The key facts

  • 16 traffic lights synchronized along a 7-km stretch of Kukcha Darvoza
  • Time savings average 40% (about 8 minutes); measurements taken during off-peak hours
  • From 7:00 to 17:00 priority goes to traffic toward the center, from 17:00 to 0:00 — away from the center

Launch on Kukcha Darvoza

A «green wave» — a system of synchronized traffic lights that lets a driver moving at the permitted speed pass intersections one after another on green — has gone into operation on Kukcha Darvoza street in Tashkent. The launch was announced by the Tashkent Center for Traffic Management; it was reported by Kun.uz, Gazeta.uz and Spot.uz.

How the system works

On a 7-kilometer stretch between Zulfizar street and Torkucha street (near City Hospital No. 1) 16 traffic light installations have been reconfigured, combined into a single system. The system operates in two modes depending on the direction of the main flow: from 7:00 to 17:00, priority is given to traffic toward the city center, and from 17:00 to 0:00 — to traffic leaving the center.

How much time is saved

According to the Center for Traffic Management, travel time along the street has decreased by an average of 40%, which amounts to about 8 minutes per trip. An important caveat noted by both Gazeta.uz and Spot.uz: these figures were measured during off-peak hours in order to assess the «clean» effect of the system. During peak load, trip duration may differ noticeably depending on traffic intensity and road conditions.

What drivers should know

The Center for Traffic Management emphasizesthat the «green wave» does not mean a constant green light: the traffic lights still allocate time to pedestrians and vehicles from crossing streets, so stopping at a red light is still possible. However, the system is set up so that after stopping, a car rejoins the «wave». There is no need to speed up — on the contrary, speeding only leads to the driver arriving at the next traffic light earlier, on red. According to the center, fewer stops, hard braking and accelerations save fuel and reduce harmful gas emissions.

Kukcha Darvoza is already the eighth «corridor»

Kukcha Darvoza has become the latest stretch with a «green wave» in Tashkent. According to the timeline provided by Spot.uz, the first corridor went into operation at the end of July on Buyuk Ipak Yuli street (13 intersections); then sections appeared on the Small Ring Road (1.7 km from Bogibuston to the Chilanzar metro station), near Amir Temur Square, on Shota Rustaveli and Makhtumkuli streets, on a 5 km stretch of the Big Ring Road in the west and northwest of the city, and along the northern part of Babur street. In October the longest corridor was launched — 10 km of the northern segment of the Big Ring Road from Beruni street to Katta Darkhon street.