Simetra has developed a transport master plan for the Samarkand agglomeration

2022: Transport Master Plan Presentation

On May 24, 2022, SIMETRA announced the development of a transport master plan for the Samarkand agglomeration.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the presentation on the plans for the development of the transport system of Samarkanad and the Samarkand agglomeration, prepared with the participation of SIMETRA specialists. The presentation was presented by the Minister of Transport of the Republic Ilkhom Makhkamov and hokim of the Samarkand region Erkinjon Turdimov.

The document describes in detail the plan for the phased development of the entire transport system of the agglomeration until 2031, including public, passenger and freight transport, pedestrian and bicycle traffic, parking infrastructure, as well as the introduction and development of ITS (intelligent transport system).

It will help transform Samarkand into a million-plus city comfortable for life and movement using this public transport system from main and delivery lines. For this network, Samarkand will receive 180 electric buses: 80 in 2022 and 100 in 2023.

To develop a master plan, SIMETRA specialists, with the support of Tashkent State Transport University and Dzhizak Polytechnic Institute, investigated traffic intensity at the 100 most important transport nodes, analyzed the current state and digitized the entire agglomeration public transport system, developed a mathematical model for modeling flows and conducted sociological surveys of 3000 respondents. Work with data was carried out in the RITM³ analytical system developed by SIMETRA using the PTV Visum software.

The master plan implies a significant improvement and development of the road transport infrastructure of Samarkand: it is planned to repair 160 km of roads, launch the construction of 5 overpasses, and install 102 public transport stops.

Coordinating traffic in the city will be a smart traffic management system: it will work at 49 intersections. 140 more intersections will be equipped with new traffic lights. This will reduce the waiting time at the traffic light by a third and increase the speed of transport by 17%.

The archaic network with buses and "minibuses" will be replaced by 40 updated routes served by large-capacity cars. The five main routes - for the first time in Samarkand's history - will link the airport, the railway station and the heart of the city to each other. Dedicated lanes for public transport will appear in the center, the network of bicycle paths will increase by 101 km. From July 1, city public transport will be subsidized from the budget of the Samarkand region.

Life has accelerated, the mobility of people has increased. But public transport remains the same. The problem of traffic jams cannot be solved by expanding roads. Public transport should be given primacy. Look at the world experience. It is necessary to increase the throughput of streets by installing "smart" traffic lights, online traffic control. In the future, we will do this in all our cities. In this, Samarkand should serve as a model, "said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

This public transport system will connect the city center, old and new residential areas with convenient routes. The introduction of smart traffic lights, the renewal of rolling stock along with the repair and launch of new roads will make daily movement fast and comfortable for both guests and residents of the city, "said Vladimir Valdin, Director of Public Transport Solutions at SIMETRA.

2021: Plans to develop a transport master plan

On February 4, 2021, SIMETRA, a competence center in the field of transport flow modeling and transport planning, announced the development of a transport master plan for Samarkand. The project is designed until 2031.

During the project, a strategic development plan for all types of transport of the Samarkand agglomeration will be developed, six subroutines will be implemented aimed at the development of transport infrastructure as a whole (including an intelligent transport system), and at the development of passenger, pedestrian and bicycle traffic, public and freight transport infrastructure.

The creation of a transport master plan will help fulfill the November order of the President of Uzbekistan and take the first step towards improving the convenience of public transport. This is an important tool for the development of the transport system, the development of a convenient route network and tariff system. All this will allow Samarkand to actively develop its economic potential, - said Karzhavov Zhurabek Nizomovich, deputy head of the transport department of the Samarkand region.

The emergence of a transport master plan will improve many urban aspects: ensure the sustainable development of all types of transport for citizens, increase the efficiency of using the road network, create conditions for comfortable public transport and safe conditions for transport and pedestrians. In addition, the availability of a master plan will reduce economic losses, the negative impact of transport on the environment and systematically develop a center for managing the transport situation for specialized services of the city. The tourist factor will be taken into account without fail - as early as February 2021, Samarkand is a significant international tourist center with great potential.

SIMETRA will develop a multimodal transport model that will allow you to predict the transport situation for various scenarios, develop recommendations and select really necessary events for the city. The emergence of perfect transport will make the city more attractive and convenient for people. In addition, Samarkand is a popular tourist destination, so transport events will help improve the investment attractiveness of the city, "said Christian Böttger, Development Director of SIMETRA.

Importantly, the availability of such a plan will affect the effectiveness of training the younger generation of specialists in the field of transport planning and modeling.