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Tengrinews.kz – With the start of the new school year, chaos has returned to the roads of Almaty and Astana.
While traffic was relatively light during the summer, residents of the major cities are now once again facing a familiar issue — kilometer-long traffic jams.
Astana/Photo: Tengrinews.kz / Marzhan Kuandykova
According to drivers, routes that took about 30 minutes in August now take an hour or more in September.
Astana/Photo: Tengrinews.kz / Marzhan Kuandykova
Traffic has noticeably increased on central streets, and every morning, entry points into the cities turn into bottlenecks.
Almaty, Suyunbay str. / Photo: Tengri Auto
In Almaty, most congestion is concentrated at the entrances to the city center, as shown in recent photos.
The situation is especially difficult for drivers whose routes pass through densely populated residential areas and districts with schools and universities.
Astana/Photo: Tengrinews.kz / Marzhan Kuandykova
Why are the traffic jams worsening?
The main reason is the start of the academic year. Thousands of parents are driving children to schools and kindergartens, on top of the usual flow of students and office workers.
Almaty, Nazarbayev Avenue/Photo: Tengri Auto
As a result, even familiar routes now require more patience and time.
Astana/Photo: Tengrinews.kz / Marzhan Kuandykova
September is traditionally considered the most stressful month for traffic. While many hope that flexible work schedules and improvements in public transportation will bring some relief, for now, drivers are having to adjust to the new pace of urban traffic.
Almaty, junction of Nazarbayev Avenue/Rayymbek Avenue/Photo: Tengri Auto
The number of cars in Kazakhstan is hitting critical levels
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, as of August 1, 2025, there were 6,629,000 registered vehicles in the country. In July alone, Kazakhstan’s vehicle fleet grew by 169,900 units, of which 153,500 were passenger cars — making up 86.7% of the total.
Astana/Photo: Tengrinews.kz / Marzhan Kuandykova
Why is this number considered critical?
Almaty
Almaty surpassed 1 million vehicles per day on its roads last year. About 600,000 are registered in the city itself, while another 400,000 come in daily from the surrounding region.
Almaty, Raiymbek Avenue/Photo: Tengri Auto
To address this, transport experts proposed expanding paid parking zones and limiting movement within the city to reduce road congestion and improve air quality.
Although discussions on the project have concluded, the topic remains relevant.
Earlier, transport expert Aleksey Alekseyev stated that the authorities are tackling the problem from the wrong angle. He believes that the main sources of air pollution lie elsewhere, and that introducing paid entry will likely serve as a way to boost the budget rather than improve the environment.
Almaty, Raiymbek Avenue/Photo: Tengri Auto
Residents of Almaty and daily commuters from the region offered mixed opinions on the city government's proposals in previous surveys.
Astana
The capital faces similar problems. In March this year, Deputy Akim Ersin Otebayev revealed that due to road congestion, the authorities are even considering changing the working hours of central government bodies, including ministries.
Astana/Photo: Tengrinews.kz / Marzhan Kuandykova
This move, he said, would help ease the burden on the city’s transportation system by distributing commuter traffic more evenly throughout the day.
