pedestrian survey: identifying pedestrian knowledge, perceptions of … · 2019. 7. 4. · amak...
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Figure1.Photocredit:www.pedbikeimages.org/DanGelinne
PedestrianSurvey:Identifyingpedestrianknowledge,perceptionsofandattitudesonroadsafetyinBaku
Baku,Azerbaijan
2016-2017
TheNationalAutomobileClubofAzerbaijan
(AMAK)
8GurbanKhalilovstr.WellingtonHeights,
BlockABaku,Azerbaijan
Hotline:*5858
Office:[email protected]
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AcronymsAMAK AzərbaycanMilliAvtomobilKlubu–TheNational
AutomobileClubofAzerbaijanAZN AzerbaijaniManat(nationalcurrencyofAzerbaijan)EASST EuropeanAllianceforSafeandSustainableTransportFIA TheFédérationInternationaledel'Automobile
(InternationalAutomobileFederation)NGO Non-governmentalorganisationSME(s) Subject-matterexpert(s)UN UnitedNations
WHO WorldHealthOrganisation
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AcknowledgementsThestudyonroadsafetyandpedestrianneedsassessmentwasmadepossibleduetothesupportbytheEuropeanAllianceforSafeandSustainableTransport(EASST).
AMAKwouldliketoextenditsgratitudetoabroadarrayofcollaboratorswhohavecontributedtothesuccessfuldeliveryoftheproject.Thestudymissionappreciatesthetediousworkofthefollowingdatacollectionspecialists,whoadministeredpedestriansurveys:ValehIsmayilov,ZumrudAkbarova,AhmadMansurov,MehribanNasibova,SamirAhmadov,andRuslanGuliyev.Additionally,FatimaMahmudovaandAsmetQulu-zadehhelpedwithcodinganddataentry.AMAKisthankfultoYuliyaAliyevaforherimmensecontributiontothedevelopmentofresearchmethodologyandquestionnairedesign,toProjectConsultantBayazZeynalovaforhervaluablefeedbackthroughouttheprojectimplementation,includingadviceontheexecutionofthequantitativetools,trainingofsurveyors,inadditiontoherdirectinvolvementingeneratingSPSSoutputsforstatisticalanalysesofthesurveyfindings,incollaborationwithSeymurJavadov.ResearchSupervisorArzuJafarlioversawtheoverallresearchmission,providingguidancetotheteamofdatacollectionspecialists,developedthestrategyofqualitativeresearchmethodsandsummarisedfindingsofthestudyinthefinalreport.
Particularthanksaredueforthefollowingparticipantsofthein-depthexpertinterviews,fortakingthetimetomeetwithourstudyteamandsharetheirthoughtsandexpertiseonthebroaderissuesofroadsafetyandpedestrians’roadcrossingdecisions:roadsafetyexpertAzerAllahveranov(“Hayat”HumanitarianNGO),KamranAliyev(HeadoftheDepartmentofPublicRelationsofStateRoadPolice),AgilRahimov(drivertrainingexpert),andtwoindependentinternationaltransportandroadsafetyconsultantswhowishedtheirnamestobekeptconfidential.
Lastly,AMAKwouldliketoacknowledgeeachandeveryoneofthe1200respondentsforthetimeandinitiativetheytooktogivetheirfeedbackonthesurveyquestionnaires,withoutwhichtherestoftheresearchwouldnothavebeenpossible.
Opinionsexpressedinthisreportarethoseofauthorsandmaynotnecessarilyreflecttheofficialpositionoftheorganizationstheyrepresentedatthetimeoftheinterview.
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ExecutiveSummarySecureroads,plannedinfrastructure,andsafetyofabroadarrayofroadusers,includingpedestriansanddrivers,areimperativesofahealthyanddemocraticsociety.Unfortunately,theglobaldemandforsafemobilityofpedestrians,vehicles,driversandpassengershavenotbeenfullymetandremainaredflagformanycountriesworldwide,whereasmorealarmingstatisticsonpedestrianfatalitiesandvehiclecrashes-almost90percentofallroadcasualtiesonaglobalscale-areregisteredinthedevelopingeconomies,althoughtheproblemisnotuniquetolow-incomecountriesonly.Someofthemostestablishedhigh-incomedemocraciesoftheglobe,includingtheUnitedKingdom,Japan,andNordicCountrieshavebetterroadsafetyperformanceindicatorsthantheothers.Inmostofthedevelopingcountries,however,pedestriansafetyisnotamatterofhighpriorityandgovernmentshaveoftentimesneglectednegativeconsequencesoftrafficcasualties.Toaddressthegapintheresponseleveltoroadsafetytriggersaroundtheglobe,internationaleffortshaverecentlyintensifiedtocallformoreconsolidatedpolicyactionstoreducemortalitytollcausedbyroadaccidents.TheUnitedNationsGeneralAssemblydeclared2011-2020theDecadeofActionforRoadSafetyaimingtofirststabiliseandthenreduceglobalroadtrafficdeaths.Halfwaythroughthismilestone,theroadcrashesandpedestriandeaths,althoughpreventable,stillremainoneofthemajorsocialcrisesofthemodernworld.Nearly1.3millionpeoplearekilledontheworld’sroadseachyear.Tragically,thisnumberincludesapproximately80,000childrenwhodieontheroadseveryyear,oftentimesduringtheircommutetoorfromschool.Studiesshowthat,amongtheroadusers,pedestriansarethemostvulnerableofallandare1.5timesmorelikelytobekilledasaconsequenceofmotorvehicle-involvedaccidentsthancarpassengersoneachcarride.1InAzerbaijan,reportsindicate“trafficaccidentsreachalarminglevel”2.Roadaccidentsplaceaheavyburdenonthecountry’seconomy,butmostimportantly–oneveryindividualhouseholdaffectedinoneoranotherwaybythenegativeeffectoftrafficaccidents.AlimitednumberoforganisationsinAzerbaijan,includingAMAKandalocalNGOHayat,areimplementingcommunityawarenessraisingprojectstoeducatethebroaderpublic,includingschoolteachersandstudentsofroadsafetyregulationsandbestpractices.Observationsshowthatsafetyrulesaremassivelydisregardedbythemajorityofthepopulation.Paradoxicalasitmayseem,thestudyhasrevealedthatpedestriannegligenceofmarkedcrosswalksisnotattributedtothelackofawarenessoftheroadregulationsandparticularlypedestrians’crossingrules.Manyrespondentsshowingdecentlevelofknowledgeofstreetsignsthatallowpedestrianstocrosstheroad,stillreportedtoviolatethesignsandpedestriancrossingregulations.Asagrowingbulkofevidencecallsforabroaderconsolidationofeffortsfromthegovernment,lawmakers,community-basedorganisationsandcivilsociety,worldwide,inordertomoreeffectivelytacklepedestriansafetyconcerns,theNationalAutomobileClubofAzerbaijan(AMAK)hastappedintooneofthemostoverlookedsegmentsofpedestriansafety–thelackofempiricalevidenceinthisarea.Inordertoadviseonfuturepolicyreformsandproposeand/ordesigneffectiveprograminterventionsaimedatimprovingroadsafetywhileeliminatingpedestrianfatalities,AMAKdeployedaresearchmissiontoconductastudyonroadsafetyandpedestrianneedsassessmentinthecapitalBaku.Theresearchmethodologyentailedamixedmethodsapproach,usingqualitativeandquantitativetoolstoexaminepedestrians’knowledge,perceptionsandattitudeswithrespecttoroadsafety.Pedestriansurveyswereconductedamong1200individualsin12designatedareasofthecitycomplementedby5in-depthinterviewswithsubject-matterexpertstogather
1BeckLF,DellingerAM,O’NeilME.Motorvehiclecrashinjuryratesbymodeoftravel,UnitedStates:Usingexposure-basedmethodstoquantifydifferences.AmJEpidemiol2007;166:212–218.2http://www.azernews.az/nation/63321.html
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relevantknowledgeontheroadsafetysituationinAzerbaijanandidentifyimplicationsforfuturepolicypracticesinthisarea.
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TableofContents
PEDESTRIANSURVEY:IDENTIFYINGPEDESTRIANKNOWLEDGE,PERCEPTIONSOFANDATTITUDESONROADSAFETYINBAKU 1
ACRONYMS 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3
EXECUTIVESUMMARY 4
INTRODUCTION 7
NATIONALAUTOMOBILECLUBOFAZERBAIJAN 7GLOBALROADSAFETYTRENDS 8GENERALOVERVIEWOFTHESITUATIONWITHPEDESTRIANSAFETYINAZERBAIJAN 9PROJECTOBJECTIVES 11
RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY 11
QUANTITATIVETOOLSANDADMINISTRATION 11QUALITATIVEAPPROACH 12DATACOLLECTION 13
FINDINGS 13
SURVEYANALYSES 13IN-DEPTHINTERVIEWRESULTS 33
LIMITATIONSOFTHESTUDY 36
CONCLUSIONANDIMPLICATIONSFORFUTURERESEARCHANDPOLICYMAKING 37
SOCIALMOBILITYANDINCLUSION 37PUBLICAWARENESS 37INFRASTRUCTURALREFORMS 38TIGHTENINGOFENFORCEMENTMEASURES 39SAFETY 39DIGITALINNOVATIONS 40
BIBLIOGRAPHY 41
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IntroductionNationalAutomobileClubofAzerbaijanTheNationalAutomobileClubofAzerbaijan(AMAK)isaregisterednon-profitorganisationoperatinginAzerbaijanandspecialisingatprovidingfull-scaleroadsideassistance,motoringadvicealongwithexclusivebenefitstotheclubmembers.AmemberoftheInternationalAutomobileFederation(FIA),AMAKisdevotedtopromotingthecultureofcar,self-driveandtouringclubsaspartofculturaltourisminthecountryandstandsfortheinterestsofdriversandthebroadercommunityofroadusers,advocatingforpolicychangesattheupperhierarchiesofthenationalgovernment.
