STUCK: INCREASED TRAFFIC, DECREASED ROUTES MAKE FOR COMMUTING NIGHTMARE IN CAPITAL
- From morning to evening, inner city Yerevan has becme an ongoing traffic jam. Traveling has become an adventure that is always frustrating and often a legitimate reason for the Armenian habit of being late. To get from the center of the city to another disctrict requries waiting, often for hours, to catch minibuses that battle the labryinth of construction sites that is now Yerevan.
Karine Andreasyan, 25 has to get to Khanjyan Street from the suburban Avan community every day to her workplace.
“Getting to work and back home has turned into a real nighmare for me. First of all, morning is the time when students go to universities and the minibushes are packed, so one can’t get into them,” says Karine. “Plus, the minibuses have changed their routes because of the construction. You may be waiting for a transport for hours and none passes by the bus stop. Then you find yourself in a traffic and get to the work at 12 instead of 10.”
For the last several months 7 underground and overground passes and several major streets are being repaired at the same time. As a result narrow streets provided for small flow of vehicles come to repalce a number of the temporarily closed central ones.
And while the mayor of Yerevan Yervand Zakharyan insists the construction works of such scale were unavoidable, enviromentalists, drivers and ordinary citizens complain about bad planning and unavoidable commuting troubles.
To avoid the overloaded routes, those who hurry for work try to use taxi services. But recently, taxis have beome picky about where they’re willing to travel. Simply: The aggravation is not worth the fare.
“Taxis are not a solution today either. They don’t send cars when they learn you are going to travel those streets,” says commuter Hayk Tonoyan, 54. “They say they have no free cars or make you wait for it for up to an hour.”
Gurgen Musheghyan, director of the ‘Yerevannakhagits’ [‘Yerevanproject’] Institute mentions the aim of this construction is to create alternative routes and unload the streets overloaded with vehicles.
When creating the development project for Yerevan, Alexander Tamanyan, (the architect who designed Yerevan in early 20th century) had foreseen it for just 300,000 residents. But today Yerevan has about a million. And the condition only worsens, due to the number of additional vehicles and the number of blocked routes. In 2006, the number of cars in Yerevan increased by 18,000. This year the number of additional cars grew by 22,000. Several road police officials failed to provide ArmeniaNow with exact information regarding the total number of cars in Yerevan, however an approximate picture can be drawn from the data of the Achilles Center for the Protection of Drivers’ Rights NGO. Eduard Hovhannisyan, the chairman of the NGO, told ArmeniaNow that in 2000 there were approximately 160,000—170,000 cars in Yerevan, while in 2007 it is estimated at 250,000.
As for today an overpass is built at the crossroad of Kievyan-Baghramyan that, the municipality says, will be ready for use this week. The latter, of course, gives way to concerns of the residents of the neighboring buildings as the height of the overpass equals the windows of the apaprtments at the 2nd and 3rd floors. However, urban planners insist the overpass was the only possible solution to make the traffic easier in the crossroad.
Construction works are underway also in the three streets in Kentron community. A new road is also being built connecting the neighborhood of Ayrarat Cinema and the Davitashen Bridge.
“This will make the traffic of the loaded streets easier, will regulate the traffic in the city,” Zakharyan mentions.
Hakob Sanasaryan, chairman of the Union of Greens of Armenia, says recalling the past winters, one should conclude the traffic will be worse this year, when the damaged streets freeze up.
Yura Manucharyan, 60 is a driver with more than 10 years of experience as taxi driver first, then as a minibus driver (his route passes through almost all streets under construction). He says: “I am fed up with these roads. I would quit the job if I could.”
“How long can this go?! It’s already several months we are stuck in jams. We get totally exhausted before we get from one part of the city to the other,” Yura complains. “How could they dig up the whole city at once to force people to sit in the jam? Drivers get so nervous they get heart attacks. On the other side the passengers complain, quarrel, you don’t drive their prefered way. But how can one do that, when you sit in a jam if you do.”
Vachik, a 45-year-old driver, tells how he once appeared in a traffic jam and made his passenger, who was taking medicines to a patient, late. He says that was not a single case, because even ambulances get stuck traffic jams, when every signle second is decisive.
