Nearly 1,280,200 vehicles were registered throughout the country as of the first seven months of this year, with 756,037 of them registered in Ulaanbaatar. Among these vehicles, 18,664 belong to 2,477 state and local government-owned organizations. Vehicles are categorized by license plate color. For instance, yellow for those authorized to use the first lane as taxis, black for heavy-duty machinery, green for eco-friendly vehicles, and blue for government organizations. Currently, there are over 2,760 vehicles with yellow plates, 13,252 with black plates, and 1,161 with green plates.
Despite this huge number of cars, the pressing issue is public transportation. Ulaanbaatar’s public transportation system is supported by over 1,000 buses from five state-owned and 14 private companies. In recent years, under a public-private partnership facilitated by the Ulaanbaatar Development Corporation, 600 buses have been provided to these companies with a repayment condition. Repayments will be deposited into the fund to renew the bus parking lot. Approximately 80 percent of the public transportation fleet has undergone modernization, according to relevant authorities. Experts highlight that high-capacity buses are particularly well-suited for Ulaanbaatar. Consequently, an additional 30 high-capacity buses have been ordered to enhance the service. Public transportation serves between 500,000 and 600,000 people daily. To address long wait times, authorities previously adjusted bus routes for shorter turnaround times.
This year, the fund for roads in the capital city has allocated resources for the repair and renovation of 19.5 km of road across 17 locations in six districts. To date, 17.5 km of roads in 13 locations have been renovated and reopened. Work is ongoing at the Dunjingarav shopping center intersection, with progress at almost half completion. Additionally, new drainage systems are being installed in six flood-prone areas, including the front of Narnii Bridge, under Peace Bridge, Yarmag, 22nd Tovchoo and Takhilt’s underpass. Around 126,000 square meters of potholes are scheduled for repair, with 55,218 square meters already addressed in the central six districts. Moreover, from August 10 to 20, road work will be carried out in Sukhbaatar District’s first and eighth khoroos, including in front of the Ulaanbaatar Hotel and the western part of Mongolian National University of Education. During this period, the road will be temporarily closed for pipeline repair work.
In the first half of this year, and as the traveling season kicked off, 532 children were injured and 26 children lost their lives due to traffic accidents. The summer months see a significant increase in domestic travel, which correlates with a rise in traffic accidents. According to the Traffic Police Department, there were 13,657 reports of traffic accidents which is a 21.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Recently, there has been a rise in accidents involving minors using scooters and electric mopeds. Therefore, the Traffic Police urge parents to enhance supervision of young children to prevent such incidents. Specific traffic regulations apply to users of self-propelled vehicles. Children aged zero to 10 must travel on standard roads accompanied by a guardian, while those aged 10-14 are required to use protective gear on bicycle and pedestrian lanes. Children aged 14-18 may use bicycle lanes or, if none are available, travel on the right shoulder of the road. Parents are held responsible if children aged zero to 10 are injured while using these vehicles without supervision.
Furthermore, the Governor of the capital city and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar City, Kh.Nyambaatar directed the acceleration of pedestrian walkway repairs and the land clearance for housing projects. He issued the directives, such as to accelerate and ensure quality standards for engineering networks, roads, landscaping, and green spaces as part of winter readiness preparations for 2024-2025, to stockpile spare parts and equipment for municipal vehicles and machinery, and expedite the procurement of essential specialized machinery, to ensure the smooth operation of the “Tavantolgoi Tulsh” LLC factory and increase the stockpile of improved fuel and to increase the number and availability of public transportation to reduce traffic congestion during peak hours, improve the organization of parking at commercial centers to prevent traffic disruptions as well.