HavingjoinedtheEuropeanAllianceforSafeandSustainableTransport(EASST)asapartnerin2016,AMAKhasbeenactivelypromotingroadsafetyviadifferenteducationalandresearchprojectsaimingtoimprovetheroadsafetycultureamongdriversandpedestriansinAzerbaijanandfosterparticipatoryinvolvementandcollaborationofrelevantgovernmentagencies(includinglawenforcementauthoritiesandstatehealthcareagencies),civilsocietyorganisation,educationalinstitutions(universities,schools,kindergartens)andmassmedia.
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GlobalroadsafetytrendsTheglobaloutlookonpedestrians’roadsafety,accordingtopublisheddata,isdisquietingandnotveryoptimistic.Therecenteditionoftheannuallyconductedroadsafetyreport3statedthateachyearmorethan1.2millionspeoplearoundtheworlddieinaroadfatality.Despitegrowingeffortstostabilizetheroadtrafficenvironment,especiallyinbigmetropolitanareas,andtomoderniseinner-cityandintercityroadinfrastructuresacrossthecountriesofdevelopedeconomiesandemergingmarkets,trendsinfatalitiesamongpedestriansremainalarming.Whilethereisremarkableimprovementinthedriverperformanceindicators,includingcaroccupants’safetyacross32selectedcountries4intheAmericas,Europe,Oceania,Africa,andAsia,whereprogresswasassessedtowardssafetystandards,theamountofpedestrianskilledinroadcrashesincreasedinanumberofcountries.Inthelong-termanalysisofsafetyandmortality,theprevalenceofroadfatalitieshasdecreasedinmanycountriesaroundtheglobeduringthelastdecade,withsomecountries,liketheUnitedStates,evennotingarecorddropinroaddeathandinjurytollsin60years5,whilein32IRTADcountriesthatnumberfellby42%between2000and2014.Whiletakenasastandalonefactor,thesefiguresobviouslyshowsignificantimprovementofglobalroadsafetypatterns,whichexpertsattributetosystemicimplementationofholisticreforms,infrastructuraldevelopment,combinedpublichealthefforts,trainingofdrivers,publicawarenessamongpedestrianandthegeneralpublicaswellaseconomicgrowth.However,theshort-termanalysesoftheroadcollisionsandpedestriantraumamanagement,preciselyonayear-by-yearbasis,revealadeclineintheroadandpedestriansafetyoutcomesinrecentyears.Forinstance,eventhoughtheincidenceofroadfatalitiesin32IRTADcountriesfellbynearly9percentbetween2010and2014,theroaddeathtollskyrocketedinnearly60percentofthesecountriesin2015.Amongalltheroadusers,pedestriansaremostatriskofbeinginjuredorkilledduringtheircommute.Whileroadmanagementhasseenmajorprogressivedevelopmentsoverthecourseofthelasttwodecades,reportsonpedestrianfatalitysaythat“seventy-fourpercentofpedestrian-vehiclecrashesoccurwherenotrafficcontrolexists”6.
Themajorityofpedestriandeathoccurrenceshappeninurbansettingsasopposedtoruralareaslessexposedtoheavytrafficcongestionthanbigcities.Additionally,theWHOreportindicatedthatnearly90percentofroadcasualtiesoccurredinlow-incomeandmiddle-incomecommunities.Evenindevelopedcountries,statisticaldatashowsthatpeoplefromeconomicallylessfortunatefamiliesandbackgroundsareathigherriskofroadinjuryordeath.Pedestrianriskfactorsvaryfromcountrytocountry,buttherearesomekeybasiccommonalities.Assuch,researchsuggeststhatingeneral,childrenandelderlyaremostfrequentvictimsofroadtrafficinjuriesandothermorenegativecircumstances.7Roadtrafficinjuriesaretheprimarycauseofdeathamongyoungpeopleage15-298andthesecondleadingcauseofinjuryanddeathamongpeople65and
3ITF(2016),“Executivesummary”,inRoadSafetyAnnualReport2016,OECDPublishing,Paris.DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/irtad-2016-4-en4The32countriesarememberstatesunitedundertheInternationalRoadTrafficandAccidentDatabase(IRTAD)oftheInternationalTransportForum(ITF/OECD)Source:ITF(2016).Seeabove.5AlertDriving(December,2010).U.S.trafficfatalitiesfalltolowestlevelin60years.http://channel.staging.alertdriving.com/home/fleet-alert-magazine/north-america/us-traffic-fatalities-fall-lowest-level-60-years6Heinonen,J.A.andEck,J.E.(2007).CenterforProblem-OrientedPolicing.PedestrianInjuriesandFatalities.GuideN51,p.3http://www.popcenter.org/problems/pedestrian_injuries/7TowardsZeroDeathhttp://www.towardzerodeaths.org/wp-content/uploads/Draft_TZD_White_Paper_5_Vulnerable_Users.pdf8WHOMediaCenter(ReviewedSeptember2016).RoadTrafficInjuries.Factsheethttp://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs358/en/
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older9
Understandingpedestrianperceptionsandbehaviouralchoicesisessentialtotheanalysisoftheroadtrafficsafetydiscourse.Recentstudiessuggestthatunsafepedestrianbehaviouristheprimarycauseofinjuriesandfatalities10.Inastudy11thatlookedat7,000casesofpedestrian-vehiclecrashesinFlorida,USA,80percentofcaseswerecausedbypedestrians’actions.Asimilarstudy12thatanalysedpolicereportoncrashdatafromtheperiodbetween1997and2000inNorthCarolinarevealedthat59percentofinjuriesandfatalconsequenceswereattributedtopedestrians’fault,whereasin36percentofcrashesdriverswereatfault,and,finally,bothdriversandpedestrianswerefoundatfaultinonly9percentofcases.However,thesefindingsarenotadequatelyperceivedandhavebeenmetbyfiercecontroversyandcriticismonmostsocialmediaaccounts.Somearguethatmostfatalitiesinvolvingpedestriansoccurbecauseofthepoorroaddesignofmosturbansettingsthatarestrictlydriver-andvehicle-oriented,butdonotaccommodateapedestrianflow.Othersclaimthatdriverinattentionandtheirfailuretoyieldresultinnegativeandirreversibleoutcomesforpedestrians.
Inspiteoftangibleeffortstominimisetheincidenceandprevalenceofroadtrafficfatalities,roadcrashesremainmajorcatalystofdeathamongpedestriansinmanycountriesoftheworldand,therefore,theneedsofpedestriansacrosstheglobemustbecloselylookedatandaddressedsufficientlyandholistically.Ifnotangiblemeasuresaretaken,theWHOpredictsroadcrashestoincreaserapidlyoverthecourseofthenextcoupleofyearsandbecometheseventhleadingcauseofmortalityintheworldby203013.
GeneraloverviewofthesituationwithpedestriansafetyinAzerbaijanTheWHOGlobalstatusreportonroadsafety2015statesthat31percentofroadcrashesinvolvingpedestriansresultedintheirdeath,thesecondmostat-riskcategoryofroadusersinAzerbaijan,followedbycaroccupantswhoconstitute36percentofannualroaddeathtolls14.
Despitethegovernment’sbesteffortstoimplementpoliciesthatwouldsignificantlyreducetheincidenceandprevalenceofroadfatalities,therehasnotbeenmeaningfulprogressinthepreventionoftrafficcrashesduringtherecentyearsinAzerbaijan,althoughthenumberofroaddeathtollsregisteredin2016hadslightlydroppedincomparisonwithpreviousyears.TheBakuRoadPolicereport15hasrevealedthetotalof1,848road-trafficaccidentsregisteredacrossthecountryforthelast11monthsof2016,whichis9.1%lessthanthenumberofroadcrashesthatoccurredin2015.Ofthetotalamountofcrashesperyear,621wereregisteredinthecapitalBakuin2016.Thereportshowsthat43%oftheroad-trafficcrashesinvolvedpedestriancrashes9EUNESE.Factsheet:PreventionofRoadTrafficInjuriesamongElderly.http://www.injuryobservatory.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/OlderRoad-Guide-Prevention-of-Road.pdf10Heinonen,J.A.andEck,J.E.(2007).CenterforProblem-OrientedPolicing.PedestrianInjuriesandFatalities.GuideN51http://www.popcenter.org/problems/pedestrian_injuries/11Lee,C.andAbdel-Aty,M.(2005).Comprehensiveanalysisofvehicle–pedestriancrashesatintersectionsinFlorida.AccidentAnalysis&Prevention.Volume37,Issue4,Pages775–78612Ulfarsson,G.L.etal(2010).Analyzingfaultinpedestrian–motorvehiclecrashesinNorthCarolina.AccidentAnalysis&Prevention.Volume42,Issue6,Pages1805–181313WHOMediaCenter(ReviewedSeptember2016).RoadTrafficInjuries.Factsheethttp://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs358/en/14WHO(2015).Globalstatusreportonroadsafety2015http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2015/en/15http://dyp.gov.az/?/en/news/view/599/
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leaving283pedestriansdeadand591injured.Allinall,49childrenandteenagersdiedand181wereinjuredasaconsequenceofthecrashesregisteredacrossthecountry.