But the head of the First Aid Service Artyom Petrosyan says patients do not suffer from the jams. “Our cars have a special status and even the closed streets are opened for us,” asserts Petrosyan despite the evidence by the witnesses.
Sona Ayvazyan, executive director of the Transparency International Armenian office says if the construction was well planned it wouldn’t paralize the traffic:
“The simultaneous digging of the streets and pavement borders and paralizing the traffic in the city are just far from reason,” says Ayvazyan. “Everything could be done planned and in turn to avoid this kind of inconvenience that has turned into a nighmare.”
HYE SANTA 2008: A FAMILY, A FOUNDATION, AND WAITING FOR SPRING
In the rays of a sunset the village huddling on top of a hill looks like a gilded crown. Autumn in the village of Geghard in Armenia’s Kotayk province is at its height. The warm autumn sun caresses the ...HYESANTA 2008: HOPE HELD IN A HEART WITHOUT CRACKED WALLS
As a child Anahit dreamed for days for visitors to come to the orphanage. Anahit’s parents died when she was two years old and she had no other relatives. But she was not expecting a visitor to adopt ...HYE SANTA 2008: LIVING WITH ADDED DISASTER IN EARTHQUAKE LAND
Hakob Papoyan’s family has seen more tragedy than most in Spitak. And that is considerable, as most families here still are impacted by the 1988 earthquake. Hakob, 35, has seen two tragedies, the latest ...HYESANTA 2008: ISOLATED ON THE BORDER
There is a tray full of apples, pears and quince, a saucer full of nuts. They treat a guest from Yerevan to coffee, though it is four days that the 13 members of this family had no bread. “I have eleven ...HYESANTA 2008: JUST A JOB AND SOME HOPE . . .
Two years ago the Asatryans – a family of four – moved to Metsamor from the village of Lernagog. Yeghsik Hakobyan, 30 and her three children aged 13, 12 and 9, rented an apartment in a building where ...HYESANTA 2008: MISERY IN MARTAKERT
“My children want warm clothes and want to eat their fill, and I want health. Well, health is eating full and being warm, you know.” This is the only thing Manushak Balayan, 36, a resident of Martakert, ...HYESANTA 2008: IN CAPTIVITY IN SHUSHI
Lusine Musayelyan
“Beating, hunger, mockery while in captivity; beggary, poverty after it – this is how I imagine Shushi,” says heartbroken 53-year-old Eleonora who has lived in Shushi with her son since 1994. Eleonora ...HYESANTA 2008: A BAD DECISION, AND A LIFETIME TO RECOVER OR REGRET
Garik Mikayelyan, 21, has no hands. Five months ago he tried to kill himself because he was being tortured by his commander in the Republic of Armenia Army and could no longer endure the beatings and ...WELCOME 2008: SHOPPING, COOKING AND COUNTING DRAMS
A few days before the New Year holiday, talk here centers around the growing cost of the annual celebration. Some complain that, due to increased cost of living, the holiday feast (stretching from January ...DEFENSE: MILITARY DOCTRINE DEFINES PERCEIVED THREATS
Armenia’s Military Doctrine was signed by President Robert Kocharyan on Wednesday. Its submission, according to some experts, took place against the background of the most radical ever statements of official ...2007 REVIEW: FOREIGN POLICY AND THE PURSUIT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
In the sphere of foreign policy affairs and prospects for the settlement of the Karabakh problem, 2007 was a chronicle of alternating events, some of which had not been forecast at all. In particular, ...NANI’S LIFE: SISIAN’S OLDEST CELEBRATES NEW YEAR AND A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY
Armine Avagyan
On January 1 when many in the world celebrate the New Year, Sisian resident Vardush Ohanyan also celebrates her birthday. Tuesday will be her 101st.
