult problem was finding the proper place for his idea because where there was land, there was no demand for parking and where there was very high demand for parking, there was no land or land was sold at a very high price.

“At that time, local authorities paid attention to underground parking and did not pay attention to my suggestion about car parking across the surface of canals,” Tuan told with the Nguoi Lao Dong (The Labourer) newspaper.

However, until now, many underground parking projects haven’t been built and the city plans to build a car park across Cong truong Lam Son, District 1.

“Demand for parking in District 1 is not being met and local authorities are looking hard to find other places to build more parking,” Tuan added.

Tuan revealed that a proper place for car parking must meet many criteria, including being near downtown where parking demand is very high. In addition, such places should be well connected with good transport infrastructure, where owners can walk or travel by public transportation in a very short distance.

“Investors don‘t need to pay a lot of money for ground compensation and they can recover investment and make profit in a short time,” Tuan said.

With these requirements, Tuan suggested that the space on the surface of Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe and Tau Hu canals are the most suitable places for parking.

Such a parking frame would be installed on the surface of canals like bridges. They could contain 5 to 6 floors with a height of 18m.

Tuan estimated that these two canals can install at least 30 parking frames with total capacity of 12,000 cars and the number could increase to 20,000.

“Such a parking frame won’t take up land downtown and can ease traffic congestion with a very short time of construction. Such frames can also be removed and moved easily,” Tuan said.

Dr Nguyen Huu Nguyen, urban economy expert from the Viet Nam Urban Development Master Plan Association, said the suggestion from Mai Trong Tuan is possible because such a parking frame can be decorated with different colours and they would make canals more colourful, lively and would develop tourism on canals.

Others are more skeptical.

“Tuan’s suggestion has many good points and the local authorities should pay attention but parking frames on the surface of canals are not suitable because it might destroy scenery and affect the daily life of local residents,” architecture Ngo Viet Nam Son said.

“In the long term, the city should announce a master plan for parking places, apply different parking prices for downtown and outskirts, limit granting business licences or request parking capacity of businesses,” he added.

Nguyen Minh Dong, a German-Vietnamese engineer, said nowhere in the world have car parks being built over canals, and in To Lich River, Ha Noi, previous parking frames have been destroyed.

“90 per cent of the suggestion is impossible because many architects in the world have considered the suggestion but they ended up not building it,” transport expert Pham Sanh said.

“We have received the suggestion from Mai Trong Tuan, but Ha Noi’s policy is not to take advantage of the surface space of canals for building. Therefore, we won’t consider the suggestion of Tuan,” Vu Van Vien, director of Ha Noi’s Transport Department said.

Right now in HCM City, nine smart parking projects have been started in nine hospitals and there have been some other suggestions for multi-floor parking frames in September 23 Park, Cong truong Lam Son, District 1, Gia Dinh Park in Go Vap District and Ly Thuong Kiet Apartment in District 10.

Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong has set up a task force, led by deputy chairman of the People’s Committee Le Van Khoa, to speed up underground parking projects in HCM City. 

VNS