The government has submitted to the Parliament the Preliminary Draft Law on Reducing Traffic Congestion in Ulaanbaatar City and Providing Housing to Ger Areas and 30 accompanying laws. In this regard, Governor of the Capital city and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar Kh.Nyambaatar gave information.
He said, "The draft law will give the administrative authority to reduce traffic congestion in Ulaanbaatar city to the Citizens’ Representative Khural and the Governor of the Capital city, and will regulate the legal framework and land vacation issues necessary for redevelopment of the ger areas. The draft law has been posted on the official website of the parliament, so citizens can review the draft law and vote. I emphasize that the Preliminary Draft Law on Reducing Traffic Congestion in Ulaanbaatar City and Providing Housing to Ger Areas does not include any regulations that would lower the quality of life of citizens, or change excise taxes or import taxes."
The policy of limiting the issuance of car number plates included in the draft law
According to the data of the Customs and the National Road Transport Center, there are 720,000 registered vehicles with capital city license plates on the roads of Ulaanbaatar, and this number is increasing by 47,000-50,000 per year. If it increases at this rate, in four years, Ulaanbaatar will have one million cars, and it is possible that it will lead the world in terms of anti-statistics.
In the previous years, the capital had a policy of expanding the road network and building bridges to reduce congestion. Over the past 10 years, the city's road network has expanded by about 30 percent. However, the number of vehicles, which was 325,000, has reached 720,000 today. Therefore, we have no choice but to come to terms with the fact that the expansion of the highway will not reduce traffic congestion. The first regulation of the draft law is to set the upper limit of license plates issued by the Citizens’ Representative Khural in Ulaanbaatar. We make an average of 2.8 million daily trips within the city.
As of today, cizitens of Ulaanbaatar spend 717 hours or 31 days a year in traffic congestion. Moreover, there is an unfortunate study that says that 9 percent of the GDP or 3.8 trillion MNT is being spent on traffic congestion. Therefore, if we cannot take administrative and organizational measures to reduce congestion, the above-mentioned lost opportunities will increase. In the first phase, the principle of limiting the number of imported cars entering disorderly by issuing license plates is being followed.
In order to do so, the Citizens’ Representative Khural will set the upper limit of license plates, and the draft law provides for a flexible arrangement to increase the upper limit of license plates if congestion reduces and road access increases. In this context, the rights of license plate owners are not limited. Owners of car number plates can transfer, sell or pledge their car number plates, and in case of buying a new car, they can sell their cars in rural areas or remove them from the registration, and transfer their number plates to others and use them to buy a new car.
Hilltops of the ger areas to be connected to the road network and access to public transport to be increased
In 2007, according to a survey conducted by the JICA, about 60% of Ulaanbaatar citizens used public transport, but today only 24-25% of citizens use it. Moreover, the Government of Mongolia, the Governor’s Office of the Capital city, ministries, government institutions, universities and colleges, major hospitals and entertainment service institutions are located within the Ikh Toiruu or 50 hectares area. Traffic from the five major locations of Ulaanbaatar to the Ikh Toiruu starts at 07:00 in the morning. This is the main reason for traffic congestion. Therefore, there is a need to increase the availability of public transport. When citizens come down from the hilltops of the ger areas in Ulaanbaatar, they have to walk more than three kilometers to use public transport. Therefore, it is planned to connect the hilltops of the ger areas to the road network, and to run short-route medium-sized buses on the connected roads. Moreover, by widening and separating the first lane of public transport, the intensity and average speed of public transport can increase.
Citizens living in the Congestion Charge zone to receive a discount of up to 90 percent from the set tariff
There are misconceptions about the Congestion Charge zone regulation. With the adoption of this law, the tariffs of the Congestion Charge zone will not be set directly. The law provides for the right to establish the Congestion Charge zone for the Citizens’ Representative Khural after public transportation has been regulated, access has been increased, and connectivity has been improved. If the Congestion Charge zone is to be established, it is 0-27,000 MNT.
