The transport department of Hanoi has installed lane barriers on a section of the city’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) route after road markings proved ineffective in keeping vehicles off the BRT-only lane.

The lane barriers were installed on 200 meters of road from a BRT stop on Lang Ha Street to the Lang Ha – De La Thanh intersection.

Running 14.7 kilometers between Yen Nghia Bus Station in Ha Dong District and Kim Ma Station in Dong Da District in the capital city, the BRT line had been expected to shift commuting habits of locals toward a preference for public transport over private vehicles.

However, since its launch on December 31, 2016, the BRT buses have found themselves inching through a sea of motorbikes and cars going into BRT-only lanes, seemingly oblivious to markings on the streets.

Its rush hour test runs on December 30 took up to 56 minutes to commute between the end stations, falling short of the designed travel time of 45 minutes for the 14.7 km route.

The BRT buses were observably moving with more ease on Saturday morning, the first day after the lane barriers had been installed, though many motorbikes and cars could still be seen in the BRT lane despite the barriers.

According to Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of the Hanoi Urban Transport Management and Operation Center, the municipal Department of Transport is looking to install similar barriers on some of the BRT’s remaining sections on Nguyen Tuan, Hoang Dao Thuy and Khuat Duy Tien Streets before the Lunar New Year, which falls on January 28, to improve its operability.

A motorbike is seen in the BRT-only lane in Hanoi despite the barrier, January 21, 2017. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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