To address traffic congestion in Yerevan, the city plans to introduce restrictions on private passenger vehicles while simultaneously expanding the network of dedicated public transport lanes. Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan announced the new traffic management policy while presenting the capital’s transportation strategy.

He made the remarks during a joint session of the National Assembly’s standing committees discussing the annual report on the implementation of the 2025 state budget, Armenpress reported.

“The Yerevan Municipality has established a special institution—a traffic management center—to address congestion issues, staffed with the necessary professional personnel,” Avinyan said.

The mayor noted that a pilot project is currently underway to study and measure traffic flows entering the capital.

“Based on all these calculations, we will receive a roadmap of changes during this year, outlining what needs to happen,” he stated.

According to Avinyan, the main cause of congestion in the capital is the economic growth recorded in recent years, which has led to a significant increase in the number of private vehicles.

“The first and primary reason is economic growth, and this economic growth has resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of passenger cars,” the mayor said.

In his view, even continued improvements to public transportation will not be enough to solve the problem unless restrictions are imposed on private vehicle use.

“Public transportation cannot operate according to its schedule if we do not have restrictions on passenger vehicles,” Avinyan emphasized.

The mayor said Yerevan intends to implement solutions that have already been tested and proven effective in a number of European cities.

“Certain restrictions on passenger vehicles must definitely be introduced and replaced with dedicated public transport corridors,” he said.

According to Avinyan, the ongoing studies will determine the locations of parking facilities, mechanisms for managing traffic flows, and the specific restrictions that will apply to private vehicles.

He added that preliminary results are expected in September–October 2026, while the practical implementation phase is scheduled to begin in 2027.

Addressing the state of air quality in the capital, Avinyan stated that extensive and in-depth studies have been conducted and that, at present, air quality in Yerevan is good, according to Radar Armenia.

“The situation was the same in the spring—actually even better,” he said.

According to Avinyan, air quality problems mainly begin in November, when climatic conditions cause the atmospheric layer to descend from 200 meters to 80 meters, resulting in pollutants accumulating and concentrating within that limited layer.

“We have no influence over this climatic phenomenon. However, we do have tools to mitigate its effects,” the mayor said.