Thus, soon the fines of the speedometers and fees for the red lines “will not go to the private’s pocket” anymore, as our fellow citizens like to complain about. The delinquent drivers usually put forward the argument that “we are ready to pay, but we should know that it goes to the state budget”. I do not know whether this will console the complainers but it seems to me that the problem is deeper. And since my and the Armenian driving public’s viewpoint is diametrically different in the question of the speedometers, let me bring an example of the red lines.
Continuing the statement expressed during yesterday’s meeting at the President’s office, we can say that the red lines also should not be means for making money. The goal should be the unloading the city center, the avoidance of the traffic jams.
Up till now “Parking City” was going by a quite understandable for any businessman logic – to find where the goods is much consumed and sell in bulk. That is to say, if, suppose there is a demand for parking in Pushkin street, then let’s draw red lines on both sides in order to make profit out of it. Thus, the city center of the capital is not being uploaded but getting blocked, there is left only line for driving. But perhaps parking in Pushkin street should be forbidden entirely.
In short, the “ideology” of red lines should be changed. The businessman cannot do that; his/her goals are different, it is the state that should do that, in this case the city municipality. The latter’s responsibility is not only the uploading of the city center but also thinking of how to organize the parking for the best convenience of the citizens. In the abovementioned meeting the Head of the CESJA (Compulsory Enforcement Service of Judicial Acts) spoke about the installation of an appropriate application in sms and smart phones. Let me inform our officials that there are thousands of citizens in Armenia, who never received and sent sms, and approximately half of the population of Armenia does not know what it means to install, and if knows they would not like to do that. Let alone that, if put it mildly not all the citizens of Armenian have smart phones. Thus, the city municipality should think about easier ways for paying the parking fees.
Of course, the city municipality or the police also can go by the business logic and try to earn money instead of arranging the traffic by red lines or speedometers, It is possible to fight against it only by public control. It would be ideal that those state bodies give reports to the citizens on what useful and comprehensible to the public activities they spend the money accumulated from the fees paid for the red lines and fines.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
