Hanoi to build underground parking lots

The Hanoi People’s Committee has decided to build three large underground parking lots to accommodate some of the 200,000 cars driving on the roads of the capital. 

The decision calls for the lots to be built under the Nhan Chinh Park, Quan Ngua Stadium and the Thong Nhat Park. Each will have five floors: the first basement will serve as trade and service areas, while the remaining four will be parking lots.

Regarding the underground parking at Cach Mang Thang Tam Square and Co Tan flower garden, the city asked its Department of Planning and Architecture to work with the Department of Culture and Sports in order to determine the boundaries of protected historic sites.

The projects will be funded by private investors rather than state capital, and they would be allowed to sell up to 30 percent of the parking spaces.

The People’s Committee has asked the Department of Planning and Investment to work with relevant authorities in order to draw up plans, calculate parking fees and investment policies and report to back before March 31.

More than 200,000 personal vehicles use the city’s roads each year but public parking supply only meets about 8-10 percent of the demand. Some of the cars have spots in apartment and office buildings, but many are forced to park on pavements, blocking pedestrian traffic and increasing road congestion, and in illegal lots that have sprouted up. Adding to the shortage is the fact that many licensed parking lots haven’t been modernized and their service quality remains poor.

It is almost impossible to find a place to park along such main streets as Tran Hung Dao, Quang Trung, Ba Trieu, Nguyen Du, and Tran Thai Tong. Around many high-rise buildings in the metropolitan area, motorcycles park on the sidewalks, forcing pedestrians onto the road.

Attempts to enforce the law and clear sidewalks of illegally parked vehicles are only successful in the short-term: as soon as the police disappear, the cars return.

Underground parking lots are therefore a good solution for Hanoi on its way to development.

Thanh Tam / VEN