Distribution vehicles will be permitted to use dedicated bus lanes during nighttime hours under proposed amendments to Georgia’s Code of Administrative Offenses and the Law on Road Traffic.
The legislative package was reviewed by Parliament in its second reading on Thursday. Lawmakers behind the initiative argue that allowing distribution vehicles to use bus lanes overnight will help ease daytime traffic congestion and could ultimately contribute to lower consumer prices by reducing transportation costs.
Chair of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee Archil Gorduladze said that the specific requirements distribution vehicles must meet will be defined by an order issued by the Minister of Internal Affairs.
“Distribution vehicles that meet the established criteria will be allowed to use bus lanes and stop in them between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to unload goods. On the one hand, this will help reduce traffic congestion during the day, while on the other, lower transportation costs could logically contribute to a reduction in consumer prices,” Gorduladze said.
Meanwhile, Chair of Parliament’s Economic Policy Committee Shota Berekashvili said discussions had already been held with representatives of retail chains and distribution companies regarding the initiative.
“We had an important meeting yesterday with retailers and distributors. We discussed enabling distributors to use bus lanes during nighttime hours so they can carry out deliveries. A significant share of distribution activities will shift from daytime to nighttime, substantially easing daytime traffic. At the same time, overnight distribution will be more centralized, significantly reducing costs for distributors and retail chains, which in turn should be reflected in lower consumer prices,” Berekashvili stated.
The proposed amendments are currently progressing through the parliamentary approval process.
