Yerevan Mayor: Public transportation should predominate in Yerevan

ArmInfo. Public transportation should predominate in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Mayor Tigran Avinyan stated this at a government meeting on April 9, responding to  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's question about whether traffic  congestion could be resolved.

Avinyan assured that there is every reason to believe the problem  will be resolved. Legislative initiatives are already being drafted,  and they are expected to be adopted at the next government meeting.   Specifically, it is planned to transfer parking control rights to  private individuals.

In general, Avinyan noted, traffic congestion occurs for two reasons.  The first is clearly related to the number of cars. Every year,  12,000 vehicles are registered in the capital alone and used on  public transportation, not counting the approximately equal number of  vehicles that enter Yerevan from surrounding areas every day. The  second problem concerns driving practices. Drivers who run a red  light often stop in the middle of the road, creating traffic jams and  hazards.

The mayor nevertheless emphasized that public transportation should  prevail, with dedicated lanes and the most convenient means of  transportation. He noted that the delivery of 45 trolleybuses for the  city's needs is slightly delayed due to the developments in Iran, but  all of these vehicles will be in Yerevan by mid-May.  In this regard,  RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan urged everyone to keep in mind the  program to build new metro stations, which is the largest in the  country. Not a single new metro station has been built in Yerevan in  the past 30 years. The prime minister expressed confidence that this  program will be implemented.