Tackling gridlock and dust: Urban Development Committee unveils new  capital strategy

ArmInfo. The Urban Development Committee of Armenia has put forward  a series of radical proposals aimed at solving Yerevan's  dual crises of traffic  congestion and air pollution, as stated by Yeghiazar Vardanyan,  Chairman of the Urban Development Committee, during a year-end press  conference on January 26, in response to a question from ArmInfo.

Recall, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced at a government  meeting on November 27 that two working groups would be created in  Armenia to address air pollution and traffic congestion in Yerevan.   One is dedicated to air quality management, while the other-the  Interdepartmental Committee for Traffic Regulation-focuses on  decongesting the capital's streets. The interdepartmental committee  for traffic regulation and congestion management was established on  December 10. 

According to Vardanyan, 20 distinct proposals have been submitted to  the interdepartmental committee and are currently in the development  stage. He recalled that, to mitigate the environmental impact of the  ongoing building boom, the committee has updated "Construction  Production Organization" standards.  Developers are now required to  implement active dust suppression and air filtration systems,  including:  dust catchers and suppressers,  water mist generators,  and low-emission machinery.

To combat the paralyzing traffic jams in the city center, the  Committee has proposed the implementation of park-and-ride system, so  that residents of the Armenian capital can leave their personal cars  in these parking lots and transfer to the metro (public transport).