While in a foreign country, . citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States. The information below concerning Vietnam is provided for general reference only, and may not be totally accurate in a particular location or circumstance. | Hanoi is the only capital city in Asia with no urban skyline. Typical of the city are, instead, its picturesque old city, broad avenues and lakes. The trick is to preserve this idyllic setting while managing traffic more effectively. In Hanoi more than two million people live in a very small area. There are relatively few automobiles, but the number of mopeds and bicycles tearing through the streets is on the rise. The rapidly increasing traffic has also increased noise pollution and accidents. Walter Molt advises the Hanoi Transport Management and Operation Centre on improving the organisation of local public transport. In his daily work he does all he can to give people new insights into what the possibilities might be. To demonstrate alternatives to cities that cater to cars, he has invited leading managers at the traffic control authority to take study tours in Europe and examine at first hand cities that go in for buses, trains or bicycles instead of cars. “You can only make changes in an atmosphere of trust,” believes Molt, who has apparently succeeded in winning the trust of his employer. The new additions to Hanoi’s streets are there for all to see. Today, city residents take the bus much more often than they used to: public transport companies now carry 600,000 passengers a day: a dramatic rise from the 34,000 per day in 1990. Molt himself has inspired a number of improvements. The transport fleet has been refurbished and there are more buses now per line. Schedules have been posted at bus stops and low-priced monthly tickets have been issued. Now the World Bank has made a loan available for construction of a bus-plus-rapid-transit system in the city. Not only that, the city of Hannover would like in future, in partnership with Paris Île-de-France, to contribute to improving environmental conditions and technical standards for Hanoi’s buses.
