The growing popularity of biking as a recreational activity in Vietnam has been acknowledged officially by urban planners in Huế.
Recently, Tuổi Trẻ reports that workers are putting the finishing touches on a network of dedicated bicycle lanes in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province’s new administrative area in Xuân Phú District, Huế. This is part of a program to establish the new area as a “green city.”
The initiative was greenlit in 2016 by the provincial Department of Planning and Investing, comprising 10 urban planning projects in the city of Huế. It seeks to upgrade local infrastructures, reduce flooding, improve urban hygiene, facilitate business activities, and boost land appeal in the city.
Currently, the sidewalks along Tố Hữu and Võ Nguyên Giáp Avenues have been outfitted with the green lanes, as these streets have been very popular with locals seeking an open space for walking, running and biking.
The bike lanes are painted bright green with yellow borders, with widths spanning between 1.45 meters to 2.9 meters depending on the available sidewalk space. On six-meter-wide pavements, there is one 1.45-meter lane while 11-meter pavements will feature two bike lanes.
Lê Thành Bắc, Deputy Director of the Thừa Thiên-Huế Green City project, said: “Dedicating part of the pavement for bicycles has been successfully and ethically carried out in many global cities, encouraging citizens to use bicycles, forming a green city that’s friendly to the environment.”
While this acknowledgement of the need for dedicated biking space is a step in the right direction, it remains to be seen if Vietnamese motorists will leave the lanes alone. Huế wasn’t the first city in the country to have bike lanes, as Hanoi also piloted a similar project earlier in the year, albeit at a smaller scale.
Bike lanes present a step in the right direction towards reducing reliance on fossel fuel-run vehicles.
Back in February, Hanoi earmarked part of the promenade along the Tô Lịch River as dedicated lanes for pedestrians and bicyclists, but the area has since been co-opted by motorcyclists and street vendors. Many Hanoians have also used the space to discard trash and unwanted household items.
[Top photo via Lao Động/Photos via Báo Giao Thông]
