Blind Roads

New Year's holidays are just around the corner, and many people have already probably outlined upcoming plans for the rest. In an era of crisis, low wages and high prices, not everyone can afford to go abroad. Therefore, the majority of ordinary people who do not want to spend the New Year's Eve at home behind the traditional Russian salad and "herring under a fur coat" (a kind of salad), will direct their eyes to the regions of Azerbaijan that are distinguished by their picturesque nature, clean air and wildness.

Despite many years of attempts to develop tourism in the country, the maximum that has been achieved is the summer flow of Arab and Russian tourists to Baku and the regions. A small number of tourists from Europe and America prove that Western tourists still prefer Georgia, next to Azerbaijan. Most experts believe that it"s all about the stinging prices for hotels, transportation and other tourist services. In Georgia, prices are much more affordable, and thrifty Europeans, in contrast to wasteful Arabs, are accustomed to getting the same quality for less money. However, in addition to high prices and poor quality of service, one of the reasons that hinder the development of domestic tourism is the poor quality of roads.

Despite the fact that Azerbaijan ranked 36th among 137 countries in the road quality rating according to the Global Competitiveness Index 2017-2018, and in fact, for both country roads and roads of republican significance (with several exceptions) millions of AZN are allocated for construction and repair every year, they leave much to be desired.

If the road to Guba that is one of the most picturesque mountain regions of the country, which enjoys special demand from local tourists both in winter and summer, is more or less tolerable, then you will not wish the enemy to return to the capital from Guba in the evening. The concrete road, built nine years ago, cost the state budget 700 million manat, and, despite the repair, which is carried out on paper several times a year, has practically become unusable either due to the constant circulation of loaded KAMAZ trucks, or due to the quality of the asphalt concrete pavement. Repair of the road was supposed to begin at the beginning of the current year, but so far there have been no particular changes. It is not only that - the road is bumpy in almost the entire direction from Guba to Baku and one has to constantly dodge these places, introducing himself as a hero of a computer game (especially depressing condition is observed on the stretch from the Siyazan district to the village of Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev). At the indicated site lighting is almost completely absent. Not a single lamppost has been installed along the road, and drivers drive almost blindly, relying only on the headlights and the light of rare roadside objects. Interestingly, the light on the rare pillars along the road is sometimes found, but it is not the light of a roadside lantern, but a light bulb attached to a radar that controls the speed of road traffic. It is paradoxical that not a single lamppost has been installed along the road of republican significance; darkness reigns, but for the radar that registers the violators, they were able to install a pole, and even attached a light bulb to it. What is more important for our state bodies: the safety and life of drivers and passengers or the collection of fines?

It would not be superfluous to note that it is for the repair and infrastructure of the Baku-Guba road that considerable sums are allocated annually and sometimes several times a year. In July 2018, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on measures to reconstruct the 6-18 km section of the Baku - Guba - state border with the Russian Federation road and allocated over 7 million manat to the State Road Agency of Azerbaijan for these needs. This is just one of many examples of the huge costs of this road. There were also orders for the construction of individual sections of the road, for its reconstruction, for the installation and reconstruction of infrastructure, which, according to experts, includes lighting. By the way, in February the President signed another order on the construction of the road, starting from the above-mentioned village H.Z.Tagiyev, the new M-1 road Baku-Guba-state border with the Russian Federation, and allocated 150 million manat for this.

According to an expert in the field of road traffic, Azer Allahveranov, in addition to road construction and reconstruction, building materials include installing lampposts along the new road, and building a road without installing lampposts is impossible: "One structure installs poles, another brings them light, however, in general, all of the above is part of the road infrastructure. It is very important which road we are talking about, since there are state roads, and there are municipal roads. If the road belongs to a municipality, then it is responsible for ensuring its infrastructure. However, municipalities often lack the funds to install lampposts. Then they turn to Azerenergy, and it in turn sets the lights. In this case, lampposts belong to Azerenergy. However, if we are talking about a republican road, such as Baku-Guba, then, when dismantling or installing lampposts on any part of it, all government structures involved in the construction of the road are notified. The costs of installing and connecting the pillars are usually provided for in the cost estimates for the construction and reconstruction of the road."

According to the head of the press service of the State Agency Azerbaijan Highways, Anar Najafli, during the repair of roads, the department builds a lighting system only if it was provided for in the project. Further work on the operation of the lighting system is under the jurisdiction of the district executive authorities. Najafli added that the illumination of highways is made only in settlements. That is, according to the logic of state structures, if there is no residential point nearby, as in the section from the Siyazan district to the village of Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev, the driver must go blindly, while praying not to get into an accident, as the headlights of oncoming cars are just blinding, and the quality the road does not allow drivers to drive normally.

As is known, the new highway Baku - Guba - the state border with the Russian Federation will be paid. It remains to hope that at least on the toll road the problem with quality and lighting will be solved, and drivers and passengers, paying for it, will feel safe. After all, on the roads for which they have actually paid taxes to the state budget, they are denied these benefits.