Case Study of Traffic Congestion in Vientiane Laos

Abstract

Traffic congestion has been a global problem for
decades, wasting time and energy and polluting the
environment. This article discusses the subject of traffic
congestion in Vientiane, Laos, and suggests various solutions.
The study discusses a variety of topics, including definition,
congestion classification, characterization, and congestion
management. The concept of public transportation (Bus rapid
transit), its infrastructure, its effect, and the government's plan
to confront BRT technology are all shown.

Full text

Case Study of Traffic Congestion in Vientiane
Laos
Sane Souvanhnakhoomman
Mechanical Engineering Department,
De la Salle University
Abstract: Traffic congestion has been a global problem for
decades, wasting time and energy and polluting the
environment. This article discusses the subject of traffic
congestion in Vientiane, Laos, and suggests various solutions.
The study discusses a variety of topics, including definition,
congestion classification, characterization, and congestion
management. The concept of public transportation (Bus rapid
transit), its infrastructure, its effect, and the government's plan
to confront BRT technology are all shown.
Keywords: Traffic congestion, Traffic congestion problem, Bus
rapid transit (BRT),
I. INTRODUCTION
Congestion is a common occurrence in the
transportation industry, particularly in cities. Congestion is
one of the issues that arise while driving on a highway.
Typically, network congestion arises in the land transport
sector, namely on highways.
In Vientiane City, Lao PDR's capital, the number of
vehicles and motorcycles has been expanding in lockstep
with population growth and family income increased due to
recent economic progress. Following an average yearly rise
of 11% in private automobiles over the previous decade [1],
the total number of registered vehicles in Vientiane has
doubled in the last five years. Each year, this has exacerbated
traffic congestion throughout the city. Due to the increasing
rise of private motorized vehicle usage, the city is
experiencing congestion and associated accidents,
decreasing local air quality and greenhouse gas emissions.
Congestion and attendant worries about local air quality,
travel times, accidents, and a deteriorating urban
environment put Vientiane's transportation growth on an
unsustainable course.
Vientiane's road user population continues to rise each
year, and road building has been unable to keep up with the
rising army of automobiles. Due to the fast economic
development seen during the 1990s, the Lao People's
Democratic Republic is well on its road to motorization.
Particularly in Vientiane, which has a population of 693,000,
automobile registration has expanded dramatically from
around 80,000 in 1990 to over 220,000 in 2004. This
tendency is likely to continue. Vientiane's traffic is
dominated by two-wheelers, which account for around 65
percent of all vehicles. Additionally, recent years have seen
an upsurge in four-wheel vehicles [2]. As a consequence,
Vientiane's major trunk routes are congested with a variety
of vehicle kinds.
The Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department
announced earlier this year that the city has a total of
661,612 registered automobiles. With 850,000 residents, this
indicates that moreover 70% of the population has a car of
some form [3]. Over the last four or five years, traffic loads
have increased dramatically, with the workday rush hours
(7:00-8:30) being particularly problematic. However,
several significant thoroughfares are now quite packed on
Saturdays and Sundays as well.
II. IMPACT OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION
Road traffic congestion is a severe issue in most Laotian
cities, owing to a poorly constructed road network and the
prevalence of tiny vital areas that are frequent hotspots for
congestion [4]. Congestion has several negative
consequences, one of which is the wasting of necessary time.
The time that is squandered may be better spent on
productive activity [1]. Slowing vehicle speeds or abrupt
stop-and-go driving patterns in traffic result in increased fuel
consumption and polluting gas emissions [1]. Noise
pollution is inversely proportional to traffic congestion. It
exceeds 90dB during business hours, which is hazardous to
our health.
III. REASON FOR TRAFFIC CONGESTION
This study attempts to pinpoint the root reasons for
peak-hour congestion. Congestion is a local issue, not a
universal one; the causes vary from case to instance and are
closely tied to the route under examination. Because the
causes differ from location to location, not all reasons and
remedies can be generalized even within the same city or
nation. Indeed, all of the factors listed below contribute to
traffic congestion.
IV. CAUSE OF CONGESTION
Congestion occurs on road networks when the physical
usage of the route by cars rises. It happens when the road
network becomes incapable of supporting the amount of
traffic that they generate and is characterized by sluggish
speeds, lengthy journey times, and heavy vehicular
congestion.
• Inadequate city development planning: The Growth
Plan is responsible for the long-term planning of the
city's development. However, this planning is flawed.
Often, it is seen that some individuals have unlawfully
discontinued roadside land use, however owing to the
ambiguous development plan, these types of actions are
futile.
• Increasing growing population in Vientiane capital,
rapidly growing population by birth and migration
facing an unexpected congestion on road. Better
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facilities like-communication system, medical facilities,
educational institution leads to heavy traffic.
