New master plan to manage transport in Vientiane

A master plan for the management of traffic and public transport in the five districts of Vientiane was discussed yesterday by officials from the Ministry of Communication, Transport, Post and Construction and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The ministry and agency have joined to set up a plan for Vienatiane that will be in effect until 2025, said Vientiane 's Deputy Mayor, Mr Bounchanh Sinthavong, during the first stakeholders' meeting.

The master plan will be informed by a study of the necessary measures to relieve urban traffic problems, and will run until July 2008.

The purpose of the meeting was to ascertain the opinions of the stakeholders on the various problems currently plaguing transportation in the city and if possible, what desirable solutions might exist.

Feedback on these challenges – including urban development, poor road conditions, traffic mismanagement and disorganised public transport – can then be incorporated into the study.

The master plan on comprehensive urban transport in Vientiane is one of the first projects to involve many sectors including housing and urban planning, transport, road construction, road safety, environment and land use, Mr Bounchanh explained.

The working area of the study for the master plan covers Chanthabouly, Hadxaifong, Sikhottabong, Sisattanak and Xaysettha districts.

He said that in the future, these districts will experience further growth and development, and the meeting was therefore very important as a forum to discuss traffic problems, for ideas about how to improve transport.

So far, the study has collected information about traffic in the city to determine which roads cause the most confusion and to indicate possible ways to make travelling in these areas easier in the future, added Mr Bounchanh.

He said that the study also surveyed individuals in the community about parking along the roads and transportation of goods in the city.

Traffic conditions in Vientiane are not bad compared to other Asian capitals such as Hanoi , Bangkok and Phnom Penh , said the study team leader from the agency, Mr Tatsuyuki Sakurai.

However, severe traffic congestion and traffic accidents may occur in the future as the number of automobiles and motorcycles increase as a result of economic growth and urban development. Thus, it is necessary to plan contingency measures for future urban traffic problems, Mr Sakurai explained.

The study will also make use of socio-economic frameworks (GDP and population indicators), land use and urban development data, road condition information, traffic condition/management regulations and safety measures. Other aspects will be factored into the analysis as well, including public transport figures, environmental conditions and the institutions, legislation and finance statistics related to urban transport.

Results of the study so far have predicted that the population in Vientiane will increase from 705,000 people in 2005 to 1,239,000 people in 2025.
 

The city development is expected to expand into Xaythany district.

Roads in the five districts in the city have a total length 792 km, with asphalted roads covering 35 percent. Accidents along many roads in the city occur mainly between 4pm and 12pm, with most incidents resulting from drinking and driving and/or driving at high speeds. Many road users still do not respect traffic rules.

Source: vientianetimes