Motorcycles and cars on Nguyễn Thái Sơn Street in HCM City’s Gò Vấp District. — VNS File Photo Ngọc Hải.

HCM CITY — HCM City authorities have approved a programme to check exhaust emissions from motorcycles that use public roads in the city.

The programme, launched by the HCM City Department of Transport and the Association of Việt Nam Motorcycle Manufacturers, aims to improve the improve the city’s air quality.

The pilot campaign to check motorcycle emissions will be initially conducted in districts 1 and Phú Nhuận. Motorcycles to be checked are those which have been used for over five years, regardless of manufacturer.

Motorcycles account for 90 per cent of all means of urban transportation and one of the major causes of emissions from means of transport.

The sharp increase in the number of motorbikes on public roads has prompted government agencies to put motorcycles under environmental control. However, government authorities have had to consider residents’ financial capability and daily means of transportation.

According to the Department of Transport, the number of motorcycles in operation in HCM City rose from some 5 million in 2011 to over 7.3 million in late 2015.

As of June 15 last year, HCM City had 8.94 million private vehicles, up by 6.98 per cent compared with the same period in 2018. These include 825,343 cars (up by 15.99 per cent) and 8.12 million motorcycles (an increase of 6.14 per cent). 

A spokesperson from the city Department of Transport said the increase in the number of motorcycles and cars is the major reason behind the traffic problems facing HCM City.

A survey jointly conducted by the HCM City Department of Transport and the Institute for Transport Development in March 2019 revealed that 63 per cent of HCM City residents approved the local government agencies’ efforts to restrict the number of private means of transport on public roads in the city. — VNS