Otherfatalitiestackledbythereportentailed12,8%ofaccidents,including238crashes,with54personsdeadand278injuredthathappenedduetotheviolationofroadtrafficrulesrelatedtopassingthecross-roads,and1,8%or34accidentsleaving15deadand32injuredduetodrunkdriving.Whiledrunkdrivingconstitutesaconsiderableportionofworldwideroadfatalities,wherereportedlyeverytwominutesapersonisinjuredinanalcohol-impairedroadcasualty16,Azerbaijan,accordingtotheBakuRoadPolicedata,hasbeenlittleaffectedbythisproblem.TheWHO2015countryreport17,however,hasstated31percentofroadtrafficfatalitiesinAzerbaijaninvolveddrink-driving,asdetectedbyrandombreathtestingandpolicecheckpoints.TheAzerbaijanigovernmenthasoveryearsstrengthenedpunitivemeasuresagainstdriversandpedestrians,whodonotabidewithtrafficsafetyregulations,byimposingincreasedpenaltiesandfinestoreducetheincidenceandprevalenceoftrafficcrashesinthecountry.OneoftherecentdevelopmentsinthisareaisthelawbillsubmittedbytheStateRoadPolicetotheNationalParliament(MilliMajlis),whichofferstoincreasepenaltiesimposedonindividuals,whocrosstheroadbyillegallyjumpingoversteelconcretepartitionsinstalledontheroadwayswithhighspeedlimits,fivefoldtoassumetheproposedamountofAZN100intotal.ThebilliscurrentlyunderreviewattheMilliMajlisandisexpectedtobefurtherdiscussedduringthespringplenarysession.Forallothertypesofpedestrianjaywalking,theamountoffineisproposedtoremainasis-AZN20.
Overall,toenhanceimprovedroadsafetyacrossthecountry,thegovernmentofAzerbaijanhasundertakenanumberofmeaningfulactions.AzerbaijanjoinedtheDecadeofActionforRoadSafety(2011-2020)inMay2011.Inrecentyears,thelawenforcementmechanismspertainingtolaw-abidingactionsandbehaviourbyallparticipantsoftrafficmovementhavebecomemorerigorousandstrict.DespitethelackofsufficientinfrastructuretoensurepedestriansafetythroughouttheentirecityofBaku,thecountryhasseentremendousimprovementofthepublictransportsystemandroadinfrastructureincomparisonwithadecadeago.Inkeepingwiththecommitmenttoimprovetheroadsafetymeasuresinthecapitalofthecountry,in2015thePresidentofAzerbaijansignedadecreeontheestablishmentofanewtransportagencyundertheCabinetofMinisters-theBakuTransportAgency(BTA).BTAassumestheoverallcontroloverthecompliancewiththeroadregulationsandisresponsiblefortheeffectivemanagementofpedestrianandpublictransportflowintheadministrativeterritoryofthecity.Lookingatthebusstop,metroconnectionandvehicleroutesasanintegratedenvironment,theBakuTransportAgencyaimstoredesigntheexistingsysteminaneffectiveandefficientmannertoensureasafepedestrianinfrastructure.TheAgencyisalsoresponsiblefortheIntellectualTransportManagementCentre(previouslyundertheauthorityoftheTransportMinistry).AnothersignificantdevelopmentintheroadsafetysysteminAzerbaijanistheestablishmentoftheRoadSafetyWorkingGroupappointedtodevelopaNationalRoadSafetyPlanfor2017-2020.
Nevertheless,thesemeasureshavenotprovedtobethepanaceaforroadcrashes,whilepedestrianfatalitiesremainaprimaryconcernforroadsafetyinthecountry.
16NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministration.“TheEconomicandSocietalImpactOfMotorVehicleCrashes,2010.”NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministration,May2014,DOTHS812013.http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf.17WHOGlobalStatusReportonRoadSafety2015http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2015/en/
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ProjectobjectivesInviewofgrowinginteresttowardsaccurateroadsafetydatacollectionprocess,roadtrafficstrategiesandtrendsinpedestrianbehaviour,existinggapsinroadsafetydataandtheneedforevidence-baseddecisionmaking,AMAKhasinitiatedaresearchprojecttoassessoneofthemostvulnerablesegmentsofroadusers–pedestrians-inthecapitalcityofAzerbaijan.Thisreportisanattempttotakeacloserlookatsomeofthemostpressingriskfactorsalongwithmechanismsfortheirmitigationinordertoinformfuturepolicyactionsandcivilsocietyinitiatives.Thepurposeofthestudywastoanalysethegapsinpedestrianroadsafety,identifyingpedestrians’needsthatwouldhelptoimprovepedestrianandroadsafety,aswellastoproposepotentialinterventionmechanisms.Basedonfindingsoftheproject,theresearchteamhasdevelopedalistofrecommendationsforrelevantgovernmentagencies.
Thestudyonroadsafetyandpedestrianneedsassessmentaimedtoinvestigatepedestrians’knowledge,attitudesandbehaviourwithregardstoroadsafetyinAzerbaijan,inparticularaboutsaferoadcrossingthroughamixofqualitativeandquantitativemethodologies.Aspartoftheproject,1200pedestrianshavebeensurveyedin12districtsofBakuinJune2016.ThisprojectisthefirstandonlyresearchinitiativeonroadsafetyimplementedinAzerbaijantodate,withthelargestsamplingsizecovered.
ResearchMethodologyQuantitativetoolsandadministrationForthepurposesofquantitativedatacollection(surveys),AMAK,inconsultationwiththeBakuRoadPoliceDepartment,hasidentifiedthelocationoftheinterviewmissionacrossthecity’s12districts18asjunctionsofthehighestpedestriandensity,primarilynearmajorpedestriancrossings.Thefulllistofdistrictsislistedbelow:
1. 28Mallarea2. AzerbaijanDramaTheater"Beshmertebe"area3. Ahmadlidistrict/8thKilometreGrandBazaararea4. “Nizami”Cinemapedestriancrossings5. "20thJanuary"/Baku“Velotrek”bicycleracecoursearea6. “Khatai”metrostationarea7. AzerbaijanTechnicalUniversityarea8. BakuFountainsSquare9. "Yashilbazar"GrandMarketarea10. BakuBoulevard11. Sabunchu-Zabratresidences12. NobelAvenue
Interviewerswereinstructedtoapproachpedestriansrandomlywithaquestionnairethatcovered17questionsingeneralandassumedtotake6to7minutestosurveyonerespondent.Ineachofthetwelvedistricts,100respondentstookpartinthesurvey.Toadministertheinterviews,6peoplewerehiredto18Districtsareusedheretoreferto12selectedareasacrossthecity.Thetermusedthroughoutthereportdoesnotstandforanadministrativedivisionmanagedbythecitygovernment
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conductthesurveys,witheachsurveyorbeingresponsiblefortwodesignateddistrictsand200questionnairesorintervieweesperarea.Overall,1200peopleparticipatedinthepedestrianinterview.
QualitativeapproachInthequalitativephase,theassessmentofthecurrentstateofroadsafetyandpedestrians’perceptionofpersonalsafetyatroadcrossingswasconductedusingin-depthinterviewtechniques.Qualitativetoolsofferaddedinsightstofindingsofquantitativesurveymethodsandareutilisedwithinthisstudytocomplementamorethoroughassessmentofperceptions,behaviouralmodels,attitudesaswellasunmetneedsforeffectiveandefficientroadsafetyinterventionsintheAzerbaijanicontext.
Intheframeworkofthecurrentneedsassessmentproject,thetotaloffivein-depthinterviewswereheld.
Eachexpertwasaskedtorespondtothegroupofquestionslistedbelow.Priortoeachinterview,SMEswereprovidedwiththepreliminarypedestriansurveyresultsfeaturedingraphsandcharts.
1. CanyoudescribethecurrentsituationwithregardstopedestrianroadsafetyinAzerbaijan?Whatactivitiesistheorganizationthatyouarerepresentingrightnowimplementinginthisregard?
2. Inyouropinion,whatarethemainpedestrianroadsafetyproblemsinBakuandhow,doyouthink,theycanbeeliminated?
3. Thereareundergroundandover-groundpedestrianpasses,zebracrossingsandtrafficlightsinmanyareasinBaku.However,despitealloftheabove,manypedestriansdonotusethisinfrastructure.Inyouropinion,whatshouldgovernmentinstitutionsdoinordertoimprovepedestrians’behaviour(inparticularoncrossingtheroad)?
4. Wetalkedabouttheroleofgovernmentagencies.Whataboutpublicunions,media,educationalinstitutions,businesses–whatdoyouthinktheyshouldbedoingandhowtheyshouldbecontributingtoensuringpedestrianroadsafety?
5. Whatisthemainreasonofroadaccidentsthatinvolvepedestrians?Whoisguilty–driversorpedestrians?
6. Inyouropinion,whatisthelevelofknowledgeofpedestriansonroadsafety?
7. Whatneedstobedonetoeducatepedestriansonroadsafetyandwhichorganizationsshouldbedoingthis?
8. Whatdoyouthinkaboutmakingpedestrianand/ordriverpenaltiesstricterinordertodecreasethenumberofaccidentsinvolvingpedestrians?
