Hue City, the capital of Thua Thien-Hue Province in central Vietnam, is painting sections of its sidewalks green to create the country's first bicycle lanes along sidewalks.

Such bike lanes have been added to the sidewalks of some main routes near the concentrated administrative area of the province in Xuan Phu Ward, Hue City.

A representative of the management board of the Hue City green urban project said on Monday that the unit was in the process of painting and marking bike lanes on sidewalks in the city’s new urban area.

The Hue City green urban project was approved by the provincial People’s Committee in 2016, and its investor is the provincial Department of Planning and Investment.

The project, which encompasses 10 construction and installation packages at a total cost of some VND1.7 trillion (US$67 million), is aimed at contributing to completing traffic infrastructure, reducing floods, and facilitating business and production activities.

Workers are speeding up work to paint part of the sidewalks along some streets green for bicyclists.

These bike lanes are less than one meter wide.

Some sections of the sidewalks on Vo Nguyen Giap Street were designed to have two bike lanes as they are crowded with bikers and pedestrians in the morning and evening.

The total length of bike lanes painted green in the city is nearly eight kilometers, said Le Thanh Bac, deputy head of the Hue City green urban project management board.

He underscored that Hue is the first city in Vietnam to set aside part of its sidewalks for bike lanes.

Nguyen Thanh Nam, a resident of Hue City, said that he welcomed local authorities’ project to devote sidewalk parts to cycling.

“Bike lanes will ensure cyclists' safety,” Nam said, explaining that a large number of vehicles, especially trucks, travel on To Huu and Vo Nguyen Giap Streets daily, posing a threat to bikers.

Meanwhile, some opined that changing part of the sidewalks into bike lanes is inappropriate.

N.T.H., a native of Hue City, said that sidewalks are a space for pedestrians, so opening bike lanes along them could put the walkers’ life in danger.

Bac confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that setting aside sidewalk parts for bicyclists is meant to guarantee their own safety.

The move is the province’s effort and determination to turn Hue into a green and eco-friendly city, Bac said.

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