Tbilisi mayor links urban expansion to public transport reform

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has emphasized that the city’s districts must develop in a way that allows residents to meet their daily needs within their own neighborhoods, reducing the necessity for constant travel across the capital.

Kaladze stated that urban development should focus on creating self-sufficient districts equipped with essential social and economic infrastructure, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

“Everything must be done to ensure that districts develop so that residents do not have to travel elsewhere. They should have everything locally—schools, kindergartens, theatres, cultural centres, jobs, and other essential services. Of course, this cannot be achieved one hundred percent, as people work in different fields, but most of it is entirely possible,” Kaladze said.

The mayor also highlighted the rapid growth in the number of private vehicles in the city. According to official figures, approximately 180,000 private cars were in circulation in Tbilisi in 2012, while a record number of around 860,000 vehicles was registered on September 17 of this year.

“The number of private cars increases every year. What should we counter this with? We cannot stop the city’s development, suspend construction projects, or ban the construction of residential buildings. That would be unthinkable and fundamentally wrong,” Kaladze noted.

He stressed that the only viable solution lies in improving the comfort, efficiency, and accessibility of public transportation.

While the construction of new metro stations and the development of a tram line will take time, Kaladze said that new buses are expected to begin operating in Tbilisi as early as 2026.

By Vafa Guliyeva