9. Please,shareyourthoughtsabouteffectivenessofinterventionmethodslikeinstallingmorecamerasandspeedradars,speedbumpsandotherfacilitiesinordertodecreasespeedlimitsontheroads?
10.Whatareyourorganization’s/company’splansforthenextcouplemonthsintermsofimplementingactivitiesthatwoulddecreasethenumberofroadaccidentsinvolvingpedestrians?
Location:
• Baku
Highlights:
• 12hotspotareas,• 100respondentsineav
area
Expertjudgement:
• 5subjewmatterexpertsinterviewed
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DatacollectionAsspecifiedabove,thedatacollectionprocesswasadministeredthroughtwodifferentinterviewtools:
• Quantitativesurveys(pedestrianinterview)and• Qualitativeresearchtechnique(in-depthinterviewingorsubject-matterexpertinterviews)
Duetothedensityoftrafficflowinthecapitalcity,Bakuhasbeenchosenastheprimarytargetareaforthepurposesofthecurrentstudy.Additionally,statisticaldataandobservationsfromkeyactors(roadusers,not-for-profitagencies,media,independentexperts)showmajorityoftrafficfatalitiesoccurinBaku.AccordingtothemostrecentdatareleasedbytheBakuRoadPoliceDepartment,ofthetotalnumberof1,848road-trafficaccidentsregisteredacrossthecountryforthelast11monthsof2016,621accidentshappenedinBakuonly.Inviewofthis,theresearchmissionhasbeendeployedinthecapitalBaku.PedestriansafetyinthesuburbsofAzerbaijanmaybethesubjectoffutureresearchandprograminterventions,however,hasnotbeenstudiedindetailaspartofthecurrentneedsassessmentproject.
Forpedestriansurveys,respondentswereselectedfromamongindividualsatthetimeorbeforecrossingapedestrianpass.Priortothecommencementoftheformaldatacollectionprocess,Interviewershadbeentrainedoverthecourseoftwoworkshop.Pilotquestionnairesweredistributedamong30peopletopre-testtheclarityofthedesignedquestionstorandomlyapproachedindividualsinordertoavoidmisleadingandbiasedanswersaswellastopreventinaccuracyofincomingdata.Basedonthepre-testresults,thequestionnairewasslightlyamendedtoaccommodaterespondents’andsurveyors’feedbackandadjustedtothebestjudgementoftheresearchteam.Datacollectedduringpilotingwasusedsolelyfortestingpurposesandhasnotbeenincludedintheanalysisofthesurveyresults.
Forthein-depthinterviews,thesubjectmatterexpertswereselectedfromadiversearrayofaffiliations,includingthegovernment,anot-for-profitsector,media,andindependentconsultants.Fourinterviewswereorganisedface-tofaceandonein-depthinterviewwasconductedoveraphone.Alloftheinterviewswereaudiorecordedforqualityandreportingpurposes,withpriorverbalconsentobtainedfromeachSMEtobeinterviewed.
FindingsSurveyAnalysesThissectiondetailsallthequestionsaskedalongwithpercentageandspecificsofrespondents’answers.Westartedwithgatheringpersonaldataonstudydemographics,suchasgenderofrespondentsandagegroupthey(wereperceivedto)belongto.SincethesurveywasconductedinBaku,itonlyintendedtocoverthepedestrianpopulationofthecapitalwithoutgoingfurtherintoruralareasofthecountry.However,someoftherespondentsstatedthattheywerevisitingatthetimeoftheinterview.ThedatacollectionteamdidnotrecordanexactnumberorapercentageofpedestrianswhoreportednotbeingBaku-basedresidents.However,theamountofthelatterwasminimal.
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PERSONALDATAOFRESPONDENTS
intotal,1200peoplehaveparticipatedinthesurvey.Amongthem,49percentofrespondentsconstitutedwomenand51percentweremen.
Figure2:Respondents’Gender
Theresearchteamaimedforequalrepresentationofeachagegroupinthesurvey,however,asindicatedinFigure3,seniorpeopleage55andolder,constitutinglessthan10percentofalltherespondentsinterviewed,arenotproportionatelyrepresentedinthefinaldata.Duringfeedbackandsurveyfollow-upmeetingsinterviewerswhoadministeredthesurveysnotedthatmostelderlypedestrianshadrefusedtoparticipateintheinterviewand,toacertaindegree,haddemonstratedscepticismabouttheimportanceandpotentiallypositiveimpactofthesurveyonimprovedroadsafety.Paradoxically,asmentionedinprevioussectionsofthisreport,theelderlypedestriansarefacedwithagreaterriskofbeinginjuredorkilledinatrafficfatalitythanrelativelyyoungerpedestriansandtheresearchteaminitiallyassumedthesamplingsizeofthepopulationgroupintheagecategoryof55andolderwouldbefirmlylarge.However,asseenfromthediagrambelow,thisassumptionprovedtobeslightlyerroneous.
Male51%
Female49%
Q1.GenderofRespondents
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Figure3Respondents'categoriesbyage
Question3askedrespondentswhethertheydroveacar.Thisquestionwasaskedtobetterunderstanddifferences(ifatall)inbehaviouraltrajectoriesofpedestrianswhoalsodriveand,alongwiththeirexperienceaspedestrians,haveadifferentperspectiveonroadsafetywhentheyarecaroccupants.Figure4showsthepercentageofpedestrianswhocandrive,pergender.Only18percentofrespondentssaidtheydrove.Only7percentofwomenrespondentsnotedtheycoulddrive,while29percentofmalerespondentsstatedtheydrove.
Figure4:Respondentsdrivingacar,bygender
Question5askedrespondentshowmanytimestheyhadbeenfinedforviolatingcrossingrules.Nearly67percentofrespondentsstatedtheyhadneverbeenfined,while22.6%revealedthattheyhadbeenfinedonlyonce,whereas9.8percentofallrespondentssaidtheyhadbeenfinedforviolatingroadcrossingregulationsformorethanonce.Contrarytothepopularbeliefandreportsfromaroundtheworldthataseniorpopulationposesagreaterrisktothemovementoftrafficandtendstoviolatethecrossingrules,inthecontextofthecurrentsurveytheelderlypopulationhasreportedamorecompliantbehaviouratmajorcrossingpointsthantheyoungergeneration.Theoverwhelmingmajorityoftheelderlyrespondentsage55andover(94.6%)statedtheyhadneverbeenfinedfortrafficruleviolationsaspedestrians.
33.2% 36.7%
20.8%
9.3%
15-24 25-39 40-55 Above55
Q2.Respondents'agegroups
29% 7%
18%
71% 93%
82%
Male Female Total
Q3.Percentageofmaleandfemalerespondentswhodriveacar
Yes No
-
Figure5:Percentageofrespondentswhohave(not)beenfinedforviolation
Question6wastofindoutwhetherarespondenthaseverbeenhitbyavehicle.Eighty-fivepercentofrespondentshaveneverbeenavictimofavehicle-pedestriancrash.Fifteenpercentoftheinterviewees,however,statedtheyhadbeenhitbyavehicleatsomepointintheirlife.Thequestiondidnotintendtoelaboratefurtheronthefrequencyorthetotalamountoftimesthatrespondentshadencounteredanaccident,wheretheywerestruckbyavehicle.Thechartbelowprovidesthebreakdownforeachresponseoption,bygender.
Astudy19ofroadfatalitiespergenderacrossEU27hasrevealedthatroadmortalityratesarehigheramongmenthanamongfemaleroadusers,notingapproximately51percentoftheEUpopulationarewomen,whileonly24percentofwomenarevictimsofroaddeathsasopposedtomalefatalityratereaching74percent,whereasitisspecifiedthatmostmenfaceroadcasualtieswhiledrivingavehiclewherewomenfatalitiesoccurastheywalkaspedestriansorhappentobeinacaraspassengers.ThesurveyconductedamongAzerbaijanirespondentshasnot,however,revealedsignificantdifferencesinincidenceandprevalenceratebetweenmenandwomenbeinghitbyacar.ThecurrentsurveyalsorulesoutstatisticallysignificantgroundsforhypothesizingthatinAzerbaijanmen,regardlessofage,arehitbycarmoreoftenthanwomen,assuggestedbytheUSDepartmentofTransportationstudy20.
19Riskontheroads:amaleproblem?Theroleofgenderinroadsafetyhttp://archive.etsc.eu/documents/Flash25_Gender.pdf20SustainableStreets:2013andBeyondhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2013-dot-sustainable-streets.pdf
67.6% 65.1% 70.2%
22.6% 25.4% 19.8% 9.8% 9.5% 10.1%
TotalMaleFemale
Q5.HowmanytimeshaveyoubeenfinedNever Once Morethanonce
-
Figure6:Percentageofrespondentswhohave(not)beenhitbyacar
ATTITUDESANDBEHAVIORS
Thefollowinggroupofquestionsseektomeasurepedestrian’sattitudesandbehavioursinordertobetterunderstandtheirroadcrossinghabitsanddecisionsastowhetherornottheyfollowsafetyguidelinesandresistoractivelyavoiddangerwhilewalkingduringtheirdailycommute.
