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Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstan’s government is looking at ways to ease traffic congestion in Astana, but road expansion is not part of the plan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin stated.
On March 5, Mazhilis deputies reviewed a draft law on the development of the capital and cities of national significance. During the discussion, Deputy Zhiguli Dairabayev raised concerns about Astana’s growing population and its impact on traffic.
"Traffic congestion in the city has significantly worsened. Construction is actively underway on both the right and left banks. Is there a solution to this problem?" Dairabayev asked.
In response, Zhumangarin ruled out road expansion as a solution to the issue.
"There is a concept regarding roads. The wider the road, the more cars there will be. Developed countries have experience with this—they don’t expand roads but rather limit vehicle influx. There is also the KISS principle: if there are no parking spaces, what do drivers do? They switch to public transport. Of course, this is a separate issue that requires changes to other laws. But overall, our strategy focuses on developing public transportation rather than expanding roads," the deputy prime minister explained.
Previously, at an expanded government meeting, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered authorities to urgently address Astana’s traffic congestion problem.
