Akkurgan neglect. Instead of repairing the sidewalk, the khokimiyat showed pictures far from reality

Akkurgan Neglect. Instead of repairing the sidewalk, the khokimiyat showed pictures far from reality

In psychology, there is a term "neglect" — a form of disregard where a person with resources, capabilities, or power regularly ignores the basic needs of another person who is dependent on them. Directly applying this concept to the relationship between the state and society would be incorrect: they are interdependent. However, people's well-being largely depends on how well government bodies understand their tasks and execute them.

In one part of the street, the asphalt was stripped from the sidewalk, leaving gravel, stones, and dust in its place, while on other sections, the sidewalk is virtually occupied by cars.

At the time, the Tashkent khokimiyat informed Gazeta that the work on the sidewalk was related to laying a power cable and that the section should be repaired in the coming weeks. A budget for the reconstruction of the street, including the creation of pedestrian-friendly conditions, was planned for 2026–2027. The project was promised to be shown to local residents for review.

But in reality, the situation for pedestrians continues to worsen. Here are the details.

Almost four months have passed since the asphalt was stripped from the sidewalk near building No. 21A on Akkurgan Street. Through the Xalq Nazorati service, it was revealed that the restoration of the sidewalk is planned "within the framework of the program for the improvement and greening of mahallas in 2026–2027" — by the end of the second quarter of 2027.

All summer, residents walked here through dust and gravel or took a detour along the shoulder of the road. Following Gazeta's publication, a strip of asphalt crumb one and a half meters wide — no more than a third of the total width of the sidewalk — was laid on the destroyed section. The surface of this strip is loose and uneven, with dust and gravel still lying alongside it.

Such a "pedestrian environment" shapes corresponding behavior. Car owners, to avoid walking to the desired store on foot along the destroyed sidewalk, drive up to it in their cars and leave them right on the temporary embankment, which, according to the khokimiyat's plan, is supposed to serve pedestrians. As a result, city residents have lost even this highly compromised passage. Household waste is gradually adding to the construction debris.

On September 10, while the material was being prepared for publication, a wooden formwork about a meter wide — even narrower than the embankment itself — was installed on the gravel path.

The press secretary of the Mirzo-Ulugbek district khokimiyat, Mamur Parmonov, told Gazeta that this is a temporary pedestrian path. "The main work will begin after the project is approved," he specified.

In the photo, one can assess the size of the future temporary path (likely concrete) and how it relates to the space occupied by a pedestrian.

On a path one meter wide, it will be difficult for people to pass each other even when walking in opposite directions, let alone with baby strollers.

In addition, cyclists and scooter riders also prefer to ride on a flat surface — meaning the risk for pedestrians on this section will become even higher.

The khokimiyat of the Mirzo-Ulugbek district has issued official statements regarding Akkurgan Street twice.

According to the district administration, construction and repair work began in accordance with the project, but it was later revised taking into account residents' feedback and the need to preserve existing green zones. The updated version, according to them, was in the approval stage.

In the following weeks, the Telegram channel "Pedestrians of Tashkent" repeatedly published new photos of Akkurgan Street. They showed cars on the gravel path and the gradually deteriorating state of the area.

On September 7, the district khokimiyat published another official statement.

It almost completely repeats the statement from August 16.

However, this time residents were shown a visualization of the "shaded street project," which is far from reality.

The pictures depict an ideally flat avenue with identical modern buildings on both sides, a narrow buffer green strip with young trees, and a bike lane.

In reality, Akkurgan Street, of course, looks different.

It is built up with houses of different periods and heights; some facades are located closer to the roadway, some further from it; the sidewalk has varying widths; in addition, the street has noticeable elevation changes and driveways to courtyards. Large old trees grow in the buffer green zone.

According to the data in the image above, it is planned to build 2,850 meters of pedestrian paths with a total area of 5,572 square meters on Akkurgan Street, create 4,250 square meters of green territory, lay an irrigation system, and install 190 streetlights and 60 benches. The preliminary cost of the project is indicated at 4.31 billion soums.

The bike lane is again drawn on the sidewalk, although city authorities previously admitted that this is incorrect.

The Ministry of Construction of Uzbekistan indicates that the organization of bicycle traffic should not create obstacles for pedestrians. A combined bicycle and pedestrian path is allowed only in cramped conditions, which clearly does not apply to Akkurgan Street — the roadway here has as many as 8 lanes.

The published materials also lack a cross-section of the street and do not take into account the location of existing trees, driveways, stops, and parking spaces. It is unclear how the sidewalk will be physically protected from cars.

It is obvious that the visualization is not tied to the actual topography of Akkurgan Street, and for this reason, it is impossible to discuss it as a real project.

It is also obvious that starting the reconstruction by destroying the existing sidewalk before the new project was approved and funds were allocated was reckless.

Pedestrians must not be "punished" for an uncoordinated project with the absence of a sidewalk or a narrow one-meter path. The city and district khokimiyats need to stop neglecting the interests of city residents and, without preconditions, urgently and fully restore the destroyed sidewalk that people use every day.

Another serious problem that Gazeta wrote about in August remained unaddressed — parking on the sidewalk, specifically near the Yoshlik stadium.

As we reported, access to this "parking lot" occurs directly across a pedestrian crossing. Therefore, pedestrians waiting for the green light have to step aside for cars driving along the zebra crossing directly at them to get onto the sidewalk.

These frames show a fairly common situation — a car parked right on the zebra crossing created a traffic jam. A queue of cars to enter and exit formed on the sidewalk. During this time, as seen in the video, people are forced to squeeze between cars while being in the pedestrian zone.

In addition to violating traffic rules, this situation is dangerous for people — at any moment, a driver may start moving, turn, or back up next to a person who has nowhere else to go. This is especially dangerous for children, and there are quite a few of them near the stadium.

There was no reaction from the Tashkent Traffic Management Center to Gazeta's first article.

This problem does not require a multi-billion-soum project.

It is necessary to block cars from entering the pedestrian zone (but to do so competently).

Akkurgan is just one of many streets where neglect of pedestrian interests has become particularly noticeable over the past year.

Parking lots are taking over sidewalks, stops, and green zones; people are forced to maneuver between cars or step onto the roadway.

This is a systemic urban safety problem.

The inability to walk safely near one's home reduces the quality of life and physical activity of city residents, and in the long run, increases state healthcare expenditures. Retail, catering, and services suffer — they need not only parking spaces for customers but also pedestrian traffic — and the city's attractiveness for both residents and tourists declines.