Question7reads:“Whenyouneedtocrossthestreet,howoftendoyousearchfortrafficlightsorpedestriancrossings?”Thisisamultiplechoicequestionandoffersanarrayofresponseoptions.Classifiedbygender,theresponsesforbothgendersegmentsaltogetherwereasfollows:1)everytimeIwalk-46%;2)mostofthetime–42%;3)hardlyever–9%;and4)never–3%.ThebreakdownoftheresponsesisshowninFigure7below.
15%
19%
11%
85%
80%
89%
Total
Male
Female
Q6.Haveyoueverbeenhitbyavehicle?
Yes No
-
Figure7:Percentageofrespondentswho(donot)searchforstreetlights/crossings
Wetriedtoanalyseiftherewasanycorrelationbetweenpedestrianswithabilitytodriveandtheirinclinationtoseekforstreetlightsbeforecrossingastreetaspedestrians(notas/whiletheydrive,perse).Thesurveydatasuggeststhatindeed,55%ofrespondentswhodrivesearchfortrafficlightsand/orpedestriancrossingseverytimetheywalkbeforetheycrossthestreetasopposedto44.6%ofrespondentswhodonotdriveatall.However,furtheranalysisoftheresponsedatadidnotrevealastrongproofofanassumptionthatpeoplewhodrivearemorecarefulpedestrianswhentheywalkoutsideoftheirdrivingroute/schedule.Infact,only31.2%ofdrivingrespondentssaidtheylookedforlightsand/orcrossingsmostofthetime,while43.8%ofthosewhodonotdriveatallstatedtheysoughtstreetsignsandtrafficlightsallowingthemtocross.Eventhoughitisnotruledoutthatmostpeoplewhodrivepayattentiontopedestriansignageduringtheirwalkingcommute,thesurveydatalackssoundgeneralisabilitythatwouldallowtoclaimassertivelythatdrivingindividualsaremoreresponsiblepedestrians.
46%
44%
49%
42%
43%
41%
9%
10%
7%
3%
3%
3%
Total
Male
Female
Q7.Howoften doyou searchfor trafficlights orcrossings
EverytimeIwalk Mostofthetime Hardlyever Never
-
Figure8:Percentageofrespondentswhosearchforstreetlights/crossings,basedontheirdrivingcapacity
Thefollowingquestionwasaddressedtothosewhostatedtheyhardlyeverorneveratalllookedfortrafficlightsorpedestriancrosswalksoranyalternativesignsallowingpedestrianstocrossaroad,beforeactuallycrossing.
Question8states:Whydoyouchoosenottousetrafficlightsorpedestriancrossingstocrosstheroad?Themultiplechoicequestionofferedseveraloptionstochoosefrom.Forty-sevenpercentofrespondentsclaimedtheydidnotfollowthestreetsignsandlights,becausetrafficlightsandpedestriancrossingsareeithernotavailableoraccessible,ornotlocatednearbytheareastheyusuallywalk.Twenty-sixpercentofintervieweessaidtheydidnothavetimeforthatastheywereusuallyinahurry.Otherresponsesincluded:“theyarenotconvenient(e.g.locatedtoofar,orinconvenientforwheelchairs,strollers,andindividualswhohavevarioushealthissues)’-20percent;“driversalwaysgivewaytopedestriansregardlessofwhereyoucross(sothereisnoneedforpedestrianstosearchfortrafficlights)-7percent;“driversdonotstoponthelightsandsignals,sothereisnopointinusingthem”-6percent.AmoredetailedbreakdownofallresponsesisprovidedinFigure9.
55.0%
31.2%
7.3%
6.0%
44.6%
43.8%
9.2%
2.5%
EverytimeIwalk
Mostofthetime
Hardlyever
Never
Q7.Whenyouneedtocrossthestreet,howoftendoyousearchfortrafficlightsorpedestrian
crossings?
Thosewhodrive Thosewhodonotdrive
-
Figure9:Reasonswhypedestriansdonotusetrafficlights/streetsigns/crosswalks
Inthisquestion,thepercentageofrespondentswhonotedtosimplyfollowtheflowandcrosswheneverybodycrossedaroad,whilestoppingwheneverybodystopped,wasnotsignificantlyhighandonlyconstituted1percentofalltherespondents.Nonetheless,itisnoteworthythatstudiesonroadsafetyandurbanroaduserbehaviourdrawattentiontoindividualswhoseroadcrossingdecisionsareheavilydependentoncollectiveaction21.Pedestriansfollowinga“leader”-aphenomenonlargelyreferredtoas“herdmentality”–iscommoninobservationsofpedestrian’scrossingbehaviours.Usuallypeoplewhostandatthefrontlineofanintersectionarefigurativelyappointedasleaders(“frontliners”)wholeadtherestofthepedestrianspositionedbehind(alsohypotheticallyreferredtoas“backfielders”)willfollow.Once“frontliners”moveforward,theiractionwillcauseacorrespondingmovementamong“backfielders”withoutthelattergivingaseriousthoughttostreetsignsand/orpedestrianlightsbeforeheadingtowardsthetrafficflowandobviouslyviolatingpedestrianlaws.22
Thefollowingquestion(Question9)reads:Whydoyouchoosetousetheproperpedestriancrossings?ThosewhostatedinQuestion7thattheyhardlyeverorneveratalllookedfortrafficlightsorpedestriancrosswalksoranyalternativesignsallowingpedestrianstocrossaroad,wereomittedfromrespondingtoQuestion9,asinstructed.Reasonsforpedestrians’choosingsaferoadbehavioursaredetailedinthebreakdownbelow.
21Faria,J.J.,Krause,S.andKrause,J.(2010).Collectivebehaviorinroadcrossingpedestrians:theroleofsocialinformationBehavioralEcology.21(6):1236-1242DOI:10.1093/beheco/arq14122Heinonen,J.A.andEck,J.E.(2007).CenterforProblem-OrientedPolicing.PedestrianInjuriesandFatalities.GuideN51,p.3http://www.popcenter.org/problems/pedestrian_injuries/
47%
26%
20%
7%
6%
1%
1%
Trafficlights/crossingsarenotavailable
Idonothavetimeforthat
Theyarenotconvenient
Driversalwaysgivewaytopedestrians
Driversdonotstoponthem,sothereisnopointusingthem
IcrossthestreetwheneverandwhereverIwant
Ifollowtheflow
Q8.Reasonsfornotusingtrafficlights/crossing(onlythosewhodonotsearchforthem)
-
Figure10:Reasonswhypedestrianschoosetousetrafficlightsandcrossings
Question10reads:Doyouengageinanyofthefollowingactivitieswhilecrossingtheroad?Respondentswereofferedanarrayofmultiplechoiceanswers.Theresponsepercentageforeachoptionisasfollows:1)lookingatyourphone-19.4percent;2)talkingonyourphone-35.8percent;3)notlookingatthetrafficwhencrossing–4percent;4)ignoringtrafficlightindicator/walksign;5)runningacrossthestreettobeatthecomingtraffic–4.5percent;6)Idonotdoanyofthese–48percent.
78.9%
28.5%
11.7%
0.3%
0.3%
0.1%
0.1%
Personalsafety
Fearoffines
Responsibilitytowardthedriver
Other:it'srequirement
Other:duetopersonalhabitsandcharacter
Other:becausethereisnootherwaytocross
Other:onlywhenpoliceisaround
Q9.Reasons for using pedestrian crossings
-
Figure11:Activities,inwhichpedestriansengagewhilecrossingthestreet
KNOWLEDGE
Thisnextgroupofquestionslookatrespondents’levelofknowledgeanddegree,towhichtheirunderstandingoftheexistingroadsafetyregulationsisuptodateandaccurate.Thequestionsinthiscategoryaredesignedwithapurposeofassessingtheresponsesagainsttheaverageanswersprovidedintheprevioussection(AttitudesandBehaviours)todrawaparallelbetweenpedestrianchoicesandtheirlevelofawareness.Wehypothesisedthatpedestrians’knowledgeofroadruleswouldhaveanegativecorrelationwiththeirunsafebehaviours.Inotherwords,webuiltfromanassumptionthataninformedpedestriantendedtodemonstrateahigherdegreeofcompliancewithsafetyrulesandnottoviolatecrossingregulations.
Question11askedrespondenttoevaluatehowconfidenttheyfelttheywereabouttheirknowledgeontrafficrulesforpedestrians?Respondentwereaskedtochooseonlyoneresponseoptionthatmostaccuratelydescribedtheirlevelofconfidence.Themajorityofrespondents(56%)statedtheyweresomewhatconfident,whereas32%describedthemselvesasveryconfident.Only8percentofallrespondentsthoughttheywerenotconfidentatall,while5%wereunabletoarticulatetheirconfidencelevelinanyway.Wealsolookedathowapedestrianconfidencelevelvariedacrossgender.Furtheranalysesofthesurveydatarevealedthatonly22percentofallwomenrespondentsclaimedtheywereveryconfidentabouttheirknowledge,whereasthemajorityofwomen(61%)saidtheyweresomewhatconfidentversus42percentoftheirmalecounterpartswhowereveryconfidentleaving52percentofmensomewhatconfidentaboutroadsafetyrules.
35.8%
19.4%
4.5%
4.0%
2.8%
48.8%
Talkingonthephone
Lookingatthephone
Runningacrossthestreettobeatthecomingtraffic
Notlookingatthetraffic
Ignoringtrafficlightindicator
Noneofthis
Q10.Doyouyouengageinanyofthefollowingactivitieswhilecrossingtheroad?
