City Hall and the transport issues in Tbilisi
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Thursday, April 11
The annual governmental session was held in the city hall of the Tbilisi Municipality on April 10, 2019. The major theme discussed was the transportation problem in Tbilisi, so obvious and at times so annoying for its inhabitants. The mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze addressed the issue of Tbilisi metro trains breaking down and presented the statistics of metro damages and evacuation. As stated by him, in 2017 the metro was damaged 327 times and people were evacuated 95 times, in 2018 the numbers dropped to 305 damages and 92 evacuations. This year, so far the damages have been detected 100 times and the need for evacuation has arisen 26 times. He also stressed out the fact, that in the last three years the number of people who travel by metro daily has risen by 97 000.
Opened on 11 January 1966, Tbilisi metro was the fourth metro system in the former Soviet Union. Like other ex-Soviet metros, most of the stations are very deep and vividly decorated. Today the Tbilisi Metro comprises two lines, 27.3 kilometers in total length, serving 23 stations.
Kaladze spoke about the problems that Tbilisi’s subway and, generally, the transport system is facing today and explained that by lack of money directed towards public transport improvement. The mayor announced that in the years 2018-19 there will be 100 million Gels spent on Tbilisi’s metro wagons and metro stations for rehabilitating, improving alarm, ventilation, and electro-wiring systems. As reported, the tender with a price range of 20 million Gels for modernizing the wagons has already been announced. After renewal, four new sets of wagons will be added to Tbilisi metro, which will ensure reducing waiting time during rush hours from 3 minutes to less.
Today at the session another tender (worth four million Gels) was announced for setting up hundreds of “smart” security cameras at bus lines and bikeways, in order to ensure public transport development and secure cycling on bikeways. The need has arisen due to a big number of violations of rules concerning bus lines and bikeways. The mayor, Kaladze also made a promise of making bus lines, bikeways and sidewalks for pedestrians, where it will be possible. As stated by him, the issues with transportation such as traffic jams will be gradually regulated.
During the governmental session, it was also mentioned, that after successfully completing the re-training course in the “Tbilisi Transport Company” 6 women were hired on the position of the municipality transport driver. A couple of years ago it would be impossible to find women in that type of service field. However, nowadays, a total of 21 women have completed the above mentioned program, which is organized by egis of “Transport Company” and European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the ladies will drive the new municipality busses, part of which have already arrived.
All in all, the mayor expressed his discontent with the existing situation and promised, that his city government will be the one that will solve the issue of public transport.
