VietNamNet Bridge – Traveling by road in Vietnam is never an easy task as poor infrastructure and management has led to traffic chaos in major cities, hence a lot of accidents. According to the National Traffic Safety Committee, more than 25,300 traffic accidents happened throughout the country last year, leaving nearly 9,000 people dead and 24,400 others seriously injured. While the public is scared by those figures, they now feel more insecure than ever as the Ministry of Transport has floated the idea of allowing heady duty motorcycles to travel on expressways which are now exclusively for autos.

The ministry is actually seeking the Government’s permission for a pilot plan to let high-capacity motorbikes use expressways after Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang gave the nod to a proposal for bikes with engine capacity of 175cc or above to travel on expressways.

The ministry will draw up a plan for such bikes to use three operational expressways in the country – Hanoi-Lao Cai between the capital city and the northern province of Lao Cai, HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay between HCMC and neighboring Dong Nai Province, and HCMC-Trung Luong between HCMC and the Mekong Delta’s Tien Giang Province.

This proposal comes after bikers and transport officials met at an earlier seminar on “Traffic Safety and High-Capacity Motorbikes”. Members of heavy duty motorcycles clubs suggested the National Traffic Safety Committee open expressways to big bikes. They said their motorcycles cannot travel at 30-40 kilometers per hour but if they ride faster than speed limits on normal roads, they would be fined.

Cao Huy, a reader of Tuoi Tre newspaper, says riders of high-capacity bikes never want to travel at 30-40 kilometers per hour like bikes under 175cc because low speeds may do harm to engines. Meanwhile, according to the Law on Road Traffic, all motorbikes are not allowed to travel at more than 40 kilometers per hour on inner-city streets.

“I can say that most high-capacity bikes violate speed limits,” the reader said.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Huu Toan, deputy head of the Patrol and Control Division under the Ministry of Public Security’s Traffic Police Department, throws support behind the Ministry of Transport’s proposal. Toan said motorbikes have long been allowed on expressways in Japan, China, Thailand, and South Korea. But in Vietnam, such bikes have to use the same lanes as those under 175cc.

“Previously, the State limited the import of high-capacity motorbikes, but now the rule has been relaxed. So rules should be changed.”

But Nguyen Thanh Duy, a driver from Tien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, says heavy duty bikes should not be allowed to share the same lanes with autos or use expressways because this would be very dangerous. Most lanes for cars in urban areas are now narrow and they are usually crowded at rush hour, but lots of motorbikes always encroach on auto lanes. This has caused serious accidents.

Currently, many vehicles on expressways do not keep a safe distance from each other. If large bikes are added to those roads, safety would be at stake and this would spell great danger for auto drivers as accidents can happen at any moment.

Nguyen Doan Tuan, a driver in HCMC, says in Sai Gon Giai Phong that he objects to the proposal. “I once saw two drivers fighting on HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway as one did not let the other pass. This shows it is difficult to ensure safety among automobiles on expressways. If heavy duty bikes are allowed on the expressway, I think the road would become a more chaotic and dangerous place. Law enforcement officers may also find it hard to tell whether it is a bike of 175cc or 125cc.

“The behavior of certain bikers is bad. Let’s imagine if big groups of bikers travel at high speeds on the expressway, or if biker gangs join illegal races. This will make auto drivers stressful. Heavy duty bikes are obviously not what are really needed among the general public, so restrictions should be placed on them.”

“For the time being, authorities should limit the use of high-capacity bikes over 800cc as traffic infrastructure remains poor and roads should be prioritized for other means of transport that serve a wider public, ” Tuan adds.

Nguyen Cong Minh, an independent traffic expert in HCMC, says Vietnam has yet to develop a full legal framework for big bikes to travel on expressways. Therefore, the ministry must ensure maximum road safety if it moves on with the proposal.

SGT