-
Figure12:Respondents’confidencelevelonroadsafetyrules
Thefollowingquestion–‘Whichofthesesignsallowsthepedestrianstocrosstheroad?’–aimedtoevaluatehowwellrespondentsknewstreetsigns.Graphicimageswereofferedtoassisttherespondentsinvisualisingthesignsthatallowpedestrianstocrossaroad.Thebreakdownforthecorrectanswer(thelastimagefromlefttorightshowingamanwalkingalongthecrosswalk)isprovidedinthechartsbelow.Figure13indicatesthepercentageofthecorrectanswer,classifiedbygender.
32%
42%
22%
56%
51%
61%
8%
5%
10%
5%
2%
7%
Total
Male
Female
Q11.Howconfidentareyouaboutyourknowledgeontrafficrules?
Veryconfident Somewhatconfident Notconfidentatall Don'tknow
-
Figure13:Percentageofcorrectresponsestoaquestionaboutapedestriancrosswalksign,bygender
Figure14elaboratesmoreoneachchoiceofresponse.Whenaskedwhichsigntheythoughtallowedpedestrianstocrossastreet,respondentswereofferedthefollowingsevenreplyoptions:
1. Allofthem2. Image13. Image24. Image35. Images1and36. Images1and27. Images2and3
Thecorrectanswerisoption4(image3).
69% 71% 68%
Total Male Female
Q12. Percentage of correct answers to the question about the crossing sign
Correct answer is the last (3rd) image. The diagram below reflects the percentage of respondents who got the answer right
-
Figure14:Respondents’levelofknowledgeinstreetsignsallowingapedestriantocrossastreet
Additionally,welookedattherelationshipbetweendrivingpedestriansandtheirlevelofawarenessofroadandpedestrianregulations.Asweexpected,furtheranalysisofthesurveydataconfirmedourconvictionthatpedestrianswhodrivehavemoreaccurateknowledgeofstreetsignageingeneralandpedestriancrosswalksignsinparticular.Forbothsegmentsofrespondents,includingthosewhodriveanddonotdriveavehicle,thebreakdownforthecorrectresponsetoQuestion11isshowninFigure15.
0.4% 1.6% 6.5%
0.6% 2.1%
69.3%
4.0% 0.2%
15.3%
Interviewererror
Don'tknow Allofthem image1 image2 image3 images1and3
images1and2
images2and3
Q12.Whichofthesesignsallowsthepedestrianstocrosstheroad?
-
Figure15:Percentageofcorrectresponsestoaquestionaboutapedestriancrosswalksign,basedonpedestrians’drivingcapacity
Question13lookstomeasurerespondents’knowledgeastowhatresponsibilitiestheycarryaspedestrians.Sixty-eightpercentofrespondentsthinkthattheyshouldcrossthestreetoncrossings,wheneverpossible,while34%thinkthatfollowingthetrafficlightsignal(greenlight)ispedestrians’duty.Twenty-sevenpercentofrespondentsstatedtheyshouldwatchthetrafficflowbeforecrossingthestreetand9%suggestedpedestriansshouldnotinterruptordelaytheflowoftrafficifthereisnourgencyforthat.Only2%ofrespondentsthoughttheyhadnoresponsibilitiesaspedestrians.
Figure16:Pedestrianresponsibilities
81.7%
66.6%
Thosewhodrive Thosewhodonotdrive
Q12.Whichsignallowsthepedestrianstocrosstheroad?%ofcorrectanswers
68%
34%
27%
9%
3%
2%
Crossthestreetoncrossings
Followthetrafficlightsignal(greenlight)
Watchthetrafficflowbeforecrossing
Donotinterruptordelaythetrafficwithoutanyurgency
Other
NoResponsibilities
Q13.Whatareyourresponsibilitiesasapedestrian?
-
PERCEPTIONS
Thefinalcategoryofquestionsaimstoassessrespondents’perceptionsaboutroadsafetyandpedestrianbehaviour,theirunderstandingoftheroleofthegovernment,thesociety,media,andindividualactorsinthereductionofroadtrafficfatalitiesthatinvolvepedestrians.
Question14askedtherespondents’opiniononwhattheyconsideredtobemainproblemsthatjeopardisedthesafetyofpedestriansinBaku.Figure17providesthebreakdownofallresponses,bygender.Over55%ofrespondentsthinkthatthelackoftrafficlightsandpedestriancrossings,including‘zebra’crossings,ground-levelandundergroundpedestriancrossings,istheprimaryreasonthatBakustreetsareunsafeforpedestrians.Thesecondmajorproblem,accordingto40.6%ofrespondents,isspeeding,aggressivedriving,anddriversnotfollowingtrafficruleswithregardstopedestriancrossings.Sidewalksbeinginbadconditions,inconvenientforusebypedestrians,ortheirabsencealtogether,alongwithsidewalksbeingoccupiedbycarsasaparkinglotisthethirdmajorpedestriansafetyproblem(15.2%ofrespondentsoptedforthisresponse).Furtherresponseoptionsincluded:thelackofstreetandarealightingORthefearofcrimesintheground-levelandundergroundpedestriancrossings–10.3%,thelackofwheelchairandstrolleraccessibility–8.6%,andotherproblemsnotlistedinthequestionnaire-6.3%.Respondentswhochosethe“other”responsewereaskedtospecifywhatotherissues,intheiropinion,werethemainproblemsforpedestrians.Inthiscategoryofanswers,themajorityofrespondentsattributedunsafetrafficandpedestrianmovementtothefactthatmostpeoplearesimplyirresponsibleanddonotpayattentiontotheirsurroundingwhilewalkinginandcrossingthestreet.Figure18depictsamoredetailedbreakdownofall“other”responses.
Figure17:MainproblemsforpedestriansinBaku,percentagebygender
55.4%
40.6%
15.2%
10.3%
8.6%
6.3%
59.2%
37.0%
14.8%
8.7%
8.9%
6.9%
51.4%
44.3%
15.7%
11.9%
8.3%
5.6%
Lackoftrafficlightsandpedestriancrossings
Speedingandaggressivedrivinganddriversnotfollowingthetrafficrules
Badormissingsidewalks,sidewalksoccupiedbycars
LackofstreetandarealightingORthefearofcrimes
Lackofwheelchairandstrolleraccessibility
Other
Q14.Main safety problems for pedestrians inBakuTotal Male Female
-
Figure18:OtherroadsafetyproblemsforpedestriansinBaku
Thefollowingquestion(Question15)asksrespondents’opinionregardingtheways,inwhichtheythinkthenumberoftrafficincidentsinvolvingpedestriansshouldbedecreasedinBaku?Themajorityofrespondents(37.4%)agreethatinstallingmoretrafficlightsandincreasingthenumberofpedestriancrossingsandroadsignagewillsignificantlyreducefatalityoccurrences,whereas33.4percentofrespondentssuggestmoresocialawarenesscampaignsbeorganisedthroughbroadcast,media,trainingprogramsandenhancededucationonroadsafetyrelatedmatters.Relativelylesspeoplesuggestedpunitivemeasuresinresponsetothegrowingnumberofroadtrafficincidencesthatinvolvepedestrians,with19.7%ofrespondentsnotingthatdriversshouldbepenalizedmoreoftenfornotgivingwaytopedestrianswillingtocrossthestreet,whereappropriate.Incontrast,15.6%ofrespondentsthinkpenalizingpedestriansfornotcrossingthestreetindueplaceswillleadtothedecreaseinthefatalityratio.Over18%ofrespondentsrecommendedmountingmorevideocamerasandradarsonthestreetsandincreasingthenumberofspeedbumpsontheroads.Whilethisnumberisnotoverwhelming,itis,however,importanttodrawattentiontowardstheglobalconcernaroundtheproblemofoverspeedingthatreputableinternationalinstitutionshavebeenlargelypointingoutwith
1.8%
1.0%
.8%
.6%
.4%
.3%
.3%
.3%
.2%
.2%
.2%
.1%
.1%
.1%
.1%
.1%
Peopleareirresponsible
Pedestriancrossingsarenotsuitablylocated
Everythingisgood,Idonotseeanyproblem
Policecontrolandfinesarenotsufficientlyhigh
Hugetraffic,cardensity,andnarrowstreets
Impatience,carelessness,hastiness
Lackofawareness/pooreducationonroadregulationsandpedestrianmovement
Zebra`crossingshavefadedawayinmostplaces
Escalatorsarenotworkingorarenotinplace
ToomanypedestriancrossingswithoutsignageORsignshidingbehindtrees
Policethemselvescauseproblems
Pedestriancrossingsareoccupiedbymarketplace/streetsalecounters
Noinformationorsignageaboutpedestriancrossing
Undergroundcrossingsarenotequippedwithventilationsystem
Separateor`protected`bicyclelanesareinexistent
Existingtrafficlightsarenotworking
Q14.OthersafetyproblemsforpedestriansinBaku
-
alarm.WHO23hasidentifiedspeedreductionasoneofitskeyrecommendationsforbuildingsaferroads.Assuch,ithassuggestedincreasingthenumberof30km/hspeedzonesbasedonconvictionthatthiscanleadtotheremarkablereductioninthenumberofcrashesandareparticularlyeffectiveinareaswithalargeflowofmovementamongvulnerablepedestriangroups,suchasinresidentialareasandnearschools.
