29.04.2022

On April 29, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with a presentation of plans for the development of the transport system of Samarkand.

In the Development Strategy of Uzbekistan, the goal is to turn Samarkand into a city with a million-plus population. To this end, this year the area of the city shall be expanded to 28 thousand hectares of land. In the next five years, the new houses designed to accommodate 300 thousand people shall be built on the Karasuv Residential Area, in the Shirin Makhalla (the local residential community area) and on the territory behind the station. It is also expected that the number of tourists will reach 5 million people.

All this requires a revision of the transport system, road network and infrastructure of the city.

Currently, 925 thousand people move daily along the roads of Samarkand, taking into account the permanent resident population and visitors from other districts. Most of them 592 thousand drive their own cars. More than 330 thousand people use public transport.

This imbalance is explained by the lack of convenient and stable public transport. The carriers do not serve the population throughout the day, but at the most «profitable» time of the day. Over the past two years, 38 routes have been shut down due to unprofitability. The is a lack of 300 buses.

In this regard, earlier the President gave instructions on the development of public transport in Samarkand. The presentation considered proposals developed with the participation of foreign experts.

They provide for the division of the public transport system into trunk, supply and internal lines. In addition to the existing routes, 40 new ones will be opened, including five express routes that will connect the airport, the railway station and the historical center of the city. It is planned to put the large-capacity buses on the line with the allocation of a separate lane for them on the central streets. The number of stops shall be increased. A transport department will be created as part of the city khokimiyat (city municipality). From July 1, the urban public transport will be subsidized from the budget of the Samarkand Region.

The President has paid a special attention to the introduction of advanced technologies and digitalization of traffic management.

«The life has accelerated, the people’s mobility has increased. However, public transport remains the same. The problem of traffic jams cannot be solved by expanding roads. A public transport should be given priority. Look at the world experience. It is necessary to increase the capacity of streets through digitalization, online traffic management. In the future, we will do this in all our cities. In this, Samarkand should serve as a model», the President has said.

The President has instructed to finalize the project, organize the routes correctly. It was noted that the project should be implemented in stages, starting with streets poorly provided with public transport.

«The people should feel comfortable. If public transport is affordable, high quality and fast, the passengers will prefer it. And for this, it is necessary to properly organize the infrastructure and routes», the President has said.

It is proposed to launch an electric train connecting the Pastdargom and Bulungur districts with Samarkand.

The report on the plans to improve the road transport infrastructure was also made. One hundred and sixty kilometers of roads shall be repaired in Samarkand this year. The construction of 5 overpasses shall start. One hundred and two new stops will be organized. The existing ones will be put in order.

Along with the construction and repair of roads, the President stressed the need for their high-quality maintenance.

«We have built many roads, but insufficient attention is paid to their operation. There is no road balance, no operational life analysis. The money is spent in an inappropriate way. Sometimes a road is built where it already exists. Therefore, the Traffic Safety Service should tell where to build and where to repair the road. Since, the traffic congestion and safety depend on it», Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said.

As a matter of fact, in accordance with the Decree of the President of April 4 this year «On the measures to ensure reliable human safety and a sharp decline in mortality on highways», ф special operational and installation units of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and regional khokimiyats were transferred to the traffic safety departments of territorial interior bodies.

During the presentation, the work carried out by a special operational and installation unit of the Samarkand Region was considered. It was noted that a digital traffic control system shall be implemented at 49 intersections of Samarkand, modern traffic lights will be installed at 140 intersections, modern road signs will be installed on central streets. As a result, a waiting time at traffic lights will be reduced by 31%, driving time - by 36% and driving speed will increase by 17%.

The importance of teaching, advanced training and broadening the outlook of employees of road construction organizations and Traffic Safety Service employees, recruitment on a competitive basis was underscored.