Vietnam kick-starts plans for motorbike emissions tests

This proposal has been debated for a decade but strong public opposition has thwarted its implementation.

                 Motorcycles are seen on a street in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by Reuters/Kham

Vietnam's government is considering a draft law to enforce mandatory emissions tests for all motorcycles over 175cc, which if approved, would start from July 1, 2018.

According to the new draft, all large motorbikes in Vietnam more than five years old will need to have a state-issued emissions certificate and verified emissions test stamps pasted on the vehicles.

It also excludes motor vehicles used by the police, military and people with disabilities.

According to the Traffic Police Department, Vietnam had near 49 million registered motorbikes at the end of 2015, 12 million of which were in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Vehicle Registration Department said the huge number of motorbikes is the main source of air pollution in the country. However, the department does not have statistics to show how many motorbikes over 175cc there are in the country.

The proposal to examine motorcycle-released emissions was first mooted in 2006 but was ditched following a public backlash.

In June, authorities in Hanoi made a proposal to gradually reduce the number of private vehicles and ban motorcycles by 2025 in an attempt to cleared clogged streets and reduce air pollution.

Hanoi is struggling to cope with traffic jams with the number of vehicles currently standing at around 5.5 million and projected to hit eight million by 2020.

Declining air quality, especially in the inner city and near major transport routes and construction sites, is also becoming a more pressing issue.

(By VnExpress)