Gas emissions from motorbikes will be periodically checked under the revised Law on Road Traffic which will be submitted to the National Assembly this year to protect the environment.

Exhaust fumes from old motorbikes are a serious problem.
(Photo: baomoi.com) 

Under the revised law, checks will be carried out by vehicle registration agencies while the Minister of Transport will stipulate monitoring procedures.

According to the Vietnam Register, motorbike emissions caused serious pollution, especially in big cities where there were a large number of motorbikes.

However, emissions testing had only be applied for new vehicles until now.

All new motorbikes had to meet euro2 standards in 2007 and euro3 in 2017.

Raising emissions standards for motorbikes had helped increase engine quality and reduce pollutants in the air, said a representative of the Vietnam Register.

However, the rapid increase in the number of motorbikes had led to increased emissions while legal regulations did not cover used vehicles.

“At present, the country has more than 50 million motorbikes in circulation, accounting for 95% of motor vehicles and emitting 80-90% carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC), and 50% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) of the total from all motor vehicles,” Dang Tran Khanh, deputy head of Motor Vehicle Evaluation at the Vietnam Register, told atgt.vn.

“Motorbikes in HCM City and Hanoi account for 25% of the total nationwide, so the air pollution they cause is very serious,” said Khanh.

The PM had already approved a project to monitor emissions from used motorbikes, said Khanh.

The register had set up some measures but they could not be completed because they were regulated by the existing Law on Road Traffic, Khanh said.

“Now we have to wait until the revised law is passed,” he added.

According to Khanh, the periodical checks could be carried out by private entities including motorbike maintenance centres, motorbike dealers and vehicle register centres, while State authorities would supervise and grant certificates for emissions standards.

Agreeing with the added clause, Duong Van Chu, director of the vehicle register centre in Bac Kan province, said the new content was necessary and needed a road map for implementation.

The new regulation should be applied in big cities first, he said.

In addition, it was necessary to closely monitor and strictly manage the quality of accrediting units to ensure transparency and effectiveness.

Meanwhile, Khuong Kim Tạo, a former official at the National Committee of Traffic Safety, said the revised law should set the framework for motorbike emissions control.

“Supervising the quality of periodical checks will be very complicated so there should be penalties imposed for the owners of vehicles that display signs of emitting black smoke or a worn appearance,” Tao said.