• Illegal Parking: Illegal parking is one of the main causes
of traffic congestion in Vientiane city. Illegal parking’s
are mostly done in front of bus stop, petrol pumps and
footpaths etc. Due to this traffic flow is interrupted and
slows down the speed of vehicle until the wrongly
parked vehicles are removed.
Figure 1: Displays illegal parking [4].
• Increasing motorbike: In Vientiane capital the amount
of number using motorbike more than cars on the road
especially students came from difference area alive in
Vientiane using motorbike transit to education
Figure 2: People used Motorbikes in Vientiane Capital [5].
• Narrow roads: which cannot be widened because they
are tightly packed with buildings
• Passage of heavy vehicle on narrow roads: Traffic
congestion is also caused due to passage of heavy
vehicle through narrow road in most of the cases huge
traffic is stuck for a longer duration. Generally, this
happens due to the diversion of traffic.
• Public Bus Stop to pick up and take off people
VI. SOLUTION TO CONTROL TRAFFIC
CONGESTION
4.1. Bus Rapid System (BRT)
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway,
is a bus-based public transport system designed to improve
capacity and reliability relative to a conventional bus system
[6]. Typically, a BRT system includes roadways that are
dedicated to buses, and gives priority to buses at
intersections where buses may interact with other traffic;
alongside design features to reduce delays caused by
passengers boarding or leaving buses, or purchasing fares.
BRT aims to combine the capacity and speed of a metro with
the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system.
Figure 3: TransJakarta in Jakarta, Indonesia. With a length of 251.2 km
[7].
The location of the segregated busway within a specific
roadway is a design decision that offers more options than
might be immediately apparent. Busway configuration, also
known as alignment, is critical to achieving fast and efficient
operations by minimizing the potential conflicts with turning
cars, stopping taxis, and unloading delivery trucks. Because
of this,
The BRT Standard awards the highest points to those
configurations that minimize those conflicts that happen at
the curb the most: two-way busways in the central verge of
the roadway, two-way busways that run adjacent to an edge
condition like a waterfront, and bus-only corridors, like a
transit mall. A two-way busway that runs on the side of a
one-way street is awarded fewer points. The reason for the
point drop is a concern for safety as pedestrians are unlikely
to expect traffic to come from the opposite direction. One-
way busways in the median of a one-way street are awarded
even fewer points and one-way busways that run alongside
the curb of a one-way street fewer still. Virtual lanes are
awarded the least point.
Figure: Examples of different BRT roadway configurations from The
BRT Standard. ITDP [8].
a. The impact of BRT
• Travel time impacts: Several design elements of high-
quality BRT systems can help to quicken passenger
boarding and alighting times, reducing overall travel
times
• Environment impacts: Reductions in vehicle emissions
can be achieved in several ways, Including reducing
vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) and improving the
fuel efficiency and technology of the buses. And
Passengers shifting from single-occupancy vehicles to
International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
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high occupancy BRT buses reduce overall VKT in the
city.
• Public health impacts: Bus rapid transit systems also
provide valuable public health benefits to society in
three key ways: reduced road fatalities and injuries,
reduced personal expose to harmful air pollutants and
increased physical activity for BRT users
• Urban development and property impact: Extensive
research has confirmed that urban properties respond
positively to transportation improvements. This
typically takes the form of higher property values and,
if zoning allows, land-use intensification. In the short
term, benefits of transportation infrastructure
investments get capitalized in land values, while over
the longer term, land uses may change
• Land value change: The reductions in travel time and
the improvements in quality of service associated with
the implementation of a new transit line often get
capitalized into land values, as residents and businesses
are willing to pay a premium to be closer to transit
stations. The magnitude of the impact tends to vary
considerably with market dynamics, property types, and
across different regions of the world.
• Employment impacts: Construction, operation and
maintenance of BRT systems can create jobs. This may
result in a net increase in the number of employed
people, or merely a shift of workers from one job or
sector to another. In many cases, BRT systems create
new jobs in the formal economy that replace informal
jobs from the existing traditional transport system.
