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

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITYFACULTY OF ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT

***

-GROUP DISCUSSION ENGLISH 1 Topic: Facts and solutions for traffic problems

Group: 03 Class: 232_ENTH1411_38

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)

HoangDinh 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)

Huyen

Nguyen Thi Huyen

Secretary (Signature and name)

HoangDinh 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)

HoangDinh Huy Hoang

- Write a mini game

9

5 Le Ngoc Huyen - Write and present 8,5

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

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

CONCLUSION 10

A MINI-GAME 11

REFERENCES 13

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

Picture 1: Traffic in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

1

MAIN CONTENT

1.Traffic Congestion:What does it mean?

Traffic congestion is the condition in which the number of vehicles on the roadincreases significantly, resulting in slower speeds, longer travel times and reducedoverall efficiency of transportation systems It arises when the demand for road spaceexceeds 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 HanoiDepartment of Transport, on average there are about 200 traffic jams in the city everyday 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 isvery 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 Thisled 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 anddegradation, making it difficult for commuters, especially during the rainy season.This situation carries the potential risk of traffic accidents

2

2.3 Traffic management and operations still have many shortcomings and are notreally effective.

- The work of dividing lanes and traffic flow is not rational, which leads to trafficconflicts 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 withsigns and instructions

- The processing of traffic violations is not strict, which leads to the fact that peopleviolate the Law on Road Traffic more and more According to statistics from theHanoi Department of Transport, in the first 6 months of 2023, the functional forcesprocessed more than 1.2 million cases of traffic violations, but the number of violatorsreturning to the violation is still high

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

For example, the coordination between traffic police forces, traffic inspectors, urbanorder forces, etc in dealing with traffic violations, clearing roads, sidewalks, etc., hasnot 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 couldnot 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 tomention about 1.2 million vehicles fromother provinces and cities participating

in traffic “Personal vehicles increase by4-5% but the speed of trafficinfrastructure development is 0.6%,always chasing and never catching up”said by Director of the Department ofTransportation Nguyen Phi Thuong.Investment is not synchronized, belt routes are not completed, bridges across the RedRiver are lacking Ha Noi plans 7 belt routes with a total length of 285 km, including 5

3

main belt routes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and 2 support belt routes (2.5 and 3.5) However, belt 5has 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 insite clearance Belt 3 has not yet been opened in the North and belt 2.5 has just beenbuilt 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 HungDao bridges… but currently all of the above bridges are not yet available deployed.Secondly, many construction projects encroach on the roadway Statistics show thatthere are 38 routes being narrowed, typically the Nhon – Hanoi station urban railwayproject, overpass at Thanh Nien – An Duong intersection on Au Co – Xuan Dieustreet, Yen Xa wastewater treatment factory, Kim Dong underground tunnel,… Inparticular, the construction items of Yen Xa wastewater plant project run along LeTrong Tan, Tran Phu, Nguyen Trai routes often cause congestion during rush hours.Another reason is main traffic routes and major bridges have traffic density exceedingthe 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 Sointersection 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 isnot good and does not comply with the law is one of the reasons cause the traffic jam

4

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

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 andpassengers Traffic congestion in big cities has increased travel time significantly.Commuting to and from work takes longer, leading to increased stress The trafficcongestion in the city has a significant impact, with people spending hours stuck intraffic, leading to stress, fatigue, and reduced quality of life Moreover, the accidentscaused by the traffic congestion lead to injuries and deaths The time wasted in trafficimpacts 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 peoplehad 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 offfrom 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 theroads around this area were clogged Rainy days make congestion worse Moreover,traffic waste fuel increases pollution and carbon dioxide emissions The trafficproblems in the city have a severe environmental impact, with the air qualitydeteriorating due to the emissions from vehicles Because congested spots alwaysgather a large volume of vehicles traveling for long periods of time, a large amount oftoxic waste is produced into the environment, especially NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide)emitted from vehicles cars and motorbikes, and SO2 from trucks and buses (bothtypes of vehicles use sulfur-containing diesel) According to statistics from the HanoiDepartment of Natural Resources and Environment, at two places where congestionoften occurs in the city, the Dai La overpass and Giai Phong street and the Hang Dauflower garden area, there are two types of emissions mentioned above are 60

5

micrograms/1m3 and 75 micrograms/1m3 respectively The above emissions arehigher 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 effectout of balance – too many greenhouse gasses absorbing the sun’s energy causes anover-warming of the planet Nitrogen dioxide interacts with water, oxygen, and otherchemicals in the atmosphere to form acid rain which harms sensitive ecosystems Themore harmful emissions vehicles produce, the higher environmental standing is andbrings unprecedented consequences.This amount of toxic emissions directly affects thehealth of traffic participants and people living in that area Traffic congestion causeseconomic 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 andmotorbikes using gasoline and oil are also one of the main causes of air pollution thatgreatly affects health quality people The air quality is getting worse, a layer of milkyfog and fine dust continuously covers the Capital It was bright, but traffic participantshad to turn on their lights to observe due to limited visibility Air pollution exposespeople to fine particles in polluted air These fine particles penetrate deep into thelungs and cardiovascular system, causing stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronicobstructive pulmonary disease, and respiratory infections

Finally, traffic problems are also hrinking Business Market Areas Congestion limitssthe 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 ofinfrastructure and efficient public transportation has made it difficult to develop thecity in a sustainable and organized manner The potential customer market area served

by a company may be limited by congestion Furthermore, traffic congestion posesserious challenges for urban planning and infrastructure development As cities growrapidly, road networks struggle to keep up with increasing demands This leads to

6