Restrictions on passenger cars necessary to ease Yerevan traffic congestion, says mayor

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan said the city’s approach to traffic congestion should prioritize public transport and bicycle lanes, while restrictions on passenger cars are also necessary as the number of vehicles in the capital continues to increase.

Speaking at a press briefing, Avinyan said the increase in dedicated public transport lanes and the introduction of restrictions on passenger cars stem from the public interest.

“I believe that every change we make should stem from the public interest. It is in the public interest for bus routes to increase in Yerevan, for buses to have dedicated lanes where large numbers of people can travel. In general, our overall policy, like the policy of all developing and developed cities, should move from passenger cars toward more public transport, bicycles and even scooters, with appropriate clear regulations.

I think this is a very important change that needs to take place, and we need to talk to people and explain the meaning of these changes, because with the increase in the number of cars in Yerevan and the increase in the number of passenger cars entering Yerevan from neighboring regions, the operation of our public transport is simply being disrupted,” Avinyan said.

The mayor noted that today the municipality does not have a problem with the number of buses. The problem is that at different times buses remain stuck in traffic for several reasons: they do not have dedicated bus lanes, while the number of passenger cars is continuously increasing.

Asked whether highways bypassing the capital are planned to ease traffic congestion, the mayor responded:

“Look, last year we made a decision with the Minister of Education to change school hours so that children would go to school at 8:15. Now classes start at 8:15 in the vast majority of schools in our city.

This is necessary for everyone. First of all, it is necessary for children, who should not have to wait during peak hours in different cars or on public transport to get to school.

And I think that such decisions have temporarily eased the situation in the city. I think that in September we did not have the frightening situation this year that we had last year, but nevertheless, this is not a fundamental solution to the issue. The fundamental solutions are dedicated bus lanes and a new policy in traffic management implemented based on calculations and facts.”

The mayor emphasized that city authorities are following almost the same path as all developing and developed cities.

He also noted that three major junctions are currently being built in the city:

“We are building the final section connecting the North-South highway in the Sheram area, the Isakov-Arshakunyats road junction, and the Noragavit overpass.

We are providing certain solutions in that area, but even if we add these projects, we need to understand that the trend of increasing passenger cars will not stop unless there are restrictions,” the Yerevan mayor said.

Referring to the renovation of Yerevan’s bridges, the mayor noted that, in general, last year the municipality began and this year completed the collection of comprehensive data on the technical condition of the bridges. The data was entered into a GIS system, which made it possible to assess the technical condition of the capital’s bridges.

“All problematic bridges should be repaired and renovated one by one. We will soon begin the renovation of the Lambada Bridge,” Avinyan concluded.