Group discussion english 1 topic facts and solutions for traffic problems

MEETING MINUTES 1 - GROUP: 03Date: January 25, 2024 Time: From 8:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m Place: Online, ZoomParticipants: Nguyen Thi Huyen, Le Ngoc Huyen, Tran Thi Mai Hoa, Nguyen Thi Lan Huo

Teacher: Ms Ly Kieu Hanh

MEETING MINUTES (1) - GROUP: 03

Date: January 25, 2024 Time: From 8:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m Place: Online, Zoom

Participants: Nguyen Thi Huyen, Le Ngoc Huyen, Tran Thi Mai Hoa, Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Dinh Huy Hoang, Nguyen Duc Hieu.

Contents for discussing:

- Contributing ideas related to the topic: “Facts and solutions for traffic problems”.

- Contributing ideas to the upcoming presentation - Dividing the task of searching for topics and information.

Duties for participants: After the group leader has finished making the outline, the members will do their own task.

Conclusion: All members participated in the discussion and contributed ideas very enthusiastically and came up with a lot of great ideas.

Leader (Signature and name) Huyen

Nguyen Thi Huyen

Secretary (Signature and name)

Hoang Dinh Huy Hoang

MEETING MINUTES (2) - GROUP: 03

Date: January 31, 2024 Time: From 8:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m Place: Online, Zoom

Participants: Nguyen Thi Huyen, Le Ngoc Huyen, Tran Thi Mai Hoa, Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Dinh Huy Hoang, Nguyen Duc Hieu.

Contents for discussing: - Answer to the discussion.

- Generating ideas about the game related to the topic discussion - Continue the assigned work.

Duties for participants: After the group leader has finished making the outline, the members will their own task.

Conclusion: All members participated enthusiastically and actively gave ideas for the game design In addition, some members who have problems with writing the content are also very active in giving personal opinions.

- The meeting went very smoothly Leader (Signature and name)

Nguyen Thi Huyen

Secretary (Signature and name)

Hoang Dinh Huy Hoang

MEETING MINUTES (3) - GROUP: 03

Date: February 18, 2024 Time: From 10 a.m to 12 a.m Place: Online, Zoom

Participants: Nguyen Thi Huyen, Le Ngoc Huyen, Tran Thi Mai Hoa, Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Dinh Huy Hoang, Nguyen Duc Hieu.

Contents for discussing:

- Rehearsing individual presentations, analyzing mistakes in each of the presentations and correcting presentations directly

- Discussing Powerpoint overview briefly Duties for participants:

- All members had to practice speaking their own presentation more - The leader edited and completed the whole Word.

Conclusion: All members actively presented their own speaking and even pointed out mistakes that needed to be corrected in each other’s presentations.

Leader (Signature and name) Huyen

Nguyen Thi Huyen

Secretary (Signature and name)

Hoang Dinh Huy Hoang

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAIN CONTENT 2

1.Traffic Congestion:What does it mean? 2

2 The current situation of traffic congestion in Hanoi 2

2.1 The number of vehicles participating in traffic is heavy, especially motorbikes 2 2.2 Transport infrastructure does not meet people’s travel needs 2

2.3 Traffic management and operations still have many shortcomings and are not really effective 3

3 Causes of traffic congestion 3

4 Effect on traffic congestion 5

5 Solutions for traffic problems 7

A MINI-GAME 11

REFERENCES 13

Picture the daily scenes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, with honking horns and frustrated faces becoming the norm Traffic problems have emerged as a pressing concern in today's urban landscapes, impacting our environment, economy, and well-being In developing countries, the situation and development of their traffic is quite developed with a dense transport network and regulated, but in Vietnam the urban transport situation is extremely chaotic In particular, we can mention the traffic situation in Hanoi city Now, let’s take a closer look at this problem.

Picture 1: Traffic in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

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MAIN CONTENT

1.Traffic Congestion:What does it mean?

Traffic congestion is the condition in which the number of vehicles on the road increases significantly, resulting in slower speeds, longer travel times and reduced overall efficiency of transportation systems It arises when the demand for road space exceeds the capacity to accommodate vehicles.

