BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 20
Trend:
The work done in the city of Baku in recent years, the bridges and road junctions built probably have no equal, President Ilham Aliyev said while receiving the Chairman of the Board of Baku Transport Agency Vusal Karimli, Trend reports.
"However, along with this, the number of vehicles is increasing. This is evidence of the improved standard of living of our population. There are statistics: the number of vehicles annually imported into our country and currently produced in Azerbaijan is increasing. Our population is growing, and so is the population of the city of Baku. Therefore, our city transport should develop in accordance with this growth and be consistent with it. So from now on, the construction of the metro, new interchanges, the completion of the Baku ring railway and the efficient operation of buses – all these transport segments should work as a single mechanism. The main thing is to reduce the time people spend on the road," the head of state said.
However, perhaps a more important issue is the issue of safety, driver training, their medical examination and work schedule, President Ilham Aliyev noted.
"I recently said that no-one should work more than eight hours a day. If anyone forces people to work illegally, exploits them, they will be punished. Of course, I am sure that the drivers working at the Baku Transport Agency adhere to these criteria. Another important issue is people’s comfort. On modern buses, people feel very comfortable. In principle, buses should be operated in such a way that even people with personal vehicles would prefer traveling by public transport. I believe that we are approaching this goal. Of course, additional measures will be taken to update the bus fleet in the coming years," the head of state said.
"At the same time, I am glad that the new buses that are currently being imported into our country are very clean from an environmental point of view, because it is no secret that it is vehicles that pollute the atmosphere the most – not industrial enterprises or retail facilities, there are statistics of that – but transport vehicles. Therefore, great progress in this area will be achieved by the supply of Euro-5 gasoline to the market. It will be produced in Azerbaijan in two years. At the same time, it is necessary to deliver buses operating on compressed gas and electricity to our country and to create appropriate infrastructure for this. Additional steps must be taken in this direction. You also mentioned parking. We must have a fair approach here as well. There should be parking facilities so that we could require people to comply with these rules. Therefore, drivers sometimes flagrantly violate these rules. Leaving their cars in the wrong place where parking facilities are available, they create obstacles for pedestrians, as well as problems for transport. But there should be ample opportunities, i.e. parking places, so that we could require drivers to use them. There should be no violations of law here," the head of state said.
President Ilham Aliyev stressed that everyone is equal before law.
"Everyone should know that the city transport is about people’s comfort, our health and clean air. Let me say again that the atmosphere is polluted by vehicles most of all, especially if there are traffic jams. The absence of traffic jams should be your primary goal. You should continue to be active along with relevant government agencies," the head of state said.
President Ilham Aliyev noted that a lot remains to be done this year.
"I am sure that at the end of the year we will see more developed city transport. Let me say again that this is necessary for public health, safety and people’s comfort. I should also note that the buses purchased by the state are worth a large amount and, of course, will pay off in a commercial sense in 10 or 20 years perhaps. We are doing this for people to be able to use public transport, buses in safe and comfortable conditions," the head of state said.