By AZE.US
Baku residents are losing years of their lives in traffic because of poor road planning and mistakes made by officials, Tural Abbasli, chairman of Azerbaijan’s Agh (White) Party, said on Musavat TV.
According to Abbasli, time spent in daily traffic jams should be regarded not merely as an inconvenience but as a serious loss of people’s lives.
“Why should we waste hours on the roads? If we calculate it, we spend roughly two and a half years out of every ten on the road. That time could be devoted to our families, loved ones and ourselves,” he said.
Abbasli argued that drivers and passengers should not have to bear the consequences of poorly positioned traffic lights, ineffective road markings and other planning failures.
“Why should I suffer because an inexperienced or incompetent official placed a traffic light incorrectly?” he asked.
The party chairman also criticized Baku’s paid-parking policy. He claimed that spaces where residents previously parked free of charge have been marked as paid zones without providing adequate alternatives.
Abbasli said the authorities should focus on building modern multi-level and automated parking facilities instead of simply charging drivers for existing roadside spaces. Compact automated garages, he noted, could accommodate hundreds of vehicles on relatively small plots of land.
He also questioned the financial transparency of the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency, known as AYNA, which manages the capital’s paid-parking system.
“How much money is being collected, where does it go, and what is it spent on?” Abbasli asked, arguing that the public should receive clear reports on parking revenues and expenditures.
He added that strict restrictions on stopping and parking were also creating problems for businesses located along major roads. In some areas, motorists cannot briefly stop near stores, restaurants or construction-material outlets without risking a fine.
“If there is a shop, it has customers. How can a store selling construction materials operate without a place where customers can stop?” Abbasli said.
In his view, Baku needs an integrated transport policy that balances traffic flow, parking availability, business access and the everyday needs of residents.
AZE.US