Ontheotherhand,comingbacktoQuestion15,theresponseshavealsorevealedacertaindegreeofpessimismas7.8%ofrespondentsareundeniablyconvincedthatnothingcanbedonetopreventordecreaseriskstoroadsafetyingeneralandpedestriansafetyinparticularsince“ourpeoplewillcontinuetoviolatetherules”regardlessofwhatpoliciesareinplaceorwhatpracticesareenforcedandpromoted.
Figure19:Ways,inwhichfatalityincidentsinvolvingpedestrianscanbereducedinBaku.
Thosewhohavechosenthe“other”response,eventhoughonlyasmallportionofrespondents(4.8%)representsthatgroupofinterviewees,wereaskedtoelaboratefurtherandclarifywhatotherwaystheythoughtwouldhaveapositiveeffectonpedestriansafetyinBaku.Figure20belowpresentsthebreakdownofalltheresponsesinthiscategory,viewedhereasrespondents’personalsuggestions,thathavenotbeenofferedbysurveyors’aspartofthepredefinedlistofmultiplechoiceoptions.Sevenpeoplesaidthatdrivinglicensesshouldn’tbeissuedinexchangeforabribe,emphasizingthatcorruptionshouldbeeliminated,whereas3peoplenotedthatpedestriansthemselvesshouldbemoreresponsibleandshouldrespectandobeyexistinglaws.FourpeopleindicatedtheimportanceofaudibleWALKindicationsandpedestrianpushbuttonstobeavailabletopedestrians.Sixrespondentstalkedabouttheneedforenhancingeducationon
23WHO(2015).Globalstatusreportonroadsafety2015http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2015/en/
-
roadregulations,pointingoutthatitshouldstartfromschoolandpre-Kagechildrenwhoshouldbealsoinvolvedinawarenessraisingcampaignsthemselves,contributingtopeer-to-peereducation.While5peoplespokestronglyaboutincreasingpoliceenforcementandcontrol,onlyonepersonsaidthatpoliceofficersshouldbepoliterwithbothpedestriansanddrivers.Othersuggestionsincluded:abroaderscopeofpublicawarenessinitiatives,particularlythroughadvertisements,disseminationofbrochuresandbooklets,placingposters,educationalvideos,publicserviceannouncements(PSAs),creatingthematicTVprogramsaboutroadfatalities,pedestrianbehaviours,theirconsequences,andsuggestedwaysofpreventionofriskyroaduserbehaviour(3people);organisingtrainingcoursesfordrivers(2respondents);bringingdisciplinetopublictransportandsortingoutthemessinthepublictransportbussystem(1respondent);increasingthenumberofbusstops(1person);locatingstreetsignsinplacesthatarevisibleandtheviewiscleartobothdriversandpedestrians(1person);installingescalatorsateverypedestriancrossing,tomakethecrossingsmoresuitableforeveryoneanduser-friendly(2people).Wherethereisnopedestriancrossing,threepeoplesaid,hugebarriersshouldbeplacedalongtheroadedgetoblockthepedestrianmovement,whileonepersonindicatedthatbarriersandextensioncurbsshouldbeofreducedheight.Contrarytothecommonbeliefthatpunitivemeasuresincreasethediscipline,onepersonsuggestedtheamountofpedestrianfinesforviolatingroadcrossingrulesandregulationsbereduced.Sixpeoplethinkcontinuousmonitoringofbusdriversandroadsingeneralshouldincrease;thecrosswalktimeforpedestriansatpedestrianlightsshouldbeextended(2people)and,finally,lawsonroadandpedestriansafetyshouldbeimproved.
-
Figure20:Otherways,inwhichroadfatalitiescanbedecreased,byresponsepercentage
Thefollowingquestionexploresthetypesofsourceswherepedestriansmosttypicallyreceiveinformationabouttheroadsafetyproceduresandnewregulations.Theresponseoptionsincluded:TVprogramsandnews(nearly30%ofrespondentschosethisoption);radioprograms;outdooradvertisement;relatives/friends;policeinspectorsonthestreets;Internet/socialnetworks(38.9%);brochures/booklets,andnewspaper.Asubstantialportionofrespondents,however,notedtheydidnotreceiveanyinformationatall(21.7%),somepointingouttheywerenotinterestedinseekingsuchinformation,whileotherssimplydidnotknowwhereto
0.6%
0.5%
0.5%
0.4%
0.4%
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
Drivinglicensesshouldn’tbeissuedinexchangeforabribe
AudibleWALKindications/pedestrianpushbuttons
Involvechildreninawarenessraisingcampaigns
Increasepoliceenforcement&control
Peopleshouldbemoreresponsibleandshouldrespect/obeyexistinglaws
Advertisement,brochures/booklets,posters,educationalvideos,PSAs,TVprograms
Bringdisciplinetoandsortoutthemessinthebussystem
Wherethereisnopedestr.crossing,hugebarriersshouldbeplacedalongtheroadedgetoblockthepedestrianmovement
Lighteningofpedestriancrossings,installationof3Dcrosswalks,reflectiveorfluorescentvestsatundergroundpasses
Barriers/extensioncurbsshouldbeofreducedheight
Increasethenumberofbusstops
Locatestreetsignsinplacesvisibleandcleartodriversandpedestrians
Installescalatorsineverypedestriancrossing,tomakethecrossingsmoresuitableforeveryone
Reducetheamountofpedestrianfinestobepaid
Increasecontinuousmonitoringofbusdriversandroadsingeneral
Extendthecrosswalktimeforpedestriansatpedestrianlights
Lawsonroad/pedestriansafetyshouldbeimproved
Policeofficersshouldbemorepolitewithbothpedestrians
Organisetrainingcoursesfordrivers
Q15.Otherthingsthatneedtobedonetodecreasethenumberofincidents
-
lookforroadsafetyregulations.Wedonothaveexactfiguresorpercentagetorepresentthatdivisionwithinthecategoryofrespondentswhoclaimednotreceivinganyinformationofthiskind.
Figure21:Sourcesofinformationonroadsafetyregulations
Finally,thesurveyconcludedwithaquestionthataimedtocheckwhetherornotrespondentsconsideredthemselvesresponsiblepedestrians.Theoverwhelmingmajorityofrespondents(75.9%),regardlessofgender,havedemonstratedagreatlevelofconfidenceandtheirtrustinthemselvesasresponsiblepedestrians.Overall,77.4%ofmalerespondentsthinktheyareresponsibleandonly13.3%thinktheyarenot,whereasamongwomenrespondents,74.4%saidtheyconsideredthemselvestoberesponsiblepedestriansandonly11.4%statedtheydidnotthinkofthemselvesasresponsiblepedestrians.Figure22belowdepictsthepercentageofaffirmativeresponsestothequestionwhetherornotrespondentsconsideredthemselvestoberesponsiblepedestrians.
38.9%
29.9%
21.7%
16.7%
12.7%
2.3%
1.5%
1.2%
0.8%
Internet/SocialNetworks
TV
Don'treceiveanyinformation
Relatives/Friends
Radio
Policeinspectors
Newspapers
OutdoorAds
Brochures/booklets
Q16.Sourcesofinformationaboutroadsafetyregulations
-
Figure22:Respondentconfidenceonbeingaresponsiblepedestrian,percentagebygender
In-depthinterviewresultsAllrespondentswereaskedtodescribethecurrentsituationwithregardstopedestrianroadsafetyinAzerbaijanandsharetheirinsightsintothescopeofactivitiesthattheyasindividualsortheirrespectiveorganizationsimplementedinthisarea.Astheresearchteamhadidentifiedadiversegroupofprofessionalswhocamefromavarietyofbackgrounds,ideaspresentedherealsovarybasedonthespecificsofthefieldeachexpertrepresented.
AzerAllahveranovofalocalnot-for-profitorganisationHayatspokeabouttheawarenessraisingcampaignsHayathasbeenimplementingsince2010toimprovetheknowledgeofroadregulationsandsafepedestrianbehaviourintheschoolcommunitiesacrossBaku,includingtheteachers,childrenandtheirparents.TwoindependentconsultantsspokeaboutredesigningofBakuroadsandtransportsystem.KamranAliyev,HeadofPublicRelationsDepartmentattheBakuRoadPolice,spokeontheactivitiestheRoadPoliceUnitisinchargeof,specificallythemanagementoftheflowofmovement,bothpedestriansandvehiclemovement,providingroadsafetyinfrastructureforpedestrians,thedesignandoperationofthevarioustypesofpedestriancrossingfacilities,includingunderpasses,overgroundpassesand“zebra”crossings.Independentroadsafetyexpert,experiencedtrainerandpart-timeradioanchorofthe“AUTOSTOP”radioprogram,AgilRahimovspokeonhisroleasadvisorandeducatorinpromotingsafedrivinghabitsandpedestrians’sharedresponsibilitytopracticesafetymeasuresaspartoftheirresponsiblecitizenryobligations.
