Hanoi (VNA) - The Government has approved Hanoi’sproposal to charge private vehicles that enter congested areas across the city aspart of its efforts to reduce traffic jams and environmental pollution.

In a document sent by the Government Office, Deputy PrimeMinister Vuong Dinh Hue requested the Hanoi People’s Committee submit the planto the municipal People’s Council.

The People’s Committee was also asked to work with relevantministries to complete a proposal of emissions fees for the Government’sapproval.

In September, the Hanoi People’s Committee submitted a planto Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asking for permission to gradually cut thenumber of vehicles in the capital’s central districts.

The plan details three proposals, including a new fee on vehiclesentering the districts in question, an extra fee for pollution andadministrative tools to manage electric bicycles and cars.

These are the key strategies Hanoi authorities intend to useto enact the city’s master plan on congestion and pollution management,approved by the Hanoi People’s Council in 2017.

However, this type of fee is not includedin the current law, so the Transport Ministry has been asked to review the planand pass it to the Government and National Assembly for official approval.

The municipal Department of Transport estimated that Hanoiwill have over 6 million motorbikes and 843,000 cars clogging its roads by2020.

Those numbers will continue to climb, and could hit 7.5million motorbikes and 1.9 million cars by 2030, threatening to worsen thecity’s already poor air quality.-VNA