Vietnamese scoff at bike-ban plan as motorcycles engulf capital

Motorcycles are seen on a street in Hanoi, Vietnam June 30, 2016. Picture taken June 30, 2016. REUTERS/Kham

HANOI (Reuters) - World famous for its endless swarms of motorcycles, Vietnam is considering banning bikes in the capital over fears its leafy streets will become overrun as the population swells and its middle class buys up cars in record numbers.

Hanoi is forecast to have seven million motorcycles on its roads in the next two years - almost the same as its current population - leaving city bigwigs with a crisis on their hands as cars, buses and bikes jostle and petrified pedestrians run the gauntlet crossing streets.