VietNamNet Bridge – Traffic updates are being displayed on overhead electronic boards at main routes in HCM City on a trial basis to help reduce congestion.

Traffic updates are being displayed on overhead electronic boards at main routes in HCM City on a trial basis to help reduce congestion.—Illustrative image

The 14 electronic boards were installed on six main routes in the city in December last year.

Traffic information is collected by the Radio Voice of Viet Nam’s traffic channel.

This is displayed clearly in three colours. Routes that are heavily congested are marked in red, those that are busy in yellow, and clear roads in green.

The move was expected to help people choose clear roads, helping to reduce traffic jams, said head of the municipal transport department’s traffic infrastructure management office, Dau An Phuc.

Apart from providing traffic updates during rush hour, the boards also show information relating to traffic regulations.

A motorbike driver told VnExpress online newspaper that the installation of these electronic boards was very useful for road users, particularly motorbike drivers.

“I can’t listen to the radio updates if I’m travelling by motorbike, and I used to wait until the traffic died down before leaving work, but now I don’t have to. The city should expand the model,” she said.

The city has around 288 traffic hotspots, and the 14 boards are capable of providing information for about 100 points.

If the project proves effective, the municipal transport department plans to install more boards this year.

Radio traffic updates only reach 200,000 cars in the inner city while the electronic boards provide information for around six million vehicles, including both automobiles and motorbikes.

Source: VNS