Assault of Iron Barriers on Pedestrians, Local Business

Lately many different districts of Tbilisi have become a witness of new iron barriers that have emerged from somewhere else in the streets of Tbilisi as mushrooms used to do in the rain. All modern authorities in central urban zones of cities as well big as small ones try to encourage the pedestrians and cyclists.

According to the current leaders of Tbilisi city they do wish Tbilisi to become a green one, though it will never become as they do wish it to, as those kinds of iron barriers having erected on the pavements /sidewalks/, the streets are full of cars and the infrastructure is inconveniently developed for the pedestrians and cyclists.

If you do wish your city to be vivid, dynamic and attractive to live in, various facilities should be compactly placed in it; for drivers and generally for everyone, the main condition is easily accessibility.

On May 16, on the Vake Park square, at the beginning of the Tamarashvili Street, I was walking along the pavement /sidewalk/ towards the bus stop; I came across the iron barriers inserted into the squares- that made me vastly surprised, though a local population made me far happy and told me – Tamarashvili Street is be inserted into iron barriers.

Indeed, soon the barriers have been installed along the whole street and (except some open places that had been amended due to the urgent demand of the population) the pavement /sidewalks/ for the pedestrians, a lot of small trade facilities over there have actually become isolated and unreachable for the city.

A week later it became uncomfortable, difficult and impossible for the citizens to park their cars and enter those facilities safely.

You can see the anxious faces of the distributors, shop-assistants, pedestrians and disabled
Ones, new iron barriers arose some problems on Tamarashvili Street to which modification or removal the local inhabitants are persistently demanding – (they have created an initiative group) though the City Hall employees responding stubbornly that they do know better what do people need.

The whole paradox of this history presents that no one has ever asked the opinion to the local small business owners for the installation of these barriers. Such crucial road in the city should firstly to be planned according to inhabitants and local business. The next priority should be a car and its speed. Modern city focuses on the speed control, traffic and making the right parking, however in our country the most part of politicians, citizens and authorities relate the traffic problems and traffic jams to the excess number of traffic lights and zebra crossing- that is initially the wrong attitude.

The root of the transport problems and road security in our cities is the attitude of our politicians, engineers and citizens. The wrong investment kills city life. You cannot show me any European citizens, engineers, politicians, who name the main transport /traffic/ problem in the city- lots of traffic lights and Zebra crossing.

The traffic light and Zebra- these are the two most commonly spread and effective devices, road elements that regulate the traffic. Generally, as well on Tamarashvili Street as in other Georgian cities the main reasons of the traffic jams are lack of parking places, separate access roads to the trade facilities and absence of spaces for the bus stops. For this reason the drivers are made stop cars over the fist line, over the second line wherever they see the space that hamper the traffic in itself.

Though it is evident for everyone that the aim has not been achieved by installation the above-mentioned barriers.

It is not news for everyone that culture of the use of traffic road, drivers and pedestrians is quite poor in our country, though the problem cannot be solved by isolation of carriageway of the pedestrians with iron barriers. Municipal amenities service, supposedly tried to get two aims by erecting these barriers: the first one- improvement the traffic flow on this section, causing less probability of traffic jam and another- lessen the number of runners (pedestrians) over the road and divert them use the undergrounds directly.
A few days later after having installed the barriers it has been cleared up that drivers’ and passengers’ lives are in danger while parking the car, as they are made go around the long barriers and move on the carriageway, where the most cars go at 60/70 km/h. It should be noted that cars at this speed cause collision that ends 80 % with death of pedestrians.

Drivers of distributors’ vehicles are made to move with goods in hand over the carriageway, that makes their move risky.

It has been found out that part of the population still pass over the fence /bar/ willfully, crosses the road on the more dangerous and wide place and does not use the underground, that makes us think that mentioned barriers cannot perform the function which they have been installed for.

Moreover, it makes it difficult for the pedestrians to move over this section. This causes the dissatisfaction of the local population and the owners of the small business too. The underground is not adapted and made for the disabled ones that makes impossible to get on the other side of the road.

While planning the streets Tbilisi city Hall (Mayer’s Office) stubbornly goes on the strategy of 70s and tries to make the pedestrians use the underground –where it is too hard for the old people and children to move due to high stairways. The underground over Tamarashvili Street is quite long and it is not safe enough to move on in the late hours. So, part of the people does prefer to run above the ground.

By installing new barriers the process of impairing and violating pedestrians’ rights goes on, as one of the alternatives of their move is underground.

People in wheelchairs cannot get to this section of Tamarashvili Street and Vake Park, a new puzzle to solve for parents to cross the road with their children in carriage. An alternative is quite simple, that do not financially require a large investments.

The best solution can be reckoned installation of Zebra crossing, button traffic lights and removal the part of the barriers as it has been done in the lower part of Tamarashvili Street. At the beginning of Tamarashvili Street due to settle traffic jam problems, one or two of parking places could be given to distributors cars, which are ready to hire theses places in case of consent of City Park and City hall.

The main thing to do together with the local population is to stop building the barriers on the sidewalks (footpath) without consulting with the local community members. How to stop the dehumanization of the city? - Just by developing such infrastructure which gives the priority firstly to walking /moving on foot/ then going by cars.

If we are putting the investment only in car infrastructure and access for private cars, we leave out walking, cycling and the use of public transportation. Then, traffic jams are increasing, the environmental problems are getting worse and urban space is getting lost. Georgian streets must be made safe for all road users, with safe system street design to create low speed, attractive and livable environments that’s encourages walking and cycling.

By Gela Kvashilava