2 The current situation of traffic congestion in Hanoi.

Traffic regulations in Hanoi are serious, affecting many aspects of social life: 2.1 The number of vehicles participating in traffic is heavy, especially motorbikes - According to data from the Hanoi

Department of Transport, as of August 2023, the entire city had more than 7.6 million vehicles engaged in traffic, including more than 5.5 million motorcycles, accounting for more than 72% This is a huge number compared to the size of the population and the area of the city The overcrowded number of motorcycles leads to severe traffic jams

on many routes, especially during peak hours According to the statistics of the Hanoi Department of Transport, on average there are about 200 traffic jams in the city every day Traffic jams not only cause loss of time and effort, affect work efficiency, study, but also pollute the environment, risk traffic accidents.

2.2 Transport infrastructure does not meet people’s travel needs.

- Public transport network not yet developed: The public transport system in Hanoi is very limited, which does not meet the travel needs of the population The bus network is lacking, the density of bus routes is low, and the quality of service is not good This led many residents to choose motorcycles as the main means of transportation, contributing to increased traffic jams.

- Poor pavement quality: Many routes in Hanoi have poor pavement quality and degradation, making it difficult for commuters, especially during the rainy season This situation carries the potential risk of traffic accidents

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2.3 Traffic management and operations still have many shortcomings and are not really effective.

- The work of dividing lanes and traffic flow is not rational, which leads to traffic conflicts and local jams For example, the separation of motorcycle and car lanes with a rigid divider on Nguyen Trai Street (the section from Thanh Xuan tunnel to the Tue Bo crossing) has made it difficult for traffic participants to reach the curb, the presence of many crossways leads to difficult lane entry, messy travel, and non-compliance with signs and instructions

- The processing of traffic violations is not strict, which leads to the fact that people violate the Law on Road Traffic more and more According to statistics from the Hanoi Department of Transport, in the first 6 months of 2023, the functional forces processed more than 1.2 million cases of traffic violations, but the number of violators returning to the violation is still high.

- Coordination between the functional forces in the management and operation of transport is not yet tight, which leads to a lack of synchronization and efficiency in the management and operation of transport

For example, the coordination between traffic police forces, traffic inspectors, urban order forces, etc in dealing with traffic violations, clearing roads, sidewalks, etc., has not been effective, leading to traffic violations, roads, sidewalks that are still common 3 Causes of traffic congestion.

First of all, the number of vehicles increased rapidly but the road infrastructure could not keep up, leading to overload The number of road vehicles in October was over 7.8 million, of which about 1.1 million cars, about 6.8 million motorbikes, not to mention about 1.2 million vehicles from other provinces and cities participating in traffic “Personal vehicles increase by 4-5% but the speed of traffic infrastructure development is 0.6%, always chasing and never catching up” said by Director of the Department of Transportation Nguyen Phi Thuong Investment is not synchronized, belt routes are not completed, bridges across the Red River are lacking Ha Noi plans 7 belt routes with a total length of 285 km, including 5

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main belt routes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and 2 support belt routes (2.5 and 3.5) However, belt 5 has not yet been deployed, belt 4 is under construction and expected to be completed in 2027, belt 3.5 has not been completed along the entire route due to difficulties in site clearance Belt 3 has not yet been opened in the North and belt 2.5 has just been built in some sections.

Planning 519 sets the target of building 11 new bridges across the Red River by 2030, of which the 2016-2020 period will build Hong Ha, Thuong Cat, Tu Lien, Tran Hung Dao bridges… but currently all of the above bridges are not yet available deployed Secondly, many construction projects encroach on the roadway Statistics show that there are 38 routes being narrowed, typically the Nhon – Hanoi station urban railway project, overpass at Thanh Nien – An Duong intersection on Au Co – Xuan Dieu street, Yen Xa wastewater treatment factory, Kim Dong underground tunnel,… In particular, the construction items of Yen Xa wastewater plant project run along Le Trong Tan, Tran Phu, Nguyen Trai routes often cause congestion during rush hours Another reason is main traffic routes and major bridges have traffic density exceeding the design The daily traffic

flow through many bridges is many times higher than the design like Chuong Duong about 95,000 vehicles, 8 times higher; Thanh Tri 120,000 vehicles, 4 times more; Nhat Tan 107,000 vehicles, 6 times more During peak hours on To Huu, Hoang Quoc Viet, Huynh

Thuc Khang street,… vehicle traffic also exceeds 1.8 times the design Nga Tu So intersection has a maximum flow of 3000 vehicles per hour, but currently up to 8000

Last but not least, the awareness of a part of the people when participating in traffic is not good and does not comply with the law is one of the reasons cause the traffic jam.

