After reading the articles this week, the issue related to urbanization that I am most interested in learning about in Ho Chi Minh City is traffic, especially the increasing number of motor bikes and how that impacts the daily experience and safety of the people who drive them. According to the reading, the number of motor bikes being registered in Ho Chi Minh City each day is often more than 1,000. Motor bikes are the most common motorized vehicle on the roads, and are largely what makes up the traffic in the cities. These privately owned vehicles are often much cheaper than cars, both to purchase, maintain and fill with fuel, so they are the primary mode of transportation for most families and individuals. When I was in Ho Chi Minh City last year, I was fascinated by the number of motor bikes on the road and that walking across the street was possible at all. I was surprised that I only witnessed two traffic accidents during my week there, because I had expected small crashes to be a much more common occurrence.
Upon arrival I plan on observing the traffic around the city on different days of the week and at different times of the day to try to find out more about traffic patterns and how traffic generally impacts people’s daily experiences getting around the city. I expect that the traffic will be pretty dense most hours of the day and every day of the week, maybe getting worse during commuting hours. I am also interested in the safety aspect of motor bikes, and will make observations and comparisons about helmet use, face coverings and other safety precautions used by people of various ages when on a motor bike in the city. I expect that children and older drivers will be seen using safety precautions more frequently than teen and young adults. I will would also like to observe how many people are typically on a motor bike at one time, whether it’s more common for the driver to be alone, with one other person or with a whole family, as I assume carpooling could be a major way to cut down the traffic.