The hair of Sisian’s oldest woman, despite her age, ...2007 REVIEW: INSTANCES OF ABUSE CONTINUE
Freedom of SpeechSeptember 1st broadcasting of Radio Liberty was suspended on Public Radio of Armenia as the Public Television and Radio Company refused to prolong the contract with the station. Before ...2007 REVIEW: EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM SAW MAJOR REFORM
The last year was a real trial for the educational sphere undergoing constant reforms since independence. In 2007, the system shifted from a 10 year education to 12 years and for the first time ever introduced ...2007 REVIEW: HOSPITALS BENEFIT FROM RENOVATION PROGRAM
In early December when old equipment was being removed from two buildings of a hospital in Ijevan to another building, it was not clear for many what was happening in the medical establishment where things ...STUCK: INCREASED TRAFFIC, DECREASED ROUTES MAKE FOR COMMUTING NIGHTMARE IN CAPITAL
From morning to evening, inner city Yerevan has becme an ongoing traffic jam. Traveling has become an adventure that is always frustrating and often a legitimate reason for the Armenian habit of being ...HISTORY CAPTURED: GENEALOGY SERVICE RECORDS DYNASTIES
Armen Afrikyan, a historian-lawyer by training, explains what importance a family tree has for Armenians and shows the family tree of the well-known dynasty of the Afrikyans authored by himself. “It is ...CHARGED WATER: RESIDENTS IN VANADZOR PROTEST AGAINST THE OLD DEBTS
Naira Bulghadaryan
A 72 year old resident of Vanadzor is intending to sue the regional water company which demands from the resident to pay the old debt for the water expenses. Rafik Malkhasyan got a reminder notification ...WINTER RITUAL: THE KHASH SEASON IS AT ITS HEIGHT IN ARMENIA
Ani Hakobyan
When cold days come many people in Armenia, mostly men, would say: “It is time for khash.” Together with their families, friends, relatives and colleagues Armenians arrange visits to taverns and restaurants ...SPORTS YEAR-ENDER: ARMENIAN ATHLETES PUT UP NO-NONSENSE STRUGGLE THROUGHOUT 2007
The ending pre-Olympic year is certain to go down in history as a year of big ups and downs in Armenia’s sports as unlikely victories achieved by Armenian athletes alternated with no less dramatic surprise ...
SPORT: KING ARTHUR BRACES UP FOR ‘EL DIAMANTE’ CHALLENGE
Suren MusayelyanNEW ELECTION LAWS MAY ENCOURAGE ELECTION FRAUD, NOT LIMIT IT
Sara Khojoyan
HYESANTA 2008: A BAD DECISION, AND A LIFETIME TO RECOVER OR REGRET
HYESANTA 2008: ISOLATED ON THE BORDER
SPORTS YEAR-ENDER: ARMENIAN ATHLETES PUT UP NO-NONSENSE STRUGGLE THROUGHOUT 2007
NANI’S LIFE: SISIAN’S OLDEST CELEBRATES NEW YEAR AND A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY
Armine AvagyanWELCOME 2008: SHOPPING, COOKING AND COUNTING DRAMS
HYE SANTA 2008: LIVING WITH ADDED DISASTER IN EARTHQUAKE LAND
HYESANTA 2008: JUST A JOB AND SOME HOPE . . .
DEFENSE: MILITARY DOCTRINE DEFINES PERCEIVED THREATS
HYESANTA 2008: HOPE HELD IN A HEART WITHOUT CRACKED WALLS
HISTORY CAPTURED: GENEALOGY SERVICE RECORDS DYNASTIES
- 1600 The meeting of secular and ecclesiastic leaders from Dizak and Varanda provinces of Artsakh starts in Khor Virab Monastery.
- 1863 Anton Jevahirian publishes the "Ser" periodical in Constantinople.
- 1891 Birth of Levon Kalantar, theatrical figure and film director, in Tbilisi (Georgia). In 1921 he founded the Shahoomyan Exploratory Theater in Tbilisi.
- 1928 Birth (in Damascus, Syria) of the French-Armenian writer Vaheh Kachan (Khachatryan).
- 1947 Death of the eminent scholar Stepan Lisitsian. He was born in 1865.
- 1966 Birth of writer, prominent member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, and statesman Aveteess Aharonyan in Igdeer-Mva (Surmalu region).
- 1975 National Artist and Illusionist, Harootyoon Hakobyan wins the First Prize at an International Competition in Germany.
ARMENIAN NEWS
INTERACTIVE NEWS
INFORMATION
MY ARMTOWN
How to quit smoking?
How to write in Armenian on Windows XP?
All materials published on this website are taken from open sources and are copyrighted by their respective owners. You cannot reproduce or copy any materials published on armtown.com without written consent of original copyright holder. If you want to remove any material, please send us an email with proof of ownership/copyright and your material will be removed immediately. All materials published for information purposes only.