Electric bikes alone won't end Hanoi's traffic jams

But whenever I need to travel farther, I still reach for my motorbike. The truth is, there's no better option. Buses are too crowded and poorly connected to the suburbs. The metro network is still limited. And cycling on major roads, especially in heavy rain or scorching heat, can be dangerous.

I have been following the city's push to replace gasoline motorbikes with electric ones. On paper, it is a great move: cleaner air, quieter streets, and a step toward greener transport. I want to believe in it.

Yet I cannot help wondering: will electric bikes actually ease Hanoi's traffic jams? Whether they run on gas or electricity, a thousand motorbikes squeezed into the same narrow street will still grind to a halt. An electric bike does not take up less space. It does not make the road wider.

The problem is not what powers our vehicles, it is how many of us are using personal transport at the same time, in the same place. If that does not change, we will simply move from being "congested with gasoline bikes" to "congested with electric ones."

There are ways to make the switch more effective. Moving large universities and hospitals out of the city center would reduce the flood of students, patients and relatives traveling in every day. Improving public transport: more frequent buses, better metro coverage and dedicated lanes would give people a real alternative to motorbikes.

We could make cycling and walking safer by creating protected bike lanes and clearing sidewalks. We could stagger work and school hours to spread traffic out. And we could limit new vehicle registrations in central districts or even introduce congestion fees, as other cities have done.

Switching to electric bikes is the right direction, and I welcome it. But without smarter planning and real traffic management, I fear we will be breathing cleaner air while sitting in the same old jams.