Maybe 2000, 5000, 10000 MNT. Many cities around the world have implemented the Congestion Charge zones to reduce traffic congestion. According to the standards of the countries of the world, there is a statistic that the traffic load within the zone can be reduced by 30 percent if the Congestion Charge zone is regulated. In the first phase, it is planned to set the area from Western Four-Way Intersections to Eastern Four-Way Intersections and from 32-iin Toirog to Peace Avenue as a Congestion Charge zone. Before entering this area, preparations are being made to allow people to park their cars in the free parking lots about 800 meters from the city center, and make it possible to walk, ride a bike or a scooter. Residents living in this area will receive a 90 percent discount, and a 50 percent discount on official taxi services respectively.
Based on the Selbe sub-center, housing to be provided in ger areas
Currently, about 220,000 households live in the ger areas. Therefore, the housing in the ger areas will be provided based on the construction of six sub-centers. In the first phase, the infrastructure, road and engineering works of Bayankhoshuu and Selbe sub-centers have been completed. The first 800 apartments will be put into use in 2024 as part of the construction of the Bayankhoshuu sub-center. Regarding the Selbe sub-center, a plan was made to vacate the land of households in 2,000 units of 158 hectares of land. The draft law includes three arrangements for negotiating with citizens when land vacation is carried out. First, citizens shall sell their land at a standard price or in cash, secondly, they shall move into temporary apartment and then own the apartment built in that location, and thirdly, they shall exchange their land and objects for ready-made apartment.
The land of 2,000 households can be vacated to build a residential complex of 12,000 households, low-rise, with green areas and parks. Of this, 60 percent are green areas, parking lots, and playgrounds, and 40 percent are buildings. With the construction of the apartments of 12,000 households in Selbe sub-center, 2,000 land-owning households will be able to move into their apartments, and households in Khailaast, Chingeltei, Tavan Buudal, and Dari Ekh areas will be included in the remaining 10,000 apartments. Moreover, it is possible to comprehensively plan universities, health and government institutions among these residential areas. In the big picture, it is emphasized that the project has the potential to increase employment and get rid of poverty.
The city itself can deconcentrate within the Ikh Toiruu by raising funds and bonds from international financial markets and building complex residential neighborhoods based on its sub-centers.
MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF THE CAPITAL CITY
The government has submitted to the Parliament the Preliminary Draft Law on Reducing Traffic Congestion in Ulaanbaatar City and Providing Housing to Ger Areas and 30 accompanying laws. In this regard, Governor of the Capital city and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar Kh.Nyambaatar gave information.
He said, "The draft law will give the administrative authority to reduce traffic congestion in Ulaanbaatar city to the Citizens’ Representative Khural and the Governor of the Capital city, and will regulate the legal framework and land vacation issues necessary for redevelopment of the ger areas. The draft law has been posted on the official website of the parliament, so citizens can review the draft law and vote. I emphasize that the Preliminary Draft Law on Reducing Traffic Congestion in Ulaanbaatar City and Providing Housing to Ger Areas does not include any regulations that would lower the quality of life of citizens, or change excise taxes or import taxes."
The policy of limiting the issuance of car number plates included in the draft law
According to the data of the Customs and the National Road Transport Center, there are 720,000 registered vehicles with capital city license plates on the roads of Ulaanbaatar, and this number is increasing by 47,000-50,000 per year. If it increases at this rate, in four years, Ulaanbaatar will have one million cars, and it is possible that it will lead the world in terms of anti-statistics.
In the previous years, the capital had a policy of expanding the road network and building bridges to reduce congestion. Over the past 10 years, the city's road network has expanded by about 30 percent. However, the number of vehicles, which was 325,000, has reached 720,000 today. Therefore, we have no choice but to come to terms with the fact that the expansion of the highway will not reduce traffic congestion. The first regulation of the draft law is to set the upper limit of license plates issued by the Citizens’ Representative Khural in Ulaanbaatar. We make an average of 2.8 million daily trips within the city.
As of today, cizitens of Ulaanbaatar spend 717 hours or 31 days a year in traffic congestion. Moreover, there is an unfortunate study that says that 9 percent of the GDP or 3.8 trillion MNT is being spent on traffic congestion. Therefore, if we cannot take administrative and organizational measures to reduce congestion, the above-mentioned lost opportunities will increase. In the first phase, the principle of limiting the number of imported cars entering disorderly by issuing license plates is being followed.
