1.2 Development Concept of HCMC Transport Study
Urban Area
・Preservation of environment and existing urban form keeping a high level of accessibility.
・If the character of the area is to be preserved, the construction of new major road links requiring large scale of relocation and resettlement will be inappropriate.
・The best use of existing infrastructure including traffic management measures and enhancement of canal crossing capacity.
・Restraint of private transport and enhancement of public transport services.
Outer Area
・Creation of a high quality network consistent with a functional hierarchy based on standard and function.
・Construction of high capacity routes to serve existing and new industrial developments.
・Construction/improvement of orbital routes to divert existing and new industrial developments.
・To provide with suitable capacity to the routes for freight traffic.
・To improve capacity for areas not well served by public transport.
・Construction of new Saigon River crossing.
2 ORIENTATIONS TOWARDS BUS AND METRO SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT IN HOCHIMINH CITY
2.1 Introduction of Hochiminh City and its Public Transport System
Ho Chi Minh City has an area of 209,300 ha and population of 5,096 million in 1998. Together with rapid urbanization process and its large population, HCMC has become a mega-city.
In the amendment of the overall layout plan for HCM City approved by the Government's Prime Minister at Decision No. 123/1998/QD-TTg dated 10 July 1998 saying that "population scale of the city will reach to 10 million people"
HCMC has become a multi-functioned center in terms of socio-economic tie and played a very important role in spurring economic development of the entire region in accordance with targeted goal "industrialization and modernization" and in an endeavor to build a "civilized and modern city"
Hochiminh City is the biggest industrial center of the whole country. It is a scientific and technical center; a commercial, financial and service center. It is a good transport node for economic exchanges in Southern region as well as for domestically and internationally economic exchanges.
Average GDP rate of HCM city has recorded fairly high: 1991-1995: 12.6%; 1996: 14.6%; 1997: 12.1%; 1998: 9.2%. Average GDP per capita is highest of the whole country: 1998-2000: US$ 918-1,100.
Transportation has played a very important role in city development, however, its transport network still shows various remaining problems namely: poor quality in terms of technique; out-of-date vehicles; limited land fund for transport, overloaded traffic network in all the streets etc.
Lack of road bridges: bridges tend to be weak and narrow in many places that hamper peoples' daily movement; lack of radial trunks, spoke-and-hub trunks; nonexistence of inner, middle and outer ring roads.