• Crime impacts: By providing well-lit stations staffed
with security personnel, security cameras on buses and
in stations and pedestrian-scale lighting around stations,
BRT systems can create a safer environment in those
areas they serve
VII. PREPARATION OF GOVERNMENT
7.1. Preparation
a. Political vision: An initial vision statement from the
political leadership marks an important first step in the
making the case of improved transit to the public.
b. Legal basic: A statutory of legal mandate need to create
prior to the project being officially recognised then allows
public funds to be disbursed toward the planning process as
well as permit planning
c. Project team and structure: The organization and
selection of a dedicate BRT planning team is a fundamental
step towards planning the system
d. Work plan and timeline: should be revisited and revised
from time to time during the planning process
7.2. Analysis
a. Background analysis: Understanding woven into the
existing demographic, economic, environmental, social, and
political conditions enable the BRT planner to better align
the prospective public transit system with the local realities.
b. Stakeholder analysis: Existing transport operators, and
operators’ and drivers’ associations (formal and informal),
Customers, Traffic and transit police, non-governmental
organisations and Community-based organisations.
c. Data collection: The data collected on current transport
supply and demand will serve as a major input into
determining the design characteristics of the system
d. Modelling: Modelling helps project future transport
growth as well as allows planners to run projections across
many different scenarios.
7.3. Communication
a. Public participation: Incorporating public views on
design and customer service features will also help ensure
that the system will be more fully accepted and utilised by
the public
b. Communications with existing transport operators:
Exchange the idea and working together with BRT project
c. Marketing plan: Creating the right marketing identity
helps create the right image in the customer’s mind.
d. Public Education plan: To prepare the public for BRT, an
educational campaign will be necessary. this plan is in part
designed to secure support and approval for BRT but also
to better prepare the public on how the system will be used.
7.4. Business and regulatory structure
a. Business structure: Existing business structures in
developing cities: Public systems, Private sector systems and
Mixed systems (public and private roles)
b. Institutional structure: The supporting institutional and
regulatory structure can either create an environment of
efficiency and transparency or lead to misplaced incentives
and even corruption
c. Incentive for competition: The right set of financial
incentives can encourage contractors and concessional firms
to operate a BRT system at the highest levels of quality and
performance
7.5. Infrastructure
a. Conceptual study and detailed study: The level of detail
in the infrastructure plan will evolve as the BRT project
progresses. In the first stage, conceptual designs will be
developed in tandem with the emerging operational plan.
More detailed engineering analyses will follow once the
conceptual study and the initial cost estimates warrant a
commitment towards a particular design: Busways, stations,
Terminal, depots, Control center, utilities and Landscaping
7.6. Technology
a. Vehicle’s technology: Private procurement of the
vehicles also permits public investment to be focused on
high-quality infrastructure. Additionally, by keeping public
officials away from the bus purchasing process, there is less
likelihood of corruption and misappropriation of public
funds.
b. Intelligent transport system: (ITS) refer to a range of
information technologies that provide more choices and
better quality for the custom. Real-time information displays
are one application of ITS that can alleviate concerns over
the reliability of a service.
c. Technology procurement: To achieve this environment of
competitiveness, the procurement specifications should be
sufficiently rigorous to meet system requirements while also
permitting bidding firms the ability to innovate (cost,
experience, quality, etc.).
7.7. Modal integration
The BRT system does not end at the entry or exit door of the
station, but rather encompasses the entire client capture area.
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If customers cannot reach a station comfortably and safely,
then they will cease to become customers.
Other transport options such as walking, cycling, driving,
taxis, and other public transport system should not be seen
as competitors with the BRT system
VIII. CONCLUSION
Overall, in Vientiane capital traffic problems are caused by
an overreliance on private transport and a failure to keep up
with the rapidly expanding population however, the city has
shown it can solve problems in the past, and I am confident
that it can reduce traffic congestion in the future. Overall,
too many cars for too few roads have led to severe
congestion in the city. However, if the municipal authorities
encourage residents to use public transport system (Bus
rapid transit). I am sure lao people will continue to be a
pleasant city to live in future.
REFERENCE
[1] The Ministry of Public Works and Transport for the Asian
Development Bank. Initial Environmental Examination. August
2014. LAO: Vientiane Sustainable Urban Transport Project
[2] Government of the Lao PDR, MCTPC and the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA). 2008. The Study of Master Plan on
Comprehensive Urban Transport in Vientiane in Lao PDR.
Vientiane
[3] J&C Group – Your Trusted Partners in Laos:
https://jclao.com/overpass-mulled-as-solution-to-vientianes-
traffic-snarls/
[4] J&C Group – Your Trusted Partners in Laos:
https://jclao.com/vientiane-cracks-down-on-illegal-parking/
[5] http://environmental-issues-vientiane.blogspot.com/2014/
[6] "What is BRT?". Institute for Transportation and Development
Policy: https://www.itdp.org/library/standards-and-guides/the-
bus-rapid-transit-standard/what-is-brt/
[7] Bus rapid transit – Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit
[8] https://brtguide.itdp.org/branch/master/guide/roadway-and-
station-configurations/roadway-configurations#figure:examples-
of-different-brt-roadway-configurations-from-the-brt-standard
International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181http://www.ijert.org
IJERTV10IS110035 (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)
Published by :
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Vol. 10 Issue 11, November-2021
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