Mayor says no plans to restrict vehicles entering Yerevan from regions

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan says restricting vehicles from entering the capital from Armenia’s regions as part of efforts to address the growing traffic problem is not on the city administration’s agenda.

Avinyan made the remarks during a press briefing with journalists, emphasizing that the capital faces problems related to heavy traffic and ensuring the regular operation of public transport.

“There is no issue of restricting residents of the regions from entering Yerevan on our agenda. The uproar surrounding this issue is the result of misleading headlines. Yerevan faces problems related to heavy traffic and the regular operation of public transport. In this situation, there is no other solution than to give priority to public transport by expanding bus lanes. At the same time, the movement of passenger cars through various parts of the capital must be restricted. First and foremost, it is very important for public transport in Yerevan to begin operating regularly. People should know that buses will arrive at stops according to the posted schedule,” Mayor Avinyan said.

The mayor also addressed the issue of overcrowding on the metro during the early morning hours and at the end of the working day, noting that they regularly increase the number of train cars.

Avinyan added that Yerevan Municipality has received final approval from the Government for the implementation of the metro modernization program.

Yerevan Deputy Mayor Suren Grigoryan earlier told Factor TV in an interview that one of the city administration’s strategic goals is to create conditions allowing people arriving in Yerevan from the regions to leave their cars in parking lots built near the entrances to the city and use public transport to get around the capital. The statement triggered a wave of criticism and prompted claims that Yerevan Municipality was planning to ban vehicles from entering the capital from the regions. Suren Grigoryan later denied these claims, stressing that he had not spoken about restricting any vehicles from entering Yerevan, but rather about a strategy aimed at creating conditions in which citizens would voluntarily prefer to leave their cars near the city entrances and use public transport because it would be more convenient.