In order to do so, the Citizens’ Representative Khural will set the upper limit of license plates, and the draft law provides for a flexible arrangement to increase the upper limit of license plates if congestion reduces and road access increases. In this context, the rights of license plate owners are not limited. Owners of car number plates can transfer, sell or pledge their car number plates, and in case of buying a new car, they can sell their cars in rural areas or remove them from the registration, and transfer their number plates to others and use them to buy a new car.
Hilltops of the ger areas to be connected to the road network and access to public transport to be increased
In 2007, according to a survey conducted by the JICA, about 60% of Ulaanbaatar citizens used public transport, but today only 24-25% of citizens use it. Moreover, the Government of Mongolia, the Governor’s Office of the Capital city, ministries, government institutions, universities and colleges, major hospitals and entertainment service institutions are located within the Ikh Toiruu or 50 hectares area. Traffic from the five major locations of Ulaanbaatar to the Ikh Toiruu starts at 07:00 in the morning. This is the main reason for traffic congestion. Therefore, there is a need to increase the availability of public transport. When citizens come down from the hilltops of the ger areas in Ulaanbaatar, they have to walk more than three kilometers to use public transport. Therefore, it is planned to connect the hilltops of the ger areas to the road network, and to run short-route medium-sized buses on the connected roads. Moreover, by widening and separating the first lane of public transport, the intensity and average speed of public transport can increase.
Citizens living in the Congestion Charge zone to receive a discount of up to 90 percent from the set tariff
There are misconceptions about the Congestion Charge zone regulation. With the adoption of this law, the tariffs of the Congestion Charge zone will not be set directly. The law provides for the right to establish the Congestion Charge zone for the Citizens’ Representative Khural after public transportation has been regulated, access has been increased, and connectivity has been improved. If the Congestion Charge zone is to be established, it is 0-27,000 MNT.
Maybe 2000, 5000, 10000 MNT. Many cities around the world have implemented the Congestion Charge zones to reduce traffic congestion. According to the standards of the countries of the world, there is a statistic that the traffic load within the zone can be reduced by 30 percent if the Congestion Charge zone is regulated. In the first phase, it is planned to set the area from Western Four-Way Intersections to Eastern Four-Way Intersections and from 32-iin Toirog to Peace Avenue as a Congestion Charge zone. Before entering this area, preparations are being made to allow people to park their cars in the free parking lots about 800 meters from the city center, and make it possible to walk, ride a bike or a scooter. Residents living in this area will receive a 90 percent discount, and a 50 percent discount on official taxi services respectively.
Based on the Selbe sub-center, housing to be provided in ger areas
Currently, about 220,000 households live in the ger areas. Therefore, the housing in the ger areas will be provided based on the construction of six sub-centers. In the first phase, the infrastructure, road and engineering works of Bayankhoshuu and Selbe sub-centers have been completed. The first 800 apartments will be put into use in 2024 as part of the construction of the Bayankhoshuu sub-center. Regarding the Selbe sub-center, a plan was made to vacate the land of households in 2,000 units of 158 hectares of land. The draft law includes three arrangements for negotiating with citizens when land vacation is carried out. First, citizens shall sell their land at a standard price or in cash, secondly, they shall move into temporary apartment and then own the apartment built in that location, and thirdly, they shall exchange their land and objects for ready-made apartment.
The land of 2,000 households can be vacated to build a residential complex of 12,000 households, low-rise, with green areas and parks. Of this, 60 percent are green areas, parking lots, and playgrounds, and 40 percent are buildings. With the construction of the apartments of 12,000 households in Selbe sub-center, 2,000 land-owning households will be able to move into their apartments, and households in Khailaast, Chingeltei, Tavan Buudal, and Dari Ekh areas will be included in the remaining 10,000 apartments. Moreover, it is possible to comprehensively plan universities, health and government institutions among these residential areas. In the big picture, it is emphasized that the project has the potential to increase employment and get rid of poverty.
The city itself can deconcentrate within the Ikh Toiruu by raising funds and bonds from international financial markets and building complex residential neighborhoods based on its sub-centers.
MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF THE CAPITAL CITY