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Traffic participants not wearing helmets, running red lights and swerving occur frequently.

4 Effect on traffic congestion.

Traffic problems are inconvenient and frustrating, they can have a significant impact on major cities and negatively impact countless aspects of people's travel and lives.

In the first place, traffic problems have an impact on the time of motorists and passengers Traffic congestion in big cities has increased travel time significantly Commuting to and from work takes longer, leading to increased stress The traffic congestion in the city has a significant impact, with people spending hours stuck in traffic, leading to stress, fatigue, and reduced quality of life Moreover, the accidents caused by the traffic congestion lead to injuries and deaths The time wasted in traffic impacts productivity and has negative consequences on the economy and society Delays, which may result in late arrival for employment,

meetings, and education resulting in lost business, disciplinary action, or other personal losses

A real example is that in Hanoi city, especially during rush hours, traffic problems also seriously affect the time of drivers and passengers Hanoi traffic became serious on most important streets and intersections, making many

areas of the city chaotic and traffic jams lasting for many hours Thousands of people had to jostle and move step by step to get to work and school in time, but in vain Many officials, civil servants, pupils, and students are late and have to take time off from work or school Thousands of cars had to line up one after another, moving meter by meter Many people had to sneak into the alleys but were helpless because all the roads around this area were clogged Rainy days make congestion worse Moreover, traffic waste fuel increases pollution and carbon dioxide emissions The traffic problems in the city have a severe environmental impact, with the air quality deteriorating due to the emissions from vehicles Because congested spots always gather a large volume of vehicles traveling for long periods of time, a large amount of toxic waste is produced into the environment, especially NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide) emitted from vehicles cars and motorbikes, and SO2 from trucks and buses (both types of vehicles use sulfur-containing diesel) According to statistics from the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment, at two places where congestion often occurs in the city, the Dai La overpass and Giai Phong street and the Hang Dau flower garden area, there are two types of emissions mentioned above are 60

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micrograms/1m3 and 75 micrograms/1m3 respectively The above emissions are higher than the allowed emissions and

higher than the average amount in rural areas of 15-20 micrograms/1m3.Often congestion is not drivers sitting stationary in their cars for hours but rather a constant stopping and starting Doing this burns fuel at a dramatically higher rate than if a car were to drive continuously These emissions create harmful air pollution that further contributes to global warming For

example, carbon dioxide has been steadily increasing and tipping the greenhouse effect out of balance – too many greenhouse gasses absorbing the sun’s energy causes an over-warming of the planet Nitrogen dioxide interacts with water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the atmosphere to form acid rain which harms sensitive ecosystems The more harmful emissions vehicles produce, the higher environmental standing is and brings unprecedented consequences.This amount of toxic emissions directly affects the health of traffic participants and people living in that area Traffic congestion causes economic losses as well as environmental pollution affecting people's health, leading to a decrease in people's trust in the State's governance and management.

According to statistics, in Hanoi city, emissions from vehicles such as cars and motorbikes using gasoline and oil are also one of the main causes of air pollution that greatly affects health quality people The air quality is getting worse, a layer of milky fog and fine dust continuously covers the Capital It was bright, but traffic participants had to turn on their lights to observe due to limited visibility Air pollution exposes people to fine particles in polluted air These fine particles penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system, causing stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and respiratory infections.

Finally, traffic problems are also hrinking Business Market Areas Congestion limitss the number of potential suppliers for a business and this restriction results in increases to input costs since there are fewer choices to provide the needed inputs The lack of infrastructure and efficient public transportation has made it difficult to develop the city in a sustainable and organized manner The potential customer market area served by a company may be limited by congestion Furthermore, traffic congestion poses serious challenges for urban planning and infrastructure development As cities grow rapidly, road networks struggle to keep up with increasing demands This leads to

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