The statement by the Mayor of Tbilisi regarding the fight against traffic congestion has encouraged the municipal authorities of Yerevan; however, this enthusiasm is—to put it mildly—unfounded.
The announcement by the Mayor of Tbilisi regarding the introduction of paid entry to certain districts—as a measure to combat traffic congestion—has sparked enthusiasm among the municipal authorities in Yerevan. However, this enthusiasm is, to put it mildly, unfounded, writes political commentator Hakob Badalyan.
"Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has indicated that, as part of efforts to tackle traffic congestion, they are likely to implement a system where entry into certain districts will be subject to a fee.
This has generated enthusiasm among the municipal authorities—and representatives of the government in general—in Yerevan. Yet, this enthusiasm is, to put it mildly, misplaced and unfounded, for several reasons." First, unlike the current mayor of Yerevan, Kakha Kaladze has been elected mayor of Tbilisi three times—not by receiving around 9–10% of the vote (as the current mayor of Yerevan did), but by securing over 50%, and in the most recent election, 71%. To reiterate, in Georgia, the mayor is elected through a direct vote.
Second, there are approximately 850,000 officially registered vehicles in Tbilisi, compared to about 400,000 in Yerevan. In other words, there are twice as many vehicles in Tbilisi. At the same time, Tbilisi also possesses a correspondingly larger amount of newly constructed infrastructure. Furthermore, the volume of transit traffic passing through Tbilisi is incomparably greater. "When work of such magnitude is carried out, yet still proves insufficient, the question of introducing tolls for certain sections of the road network—in a sense—becomes a subject for discussion.
In the case of Yerevan, one must first reach that 'stage'—through effective urban management—before such issues can even be considered. For now, Yerevan is in a phase of urban degradation," he wrote.
