VIDEO. The Sidewalk Returns to Pedestrians: A Special Barrier Installation Program Launched in Yerevan

A program for the installation of special barriers has started in the capital aimed at returning sidewalk space to pedestrians and eliminating car parking on sidewalks. This has been reported by the Yerevan municipality.

“The sidewalks are often fully occupied by vehicles, making it difficult for people to move, and those with mobility issues, such as our citizens with disabilities or mothers moving children in strollers, face significant challenges, often having to step into busy street areas,” said Yerevan city council member Levon Zakaryan.

The city’s annual program includes all administrative districts. In 2021, a total of 610 metal barriers will be installed throughout the capital. “The administrative districts and the Road Police provide us with a list, and based on that, we see where we can carry out work. We have already installed 60 in the center, 30 are planned in Shengavit, and we will implement the program in all necessary areas,” said Grigor Harutyunyan, head of the construction and landscaping department of the Yerevan municipality.

One of the problematic areas was the vicinity of the Gabriel Sundukyan National Academic Theater, but the sidewalk is now fully dedicated to pedestrians. “I understand drivers, of course, because often there is simply no parking space. However, I do not agree with the notion that the lack of space can justify parking on sidewalks,” noted Levon Zakaryan.

The Road Police has administrative mechanisms to prohibit vehicles from parking on sidewalks. The Law on Administrative Offenses provides for penalties in this regard. “Fines of 5,000 drams are imposed if a driver stops on a sidewalk, and if a vehicle is parked on the sidewalk, the fine reaches 20,000 drams,” said Aghasi Khachatryan, a senior inspector of the first battalion of the RA Road Police.

In 2020, 702 reports were filed for stopping and parking on sidewalks, while 138 were reported from January 1 until May 1, 2021. “The enforcement officers patrol the city, and wherever a driver is found, they are fined. If drivers are not found, vehicles are towed to a secured area,” noted Aghasi Khachatryan.

Of course, the installed barriers will help resolve the issue in those areas. Nonetheless, the Road Police should strengthen oversight, but to provide a comprehensive solution, each citizen must recognize the damage their actions cause to the city and their fellow citizens.