36 Steps Towards Safety: A Concept to Reduce Road Accidents Presented in Pavlodar
The Kazakhstan Association of Urbanists Q88 presented a roadmap designed to modernize the transport system of Pavlodar and make it safer. The project, which was named "Vision Zero Pavlodar", is going to start next year.
The concept of reducing the accident rate on the roads of the regional center was presented to the Akim of Pavlodar region Abylkair Skakov by the head of the Kazakhstan Association of Urbanists Q88 Yerlan Aukenov. The speaker noted that it is built on the principles of zero tolerance for road accidents and places the responsibility for road safety on those who design, build and maintain roads.
“Almost every day we see news headlines about this or that fatal accident, taking it for granted,” said Yerlan Aukenov. “Local authorities put up with what is happening, considering the road users themselves to be guilty of the accidents. Although the global trend is such that it is necessary to change the procedural approaches in this direction.
The Vision Zero Pavlodar project, which is being implemented with the support of ERG, has included 36 different steps. Among them are the improvement of projects to repair the streets of Pavlodar in 2022. Experts are ready to give their recommendations on their correct arrangement within the budget allocated for the reconstruction of the city's roadways. In addition, the authors of the concept consider it necessary to equip islands of safety and anti-pockets at unregulated pedestrian crossings on streets with four or more lanes. At the same time, it is proposed to reorganize the traffic pattern at the most problematic intersections of the regional center.
“There are 916 intersections in Pavlodar and 33% of all road accidents occur at 12 of them,” continued the head of the Kazakhstan Association of Urbanists Q88. - In this case, we are talking not only about changing the contours of the road. It will be necessary to make changes to the infrastructure of intersections: network diagrams, lighting and traffic lights.
Also, the Roadmap assumes the installation of additional lighting on the roads of Pavlodar, adjusting the time of switching it on and off, reducing visual elements along the roadways, developing parking spaces and much more. In general, the concept was approved, however, the head of the region demanded that this document be "grounded" as much as possible to the current realities of the road transport system of Pavlodar. Akim instructed to proceed to the implementation of the project next year in those areas where repair or reconstruction is planned.
“Overloaded roads in front of schools, imperceptible pedestrian crossings, trees that visually interfere with road users - I myself see all these problems almost every day,” said Abylkair Skakov. “It is important for us to show the residents of the regional center how the situation on the roads will change after the implementation of “Vision Zero Pavlodar”. In the short term, our challenge is to balance the interests of pedestrians and drivers on our roads.
As noted in the Kazakhstan Association of Urbanists Q88, the implementation of the proposed concept is for the most part possible without large financial investments. Over the next few weeks, independent experts and city officials should agree on all proposals and begin practical work.
Press service of the akim of Pavlodar region
Photo by Valery Bugaev