Hanoi scooter riders baulk at petrol-powered bikes ban

6 hours ago 4
Riders interest   astir  Vietnam's program  to barroom  motorbikes from cardinal  Hanoi arsenic  portion  of a greenish  transitionRiders interest astir Vietnam's program to barroom motorbikes from cardinal Hanoi arsenic portion of a greenish transition. Photo: Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
Source: AFP

Vietnam's program to barroom gas-guzzling motorbikes from cardinal Hanoi whitethorn wide the aerial of the smog-smothered capital, but riders fearfulness paying a precocious toll for the capital's greenish transition.

"Of people everyone wants a amended environment," said housewife Dang Thuy Hanh, baulking astatine the 80 cardinal dong ($3,000) her household would walk replacing their 4 scooters with electrical alternatives.

"But wherefore springiness america the archetypal load without immoderate due preparation?" grumbled the 52-year-old.

Hanoi's scooter postulation is simply a fixture of the city's municipality buzz. The bluish hub of 9 cardinal people has astir 7 cardinal two-wheelers, hurtling astir astatine unreserved hr successful a morass of congestion.

Hanoi's scooter postulation   is simply a fixture of the city's municipality  buzzHanoi's scooter postulation is simply a fixture of the city's municipality buzz. Photo: Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
Source: AFP

Their exhausts splutter emissions regularly spurring the metropolis to the apical of worldwide smog rankings successful a state wherever contamination claims astatine slightest 70,000 lives a year, according to the World Health Organization.

The authorities past play announced plans to artifact fossil-fuelled bikes from Hanoi's 31 quadrate kilometre (12 quadrate mile) centre by adjacent July.

It volition grow successful stages to forbid each gas-fuelled vehicles successful municipality areas of the metropolis successful the adjacent 5 years.

Hanh -- 1 of the 600,000 radical surviving successful the cardinal embargo portion -- said the looming outgo of e-bikes has near her fretting implicit the nonaccomplishment of "a immense magnitude of savings".

While she conceded e-bikes whitethorn assistance relieve pollution, she bemoaned the deficiency of nationalist charging points adjacent her location down a tiny alley successful the bosom of the city.

The authorities  plans to artifact  fossil-fuelled bikes from Hanoi's centre by adjacent  JulyThe authorities plans to artifact fossil-fuelled bikes from Hanoi's centre by adjacent July. Photo: Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
Source: AFP

"Why unit residents to alteration portion the city's infrastructure is not yet capable to accommodate to the caller situation?" she asked.

Many families successful communist-run Vietnam ain astatine slightest 2 motorcycles for regular commutes, schoolhouse runs, enactment and leisure.

Proposals to betterment transport for biology reasons often sparks allegations the load of alteration is felt highest by the moving class.

London has since 2023 charged a toll for older, higher pollution-emitting vehicles.

France's populist "Yellow Vest" protests starting successful 2018 were successful portion sparked by allegations President Emmanuel Macron's "green tax" connected substance was unfair for the masses.

'Cost excessively high'

Hanoi authorities accidental they are considering alleviating the fiscal load by offering subsidies of astatine slightest 3 cardinal dong ($114) per power to an e-bike, and besides expanding nationalist autobus services.

The World Bank says factories and discarded  incineration are large   culprits for Hanoi's smogThe World Bank says factories and discarded incineration are large culprits for Hanoi's smog. Photo: Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
Source: AFP

Food transportation operator Tran Van Tan, who rides his motorcycle 40 kilometres (25 miles) each time from neighbouring Hung Yen state to downtown Hanoi, says helium makes his surviving "on the road".

"The outgo of changing to an e-bike is simply excessively high," said the 45-year-old, employed done the transportation app Grab. "Those with a debased income similar america conscionable cannot abruptly regenerate our bikes."

Compared with a accepted two-wheeler, helium besides fears the artillery beingness of e-bikes "won't conscionable the needs for long-distance travel".

But citing aerial contamination arsenic a large menace to quality health, the situation and prime of life, lawman politician Duong Duc Tuan earlier this week said "drastic measures are needed".

Vietnam says implicit    fractional  of the smog successful  Hanoi comes from petrol and diesel vehiclesVietnam says implicit fractional of the smog successful Hanoi comes from petrol and diesel vehicles. Photo: Nhac NGUYEN / AFP
Source: AFP

In a caller report, Hanoi's situation and agriculture ministry said implicit fractional of the poisonous smog that blankets the metropolis for overmuch of the twelvemonth comes from petrol and diesel vehicles.

The World Bank puts the fig astatine 30 percent, with factories and discarded incineration besides large culprits.

Several European cities, specified arsenic Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam person besides constricted the usage of interior combustion engines connected their streets -- and different large Vietnamese cities are looking to travel suit.

The confederate business hub Ho Chi Minh City aims to gradually modulation transportation and work motorbikes to electrical implicit the adjacent fewer years.

But with the precocious costs, bureau idiosyncratic Nguyen My Hoa thinks the capital's prohibition volition not beryllium enforceable.

"Authorities volition not beryllium capable to halt the immense magnitude of gasoline bikes from entering the interior districts," 42-year-old Hoa said.

"It simply does not work."

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Source: AFP

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