The ELS Independent Research Center plans to carry out the Round table on the topic “Who is responsible for low culture of pedestrian?» On December 19, 2006 in the International Press centre from 11:00 A.M. till 1:00 P.M. Representatives of the Cabinet, Milli Mejlis (parliament), executive authority of districts of Baku, corresponding ministries and departments, experts, non – governmental organizations and journalists were invited and participated in action.
The purpose of carrying out the action is discussion of the problems connected with lack of organization and safety of pedestrian cross on the basis of results of monitoring, lead by the Center. On action the presentation of the conducted monitoring with demonstration of photo materials will be presented.
According to official data recently in Baku the number of road and transport incidents has considerably increased. The conducted monitoring allows to consider as a principal cause of it the absence of satisfactory conditions for safe cross of pedestrians as during research lacks of the organization of pedestrian movement on roads, unsatisfactory condition of an infrastructure have been revealed. Absence of the precise organization and the due control over responsible structures promotes formation of the scornful attitude to observance of safety rules of traffic from pedestrians, result of that is that in road and transport incidents of hundred people perish or receive wounds.
Besides absence of the appropriate organization for maintenance of cleanliness and the order in city streets does not promote the careful attitude of pedestrians and formation of feeling the responsibility for city in which they live. The generation which considers as a norm everything that surrounds them today grows, and does not possess necessary knowledge for competent and cultural behavior in streets. All this also prevents formation at numerous foreign visitors of capital of image of Baku, as the modern megacity corresponding the international standards.
On the basis of results of monitoring, as well as other collected information (the opinion of independent experts, results of polls among the population, monitoring of municipal economy, the information of the nongovernmental organizations etc.) are revealed following important problems of municipal economy:
1. Problems with the organization of pedestrian cross at transition of a cross part of streets
– An unsatisfactory design of the constructed dividing strips: high stones of borders of 20-25 sm in places of foot paths that makes them inconvenient for pedestrians and for some categories like elderly or invalids, and at all absolutely impassable;
– A chaotic arrangement of ground pedestrian paths, frequently in distance from traffic existing in a given place, at times absolutely senseless, at times for attraction of visitors in shops, banks, etc.;
– An unsatisfactory condition of foot strips, basic part of which is very strongly erased and is badly distinguished even in daylight.
– Absence of strips for transition of road by pedestrians in the put places;
– Creation of conditions for transition by the pedestrian of road in unforeseen place for this purpose – plates of a pedestrian path without drawing foot strips;
– Creation of conditions for road and transport incidents by creation of conditions for illegal transition of a travel part of road plates of a ground foot path at presence of underground pass;
– The unsatisfactory organization of safe pedestrian movement on crossroads with intensive movement of vehicles, there is not provided time for crossing street by the pedestrian;
2. Problems with the organization of foot movement on sidewalks
– An unsatisfactory kind of sidewalks, many of which demand repair and are unsafe for pedestrians;
– Absence of any concept in registration of sidewalks in city, therefore streets seem patched;
– Uncontrolled and not always registration of sites of sidewalks corresponding safety requirements from owners of the objects located on these sites;
– Use of sidewalks by trading objects that narrows pass and complicates movement of pedestrians, forcing them to move on crossing parts;
– Use of sidewalks for parking of cars which complicates movement of pedestrians and is the reason of fast deterioration of covering sidewalks;
– Capture of sidewalks for the period of construction of high-altitude houses without the organization of safe pass for pedestrians (the organization of the fenced pass with a canopy);
– Absence of urns for dust in city streets becomes everywhere the reason of transformation of sidewalks in garbage dumps;
– Installation of garbage tanks on active parts of streets, narrowing them, creates additional complexities for movement of vehicles and gives a modest kind to the street;
3. Problems with the organization of an infrastructure (bus stops)
– Absence of the precise organization of a choice of places for stops of buses, and also the control over observance by drivers of the scheme of movement. Therefore buses stop under the first requirement of passengers, creating threat to traffic and safety of passengers;
– The unsatisfactory organization of places of expectation of buses by passengers – either does not present them in general, or are established with patent defects;
– Presence of too big number different, not giving beauty to city, designs of bus stops and necessity of repair of many of them;
– Practically all bus stops do not provide comfort and safety of passengers expecting transport;
– The ELS Independent Research Center considers that many from listed above problems can be solved in short terms. And only after making decision on these problems and carrying out of the actions directed on informing of the population about rules of traffic, it is possible and it is necessary to put into practice the rigid sanctions providing fines and other kinds of punishments. Only in this case it will be possible to provide safety of pedestrians, to reduce number of road and transport incidents and to give to city a worthy and presentable kind.
