Hanoi is about to test hard lanes for cars and motorbikes.

Mr. Tran Huu Bao, deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Construction, said that through research, these routes are not overloaded with traffic, the roadway is wide enough, and has the conditions to separate lanes.

The separation of traffic lanes is expected to increase order, smoothness, and safety for traffic, and reduce congestion and accidents. In particular, it helps traffic participants easily recognize and move in the correct lane, avoiding crowding during rush hour.

Mr. Tran Huu Bao said that the lane division will be implemented as a project, methodically. Pham Van Dong route is 93m wide, with 6 lanes on each side. Vo Chi Cong route is 57.5-64.5m wide. Nhat Tan bridge is 33.8m wide with 8 lanes in both directions. In reality, these routes are not too crowded during rush hour but still encroach on lanes.

Dr. Phan Le Binh, a traffic expert, commented that on wide, high-speed roads such as Vo Chi Cong, Vo Chi Cong, Nhat Tan bridge, cars and motorbikes mixing together is very dangerous. Although there are solid lines and signs indicating the right motorbike lane, but there is no hard divider, when the motorbike lane is crowded, some people are willing to encroach on the car lane to overtake. With the reality that many motorbike drivers change direction arbitrarily, with little observation, mixing with cars is potentially risky. Therefore, Dr. Phan Le Binh believes that separating lanes with hard dividers is a necessary measure to increase safety and traffic quality, and limit accidents.

The question is whether this model should be replicated on all streets in Hanoi? Dr. Khuong Kim Tao, former Deputy Chief of Office of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said that the goal of lane separation is to reduce accidents and congestion. However, lane separation must ensure two principles. First, the road surface in each direction must be large enough, with at least 3 lanes (1 lane for motorbikes, 2 lanes for cars).

Second, the distance between intersections should not be too short. It is necessary to arrange a lane mixing and redirection section about 300-500m before the intersection and 200-300m after the intersection to merge. The total distance between the two lane mixing sections is about 800m-1km. If the two intersections are less than 1km apart, there should be no separate lanes for motorbikes and cars.

Dr. Phan Le Binh wants Hanoi to replicate the model, but the hard lane division depends on the conditions of each route. On routes with less than two lanes on each side, separating lanes will cause more congestion. In particular, on routes with many intersections, lane division is very difficult due to the intermingling of vehicles.

With the increasing number of cars occupying the roadway, Dr. Phan Le Binh proposed that narrow roads should have painted lines to create a right-side lane for motorbikes, about 1.5-2 lanes, not necessarily 3m wide. Cars turning right can only enter that lane, going straight or turning left in this lane is a violation. He believes that this will help gradually form a traffic culture.