Run overs

During the specified period, there were 41 run over cases on Arshakunyats Avenue, 4 of which resulted in death. At the Arshakunyats-Agatangeghos intersection alone, there were 10 registered run over cases. In examining this area, we singled out 2 main factors that can lead to run overs.

The traffic light for cars turning right is always green, and cars and pedestrians often appear at the crosswalk at the same time. The fact that the traffic light is always green is especially dangerous in the evening hours and in cases where cars are turning right at a high speed and are unable to brake in time to give way to pedestrians who are crossing. In addition, the traffic light for pedestrians at this intersection is green for 23 seconds, which is not enough time–especially for the elderly and people with disabilities–to cross a wide street.

There were 5 registered run over cases from 2019 to July 2020 at the Arshakunyats-Masis intersection. According to the 2016 Yandex Street View image, this area was not equipped with traffic lights for cars and pedestrians. As of May 2021, the intersection is regulated by pedestrian traffic lights. We did not register any obvious problems during our observation.

Komitas Avenue is also one of the streets in Yerevan with the most car accidents. Over the last two years, there have been 34 registered run over cases, 2 ending in death. We examined sections of the avenue where run over cases were registered most frequently.

There were 13 incidents from Komitas-Shirvanzade to Vratsakan. Our observation showed that, from Lambada Bridge, it is possible to turn right onto Shirvanzade street toward the road leading to Komitas. There is no traffic light, the pedestrian crossing is not regulated, and there are trees blocking the driver’s view of pedestrians passing by.

There were 11 cases in this area. Although the Barekamutyun metro underpass allows pedestrians to get by safely, some passers-by continue to cross the street where it is not allowed. In addition, pedestrians cross in front of the SAS supermarket on Baghramyan street, ignoring the fact that there is a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights just 200 meters away.

There were 9 run over cases in this area. There is an underpass near Vernissage, and there is also an overpass from Vernissage toward Tigran Mets Avenue that unfortunately doesn’t always serve its purpose. Our camera recorded cases in which the pedestrian crossed the street right next to the overpass.

There were 14 run over cases on Abovyan Street. We observed the Abovyan-Pushkin intersection, where there were 3 registered cases in 2 years. The three sides of this intersection are equipped with crosswalk markings that are not regulated by traffic lights. During our observation, we noticed that the pedestrian automatically crosses the intersection at the passage that is unmarked. There is a need to improve the infrastructure in this area by adding traffic lights and additional markings. The Abovyan-Pushkin intersection is very active, especially in the evening, and cars often driven several times faster than allowed, which can have a tragic ending.

There were 30 registered run over cases on Sebastia street from 2019 to 2020, 4 of which resulted in death.

We observed the Sebastia-Tichina intersection, where 2 incidents took place.

Cars turning right or left in this area often intersect with pedestrians crossing at a green light. In this case, the full responsibility is put on the driver to use caution.

There were 3 run over cases in this area. There is a marked pedestrian crossing that is regulated by traffic lights, giving pedestrians 20 seconds to cross the street. At the same time, the right lane on Sebastia toward Leningradyan is always open, which means that cars turning right and pedestrians again intersect.

There were 8 run over cases in this area. The intersection is equipped with a marked crossing, but the main pedestrian stream comes from the entrance of Yerevan City. Supermarket customers cross the street near the entrance of the supermarket where there is no pedestrian crossing.

There were 19 registered run over cases from 2019 to July 2020 in this area, 2 of which resulted in death. We specifically observed the road in front of the Mega Mall, where our camera caught people crossing the street where there was no pedestrian crossing, meanwhile the underpass was just a few meters below.