HCMC wants 30 kph speed cap for busy areas

Nguyen Thanh Loi, deputy head of the committee, told a workshop in HCMC on Tuesday that when the average speed increases by 10 kph, the traffic accident rate increases by 30%, and when the average speed increases by 1 kph, the fatal accident rate increases by 2.2%.

If a pedestrian collides with a car moving at a speed of 50 kph, the death rate rises to 80% and when the speed is below 30 kph, the survival rate is up to 90%.

From such data, the committee, an independent unit that works to help the city’s chairman make directions about ensuring traffic safety and reducing traffic congestion, came up with the proposal on the cap driving speed.

Specifically, it wants to limit the speed to 50 kph for streets in the inner areas except for those with more than four lanes such as Pham Van Dong and Vo Van Kiet.

A speed of less than 30 kph is proposed for certain periods in areas that are normally crowded such as schools, hospitals, and markets.

Current regulations limit the maximum speed for cars and motorbikes at 50-60 kph in residential areas.

A representative of the Transport Department told the event that vehicles in the city currently move at the average speed of 33.8 kph and that the existing traffic infrastructure only meets 20% of actual demand.

Last year, almost 80% of traffic accidents in Vietnam were caused by speeding.

In the first half of this year, traffic police across the country fined 50,914 drivers for speeding.