Hanoi has set a target of cutting the number of road and rail accidents next year, especially those caused by drink-driving, by between 5% and 10%.

Packed traffic on a street in Hanoi during rush hours

Under the city’s plan on traffic safety and congestion during 2021, it will strive to address accident black spots and tackle 10 or so traffic jam hotspots.

Public transport has been tasked with ensuring quality services are provided, with buses to meet 17%-18% of travel demand.

Street patrols, COVID-19 prevention and control measures, scientific and technological application in transport management, and communications campaigns raising public awareness about safe transport will also be intensified.

Traffic order and safety have been called for during the 13th National Party Congress and other important political events.

Thirty-three traffic hotspots were identified in Hanoi in 2019. Its traffic safety committee has introduced a number of solutions to ease or eliminate traffic jams, such as installing warning signs and speed bumps or adjusting traffic lights.

But with a high density of vehicles and regular violations of traffic rules, congestion is still an urgent matter in need of drastic measures, according to Nguyen Duc Toan, deputy head of the Traffic Infrastructure Management Unit at the Hanoi Department of Transport.