Private cars and taxis clog the roads while public transport is lacking
One resident of the Andazyaran neighborhood regrets his recent move to the newly established area in Erbil City. Because of the lack of public transport from his new home to the center of the city or nearby neighborhoods, blind Haji says he may move to another neighborhood that's not so cut off. "Many people have problems with the lack of transportation services in these neighborhoods. Those who have cars can drive, but if you don't have a car, you have to take a taxi, which costs too much."
The increase in private cars imported into Kurdistan Region has weakened the role of buses, especially in Erbil city. As more people buy cars, this negatively affects less affluent residents in remote districts, as well as the roads and the air quality.
"We rarely hear complaints from residents in those areas. They have not formally asked for transportation improvement. Meanwhile, whenever a new neighborhood is established, the ministry provides services in that sense, according to the law and guidelines," said Salah Jawhar Rashid, the general director of ground transportation at the Ministry of Transportation and Communication.
But, the Haji noted that he once saw a bus that had "Bazaar" listed as its destination, but it was from another neighborhood. "If we have buses for those neighborhoods, why should we complain about that? And if we don't ask for [buses] formally, then is it not up to the government to plan these services?"
According to Nazhad Yassin, another resident of Andazyaran, neighborhoods like Lawan, Ashti and some others -- which are new and remote residential areas have the same problem. "I have a car, but if it breaks down, it would be hard for me to get to the center of the city. Our children would have to go by taxi to school, university and other places. It would cost an arm and a leg!"
Buses only work during the day and traffic is heavy
Most of the working buses in Erbil city are privately owned, not run by the government. Bus drivers work for themselves and can choose when they work. This makes residents want to buy cars, as bus services are unreliable and inconvenient.
Erbi bus driver Burhan Hamid said that sometimes he doesn't have enough passengers to make it worth his while to work nights, because "I know I will have no passengers and they either use their own cars or take taxis."
Hamid also complained about the huge number of taxis and cars that are continuously imported to the region, reducing the number of his potential passengers.
"We only give gas to the bus drivers. They work for themselves, and we can't force them to work nights. We are working on plans for trams in Erbil, Suleimaniya and Duhok cities. In the near future, foreign companies will study the roads to figure out where to put tram lines in those larger cities," noted Rashid.
Concerning the traffic in the city, Rashid underlined that the government is responsible for it, and it is trying to reduce the number of taxis imported because there are too many for the number of passengers. "Our roads cannot cope with this huge number of cars. We formally asked the higher authority in the government to stop importing cars and taxis. If this can't happen, whenever a new car is imported, an old one should be removed."
Environmental pollution
From any high spot around Erbil, you can see the huge dark clouds of smoke massed in the sky. The city has more cars than its roads can handle, and the volume of traffic is visibly damaging the environment.
"More than seven months ago, we submitted a proposal to the Erbil governorate to reduce this, which is causing more than environmental pollution. We have asked for a better transportation system. Also, the quality of the gasoline, it should be improved. [The gas] used by the cars in the region is bad and spreads poisonous gases like CO2, NO2, CO and others," said Abdullah Muhammad Abdullah, the head of Erbil Environment Office.
According to Abdullah, his office has also asked for light rail, trams and other modern means of transportation. He also said that the proposal asked for transportation that runs on electricity, as it's more efficient.
Meanwhile, the transportation system remains unchanged. Abdullah noted, "More than seven months have passed and no one has yet replied to our proposal."
Abdullah says the government should take environmental protection into serious consideration because this is a critical subject. He believes the government should not sideline the importance of environmental offices and the board, "It should oblige the ministries and other offices to make the decisions decreed by the environmental offices and board into consideration."
© The Kurdish Globe 2011
