Shawarbeh reviews GAM strategic plan for 2022-2026

AMMAN — Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh on Wednesday reviewed the strategic plan of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) for 2022-2026.

During a meeting held at the Hussein Cultural Centre, Shawarbeh said that the strategy took into consideration the Royal directives to the government, GAM and other state institutions, where every project in the strategy has its own identification card that shows cost, finance resource, goals and implementation period, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The mayor said that GAM “from now on” will not add any vehicle that works with traditional fuel (diesel or gasoline) to its fleet. 

Replying to journalists, he said that GAM is scheduled in mid-July to begin an experimental operation for the second fleet of buses, part of the bus rapid transit (BRT) project that will reach to the Al Mahatta area, noting that there is currently a temporary station in the area.

The strategic plan that GAM launched includes 212 projects and initiatives to realise 15 strategic purposes and 30 strategic goals with a total cost of JD918 million, according to Petra.

The strategy includes establishing new parks with an area of up to 635,000 square metres, increasing green cover per capita from 3.18 square metres to five square metres, increasing the number of Amman buses to 286 through buying 136 new buses and 15 electric buses.

It also entails implementing traffic improvements and solutions for various intersections within the first and second phases of the BRT project with a total length of 50 kilometres at a cost of JD281 million.

The plan includes establishing a facility to treat and recycle waste and to produce energy and fertilisers, in addition to preparing a comprehensive blueprint to develop services and infrastructure in areas within east and south Amman.

The strategy seeks to meet the increasing needs of citizens, develop public facilities and public transport services, civil planning, clean and sustainable environment and the rule of law.

It conforms to the national goals, and the goals of the sustainable development and the Economic Modernisation Vision, and is based on four main aspects related to the quality of life and environment: Transport, traffic solutions and infrastructure; investment; and legislation.

The aspect of the quality of life and environment includes several projects, mainly establishing new parks and rehabilitating existing ones with a total value of JD44 million over five years as of 2022.

This aspect also includes the Amman: Smart City project that includes 10 schemes to enhance the competitive ability and efficiency of the city in relying on civil data in the real time with the use of the Internet. 

As for the transport, traffic solutions and infrastructure part, it includes several ventures, such as launching the public transport strategy for the next 10 years 2022-2032, which includes the implementation of the BRT-Phase 2, and expanding public transport services.

This aspect also includes the BRT buses in its second phase, which entails designing and implementing the infrastructure of the four tracks of the BRT project with a length of 50 kilometres at a cost of JD210 million. 

Meanwhile, the investment aspect includes several projects, such as the car estate, a project that aims at bringing together agencies of selling new and used cars in one area, where the venture will be implemented in Al Madouneh over a plot of 900,000 square metres at a cost of JD70 million.

As for the legislation aspect, it requires amending and issuing new laws, such as the traffic, cities and villages, and buildings and lands laws, in addition to a bylaw for planning and zoning of Amman to match the goals of the strategy and modernisation requirements.