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necessary to raise public awareness
of this environmental-friendly lifestyle
and to attract Vietnamese, not just
tourists. People perceive bicycles as
symbols of low economic status. We
really need to change this.”
Nguyen Thanh Thuy, a lecturer
in Hanoi, says that once the project
starts, she would be one of the first
customers. She explains that this is a
good habit for health and improves the
environment. However, Thuy adds that
bicycle rental schemes need bicycle-
friendly streets. She has hired bicycles
in Denmark and enjoyed riding along
wide bicycle-only streets with a most
peaceful feeling.
“Vietnam has other extremely ro-
mantic destinations such as Hoi An,
Hue, Nha Trang and Phan Thiet where
the traffic flow is better, so develop-
ing bicycle rental in these places will
contribute to attracting international
tourists,” Thuy says.
On Facebook , Chengzong Han, a
19 year-old Chinese student in Ho Chi
Minh City wrote that it would be won-
derful if the project came online. In
China, public bicycle rental is popular.
She thinks it is especially suitable for
students, but in Ho Chi Minh City she
rarely sees bicycles.
One of those who don’t agree with
the project is Nguyen Xuan Thang,
65. He thinks motorbikes are still the
dominant form of transportation in Vi-
etnam and that developing bicycle use
is a way of taking the country back to
the 1960s.
Dinh Ngoc Hoa, owner of a book-
store on Dinh Le street, says it will
be difficult to create bicycle-share
schemes in Vietnamese cities because
the roads are highly-congested.
Simon Clark, an Australian tour-
ist, points out the need for broader
improvements: “I support any effort to
encourage more people to ride bicy-
cles in Vietnam. However, Vietnam’s
transportation is terrible. Hence, any
bicycle-rental scheme needs to include
private bike lanes and and other public
spaces need to be upgraded to help
users feel safe.”
Bicycle-sharing schemes became
popular after Paris inaugurated its sys-
tem in 2007. Since then, more than
500 systems have opened across the
America, Asia and Europe.
Mid-last year, America’s New York
authorities launched the largest scale
program ever. Within three days more
than 15,000 people had signed up. It
now has 333 stations and users can
take a bicycle for up to 45 minutes at
a cost of $95 per year. People can also
pay $10 per day or $25 per week with
no time limits.
In China’s Beijing city, people can
use a bicycle all day for only 10 yuan.
The city authorities plan to increase
use 23 per cent by 2015.
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