Cars would have to pay a fee from 2019 if they enter HCMC’s central business district, according to a traffic congestion reduction plan which Tien Phong Technology JSC (ITD) has sent to the city government.

A lot of cars are seen on a road in HCMC. Cars would have to pay a fee from 2019 if they enter HCMC’s central business district 

The fee would range from VND30,000 to VND50,000 (US$1.32-2.2) per entry and to collect it, the company would install 36 collection booths on the streets leading to the city center.

Between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. taxi cabs would be charged VND30,000, private cars VND40,000, and trucks and commercial vehicles, including those owned by State agencies, VND50,000.

The project would need a total investment of nearly VND1.8 trillion (US$79.3 million), and have an expected collection time of 15 years, from 2019 to 2034.

According to the HCMC Department of Transport, the project could help reduce traffic jams in the city center by encouraging people to use public transit instead of private vehicles.

However, traffic experts have cast doubt on the viability of the project. Speaking to the Daily, Pham Sanh, a traffic expert, said the city should carry out a thorough survey of traffic density on the roads leading to the city center, public transit network and parking lots to make sure the project would work.

When the city restricts private vehicles in the downtown area, traffic would be diverted to nearby districts, placing pressure on infrastructure there, said Sanh.

The city’s public transport system, he noted, has remained underdeveloped, so it would be hard to lure commuters to use public buses.

SGT