TEHRAN – The scheme to make Vali Asr Street one-way northbound (from Beheshti Ave. to Parkway Ave.) was implemented from Monday mid-night -- because of the lack of public awareness the new scheme created major traffic jams across Tehran.

Vali Asr is Iran’s longest street and runs from Rah-Ahan Square in southern Tehran to Tajrish Square in the northern edge of the city. The street is famous for its beautiful sycamore trees, which provide it with a shade during the day time, and wide pebbled walkways on both sides. Two famous parks, Mellat and Sai are beside this street.
The Deputy Mayor for Traffic and Transportation Department of the Tehran Municipality, Jafar Hashemi Tashakkori, told ISNA that the two main reasons behind this scheme are to improve the traffic situation and expand public transportation.
The deputy added that this scheme is designed to speed up the public transportation buses by 30 percent and increase its usage by 60 percent.
The present Rah-Ahan Sq. to Fatemi St. bus route will be extended to Tajrish Sq. from Friday.
In addition Mr. Tashakkori said that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT, bus route that is faster than public transportation bus) will be added in this northbound route from next March.
According to the deputy mayor the number of active public transport buses (to be re-routed from Rah Ahan to Tajrish Sq.) has been increased from 150 units to 200.
Alternatives
Many foreign embassies and embassy employee residents live in the northern part of Tehran and use this street to commute.
For those people who want to use their private transportation going southbound
Mr. Tashakkori suggested the following alternatives:
From Parkway to Vanak: Some suggested routes include:
-- Highway from Parkway to Shahid Modarres, exit on Africa Blvd., and then take Shahid Haqqani Blvd to Vanak Square;
-- Highway from Parkway to Shahid Chamran, exit on Molla Sadra St. which is five minutes to Vanak Square;
-- Highway from Parkway to Shahid Chamran, take Yadegare Imam Highway and exit on Seoul St., then take Take Shahid Khoddami St. to Vanak Square.
From Vanak to Vali Asr Square:
-- From Vanak Sq. to Molla Sadra St., take Kurdistan Highway, exit on Shahid Gomnam St. to Fatemi Sq. to Vali Asr Sq.
-- From Vanak Square to Shahid Haqqani Blvd, exit on Africa Blvd. and drive to Argentine Sq. Then take Shahid Ahmad Qasir St. to Shahid Beheshti St. which will lead to Vali Asr Sq.
In addition one can use the Tehran Metro north-south Line 1 which starts from Shahid Haqqani Blvd and runs south to City of Rey.
This scheme was supposed to be implemented from Saturday, However it was postponed for several days in order to inform the public and prepare the traffic police about the change.
Despite the delay there was a lot of traffic chaos on Tuesday in streets in and around Vali Asr Ave., including Seoul and Parkway streets and some parts of Chamran and Modarres Highways. The scheme also affected traffic in other parts of Tehran.
According to Tehran Traffic Control Police Department some of the traffic jams in the morning was due to the public curiosity of the new scheme. The department predicted that in the next two days the traffic in the area will be reduced by 50 percent