Will business hours change in Baku?

More than two months ago, the President of Azerbaijan approved the "State Program for Improving the Transport Infrastructure of Baku City for 2025-2030." The document provides for changing working hours to reduce traffic congestion, however, specific steps in this direction have not yet been taken.

The Chairman of the League of Citizens' Labor Rights, Sahib Mammadov, in a comment to Bizim.Media expressed doubts about the effectiveness of this measure, especially for small businesses.

"However, we don't have that many large factories and plants. Besides, for example, in the oil industry, transportation, and other vital sectors, work does not stop. It is not possible to regulate the work schedule between them. At the same time, this problem cannot be solved only by changing the schedule. The problem of traffic jams and congestion on the roads is mainly created by educational institutions. How will they regulate this? All these are measures that need to be implemented comprehensively. Changing working hours is just one of them," he emphasized.

According to the expert, changing the work schedule will not significantly impact the traffic jam situation in the capital.

"We don't have large collectives now. It can be said that, with the exception of a few factories, there are no enterprises in the country where 4-5 thousand people head in the morning. The service sector, trade, and other similar areas cannot be controlled in this regard. Therefore, this decision will only be relevant for employees of government institutions," Mammadov concluded.