The Swarm

Last year, my trip to Da Nang and Hoi An were unforgettably awesome, and I can't wait to revisit other cities in Vietnam. During my travel, one thing really bothered me that needed to be answered: the traffic system. If you have been to Vietnam, you know what I'm talking about. 

The road is a mess. Chaos would be an appropriate word to portray the scene. Traffic lights and law enforcement were hard to spot, motorbikes weaved their way in and out like snakes, and cars moved inch-by-inch like larva. Pedestrians crossed these roads like it's normal because it was just another day in Vietnam.

Some cities have adopted a no-traffic system called "Shared space." Surprisingly, some experts claim that it is safer than when there is traffic control. Ben Hamilton-Baillie, an urban designer who coined the term "Shared space," claims the system has improved the sociability of road users and has even reduced the road accidents in some cities. 

Vietnam's roads rely on people, not traffic rules. It is hard to fathom the concept because it seems too dangerous, especially in Vietnam, where motorbikes dominate the roads. Ben added that the roads would work in a civilized fashion and, indeed, people would be more alert and cautious in their surroundings because there are uncertainty and ambiguity on the roads. 

 Like cities where traffic rules exist, road users communicate through traffic lights or road signs. Thus, the traffic system controls the road and tell road users what to do precisely. We are accustomed to this rule. Therefore when something goes off, we get easily frustrated and tempered. 

We believe traffic rules are necessary for our safety and for keeping the traffic flows in order—thus, it appears as if it's a perfect system to manage traffic. However, perfection makes us inattentive because we trust traffic rules so that we focus less on our surroundings. In cities without traffic rules, there are no systems that road users need to follow or to depend on. Road users rely on each other, and they need to communicate constantly to each other to create the flow—and that is their way of handling the roads. 

The traffic accident rate is being reduced every year, but the fatality is still high in Vietnam, so I'm not sure the no-traffic system is really working there. Maybe, the country needs a traffic rule, especially for motor-bikers since they account for more than half of the total road accidents in the country.