VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Transport has made a proposal to the Government to adjust work and school hours in a drastic move to curb chronic congestion on Ha Noi's streets.

Under the proposal, State-run offices and agencies would start their workday at 9am and finish at 6pm, about one hour later than the current timetable.

The ministers of Transport and Education and Training had talked about the feasibility of the time adjustment, said Thang.

"A plan with comprehensive measures for the adjustment is needed," said vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee Nguyen Van Khoi, adding that the city had recently separated lanes for each means of transportation, added one-way streets, and proposed projects for pedestrian-only streets and public transportation development.

Director of the city's Transport Department Nguyen Quoc Hung agreed that the time adjustment would reduce traffic flow as it would avoid the overlap of school and work hours.

Since students accounted for about 80 per cent of bus passengers during rush hour, the time adjustment could ease the overload, said Nguyen Phi Thuong, director general of the Ha Noi Transportation Service Company.

He said his company currently operated nearly 10,000 trips to carry about 1 million passengers everyday, accounting for 93 per cent of the city's total bus passengers. During rush hour, buses could be up to 40 minutes later than scheduled and surpass capacity with 200 people crowding onto an 80-seat bus.

However, Assistant Professor Bui Xuan Cay from the Transport University said that the basic solution to the city's traffic problem was to develop infrastructure, including roads, because the current facilities were unable to accommodate more buses.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duy Ngoc, head of the city's Traffic Police Department, said that he had doubts about the feasibility of the adjustment because bus routes were currently not convenient enough for people to use, especially for those who had to take their children to school before getting to work.