Hanoi yet to ban petrol-powered motorcycles on Ring Road 1 from July: official

The city will not deploy low-emission zones across the whole of the ring road all at once, he told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday.

Instead, the city would roll out the low-emission zone policy incrementally by area, with a tailored roadmap defining scope, timing, and applicable groups.

In November last year, the Hanoi People’s Council passed a resolution outlining low-emission zones, which included measures to restrict and eventually ban certain fossil fuel-powered vehicles in designated areas.

Under that resolution, the city would limit new registrations of fossil fuel vehicles in low-emission zones and ban trucks over 3.5 metric tons using the fuel.

App-based motorbike services using gasoline-powered vehicles would also be prohibited, along with restrictions on other motorbikes depending on timeframes or specific zones.

As per the initial roadmap, starting from July 1, the city would pilot low-emission zones in the Ring Road No. 1 area in nine wards, including Hai Ba Trung, Cua Nam, Hoan Kiem, O Cho Dua, Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam, Ba Dinh, Giang Vo, Ngoc Ha, and Tay Ho.

However, the latest clarification indicated that on that date, Hanoi will not yet enforce time-based restrictions or bans on gasoline-powered motorbikes in these areas.

The official said that the city was preparing for strengthening public transport capacity.

At present, the Ring Road No. 1 area is served by two urban railway lines, with a combined capacity of some 462,000 passenger trips per day.

In addition, 45 subsidized bus routes operate in the area, carrying more than 903,000 passengers daily.

In the coming months, Hanoi aims to increase the number of electric buses operating along Ring Road No. 1.

In the second quarter of the year, the city will open more public bicycle stations and introduce small electric buses designed for narrow streets and alleyways.

To facilitate the transition away from private vehicles, the city is working on a network of parking facilities at the edges of the pilot zones.

These sites are intended to serve as transfer points where commuters can switch to public transportation.

More than 210 potential locations within Ring Road No. 1 have been identified so far, with further reviews ongoing.

Infrastructure for electric vehicles is also under consideration.

According to the representative from the municipal Department of Construction, regulations governing charging stations, battery-swapping facilities and fire safety standards for installations of charging stations in older apartment buildings are in the process of finalizing.

A proposal has been submitted to deploy compact battery-swapping kiosks in public spaces, allowing users to exchange batteries in just two to three minutes.

The model could address both fire safety concerns and space constraints in older residential areas.