AZE.US
Drivers in Baku are complaining about mass fines outside Sabunchu Hospital, where traffic cameras are reportedly recording cars that stop briefly to drop off or pick up passengers.
According to local media reports cited by Vesti Baku, the problem concerns the area in front of the Sabunchu medical facility. Drivers say many motorists are being fined there daily, including those who stop only for a few minutes near the hospital entrance.
The reported fine is 20 manats for stopping in the first lane and 80 manats, along with 2 penalty points, for stopping in the second lane.
Drivers say the heavier penalty is common because there is often no convenient place to pull over safely near the hospital.
The location makes the issue more sensitive. Hospitals are not ordinary roadside stops: patients, elderly people and relatives often need to get out close to the entrance. For many drivers, a short stop there is not a matter of convenience but a practical necessity.
Baku traffic police say the rules are clear. A no-stopping and no-parking sign has been installed on the road, and vehicles are not allowed to stop in the second or subsequent lanes. Police official Togrul Nasirli said the restriction is intended to prevent congestion, especially during busy daytime hours.
According to police, before the sign was installed, drivers stopped chaotically near the hospital, blocking traffic and creating delays.
Still, the dispute points to a familiar urban problem in Baku: enforcement may be legally justified, but hospitals also need a safe and clearly marked drop-off area. Without that, every brief stop outside a medical facility risks becoming another fine rather than a solution to traffic disorder.
AZE.US