OnbeingaskedwhatwerethemainpedestrianroadsafetyproblemsinBakuandhowtheycouldbeeliminated,opinionsdiffered.However,manyagreedonpedestrians’prominentlybeingpronetoneglectingfundamentalroadsafetyrulesposingtremendousdangertovehiclesandotherpedestrians,particularlytomorevulnerablepedestrianswithrestrictedmobility.However,driversintheirmajorityalsodonotdemonstratelaw-abidingbehaviours“untilthemomenttheyseeaRoadPoliceofficer”approachingthem.IndependentinternationalexpertsnotethatdrivinghabitsinBakuarenotuptostandards.Eventhoughthelawprohibitstheuseofhand-heldmobiledevicesbyindividualswhiledriving,theoverwhelmingmajorityofdriverscontinueusingtheircellphonesandgetdistractedwhiletheircarisinmotion,donotuseseatbeltsatalltimes,exceedanallowedspeedlimit,amongotherthingsprohibitedbylaw,ifandwhenapoliceofficeris
75.9%
77.4%
74.4%
Total
Male
Female
Q17.Doyouconsideryourselfaresponsiblepedestrian?Percentageof"YES"responses
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notatsight.“Ourdrivershaveafearoffinesandpenalties”,notesAzerAllahveranovasheexplainswhydriversresumecomplianton-the-roadbehaviouronlyatselectedspots,wheretheypresumablyknowthepolicemayawaitthem.
Independentconsultantsnoted“theroadaccidentsrateinBakuismorethanthedoubleoftheaveragefatalityrateinwholeofEurope.,whichitselfisaveryalarmingfactor”.Fatalitiesamongpedestrians,theyfurtherelaborate,are41-47%ofalltheroadfatalities.ForasmallcountrylikeAzerbaijan,thisnumberisveryhigh,especiallycomparedtoEuropewherefatalitiesconstitutelessthanhalfofthatofAzerbaijan.Muchofthefocusneedstobeputonimprovingthesituationwithsafetyofthepedestrians.KamranAliyevoftheBakuRoadPolicealsoemphasizedthatdespitealltheeffortstoincreasethenumberofpedestriancrossingsinBaku,butalsothroughoutthecountry,intheregions,ruralsettingsandintercityhighways,unfortunatelymanypedestriansdonothappentousethesecrossingpremisesandneglectbasicroadsafetyrulebywalkingwheretheoncomingtrafficis,especiallybeingcarelessatnight,inpoorlylitareaswhereextracautionshouldbetakeninstead.Thisoftentimesresultsinfatalconsequencesforpedestrians,endingtheirlivesuntimely.
Themajorreasonformostpedestriansnotusingthecorrectcrossingroute,somesay,restsintheurbandesignofBakuitself.Thelackofsufficientpedestrianinfrastructureisthemaintriggerforroadcasualties.Thereisaninsufficientnumberoftrafficlightsforpedestrian,buttherearequitealotofundergroundpasses,howeverthelatterisnotbeingexcessivelyusedbypedestrians.
Totackletheinfrastructuralproblems,expertssuggesttheredesignoftheentiretrafficsignalisationsystemsoastoalsoincludepedestriancrossinglightsinthetrafficlights.Trafficlightsonlydisplaythemovementofthevehicles,buttherearenotrafficsignsthatwouldalsoshowthemovementofpedestrians.
Apartfrominfrastructuralchanges,wealsoneedtoeducatepeopleonwhataretheacceptableandinacceptableroad-crossingbehaviours.“Weneedtoprovidealternativestopeopleinordertoaskthemtousethemaccordingly,”oneoftheindependentconsultantssays.Atthemomentpedestriansdonotseemtohavethesealternativesaplenty.Insomehighways,forexample,theBaku-SumgayitHighway,with90-100kmperhourspeedlimitorevenhigher,zebracrossingsappearinthemiddleofhighspeedautobahn,whichisverydangerousanduniversallywrong,fromtheurbantransportationredesignperspective.Pelicancrossingsshouldbeinstalledinhighspeedcontrolledareas,featuringapairofpoles,eachequippedwithastandardsetoftrafficlightsfacingoncomingtraffic,withapushbuttonforpedestriansandanalternativesign–alsoforpedestrians-fromacrosstheroad.Typically,thesepoleswilldisplayared,stationarypersontoindicatea“stop”signalandstressthatitisnotsafetocrosstheroad,whileagreen,walkingpersonwillindicatethatitissafeforpedestrianstocross.
Notingtheimportanceoflawenforcementandpunitiveactions(suchasfines,penalties,regularandrandomroadpoliceraids)towardsdriversandpedestrianswhoseon-the-roadbehaviourcauseslife-threateningdangertoothers,Allahveranovemphasizesthat,alongwithlawenforcement,thegovernmentshouldfurtherdevelopmoreawarenessraisingprogramsforeverysegmentofthepopulation.Roadpoliceshouldbedirectlyinvolvedineducatingpeopleon-siteaboutappropriateroad-crossingbehaviours.Expertsgenerallydidnotadviseonincreasingthecurrentrateofpenaltiesforillegalcrossingforpedestriansoralternativefinesforunsafedrivingfordrivers,arguingthattheamountsetfortheseviolationswasalreadyquitehighnow.However,manyalsoagreedthatsomepeoplecontinuetoviolatetrafficrulesdespitetheirprevioushistoryofcharges.AzerAllahveranovsuggestedifapersoninvolvedinmultipleviolationsoftrafficrulesandpedestriansafetyregulations,continuestomanifestdisdaintofollowingtheserules,ahigherpenaltybeassignedtonon-compliantpedestriansanddriversafteranumberofviolationsneglected(forexampleafter5penalties,the
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sixthonewillbehigher).AgilRahimovunambiguouslyproposedtheescalationofpunitiveenforcementandtheincreaseintheamountoffinesandpenaltiesfornon-compliantpedestriansandadvisedtheamounttobeincreasedfromitscurrentrateofAZN20,toAZN50-100.
AnotherseriousproblemconsistentlyflaggedbyalltheexpertswasthelackofsufficientstreetsignsonthestreetsofBaku,bothpointingtopedestriansandguidingthemwhereandwhentocrosstheroadandalsowarningdriverswhenandwheretostopandgivetherightofwaytopedestrians.
Expertsagreethatawarenessshouldbeanintegralcomponentofroadsafetypolicyinterventions.However,theseefforts,asAzerAllahveranovnoted,shouldnotbe“one-sided”.Simplytrainingdriversasmaintargetsofroadcollisionsastheyareoftentimesbeingblamedastheprimarycauseofpedestriandeathorinjuries,willnotbeveryeffective.Drivers’educationonexercisingsafetymeasuresshouldgohandinhandwitheducatingpedestrians,whereasbothpartiesshouldbetrainedequallyandinformationprovidedtobothpedestriansanddriversshouldbeconsistent.Anindependentexperturgestoincluderoadsafetyeducationinschoolcurriculumsandensuretimelyeducationofeveryone.Henotesthatunderstandingofsometimesirrevocablenegativeconsequencesofinappropriatepedestriancrossingisimportantatayoungageasthiswillensurethegrowinggenerationstoadoptsafetymeasuresandexercisecarefulon-the-roadbehaviours.AgilRahimovemphasizedthatthecultureofsafecrossingisnearlyinexistentinthesocietyaschildrenhavenotbeentaughtthebasicsoflaw-abidingroadusebehaviours.Actingasaresponsiblepedestrianshouldbe“partofyourmindset,ormorebroadly–thesocietalmindset”,hereiteratespointingtotheurgentneedforholisticroadsafetyeducationpoliciesandpractices.
Thereareundergroundandover-groundpedestrianpasses,zebracrossingsandtrafficlightsinmanyareasinBaku.However,despitealloftheabove,manypedestriansdonotusethisinfrastructure.Askedtosharetheiropiniononwhatgovernmentinstitutionsshoulddoinordertoimprovepedestrians’behaviour(inparticularoncrossingtheroad),expertsagreedthatsolutionsshouldtacklebothdriversandpedestriansandshouldnotbeconcentratedonpedestriansonly.
KamranAliyevnotedthattheBakuRoadPoliceDepartmentcollaborateswithmediaoutletsandinteractivewebportals,whereeducational,awarenessraisingmaterialsareproducedandvideoreportsareavailabletoshowtothegeneralpublicinadirectandengagingwaywhattheconsequencesofunsaferoadusebehaviourscanbeandhowtoimprovethesebehaviours.Despitetheincreasingeffortstoeducatethebroaderpubliconroadsafetymeasures,Aliyevregretfullystatedthattheseeffortshadnotbeenaseffectiveasonewouldhavepreferred.Aliyev,however,thinks,thatthelawenforcementoperationsshouldcontinue.Notingagrowingnumberoffinedindividuals,headdedthatonlyin2015,nearly140,000pedestrianswerefinedfortheviolationoftrafficrules,somebeingfinedrepeatedly.
Expertsareconvincedalotofeffortsneedtobeputineducatingdriversonfundamentaldrivingethicsandsafedrivingrules.Astothepedestrians,hefindsmanypedestriansmanifestthemselvesas“overlyconfident”crossingtheroadonmassiveavenues,suchasZIyaBunyadovStreetandHeydarAliyevAvenue,rightinthemiddleofthestreetwithoutusingproperpedestriancrossings.Whatismostalarminginsuchanilljudgmentoftheroaddangersisthatadultsoftentimescarrytheirminorchildrenwiththemwhilecrossingthestreetwheretheyarenotallowedtocrossandputtingtheirchildren’slivesatriskanddanger.KamranAliyevnotesthatBakupedestriansdonotseemtounderstandthatunsaferoadcrossingdecisionsmaycostthemtheirlives.Hethinksthefactthatformanypedestrians,properandlegalroadcrossingisnotthepriorityatall,isthemajorriskfactor.Whatismosttroublingisthatevenwhenundergroundandovergroundpassesarejuststepsaway.Onasimilarnote,AgilRahimovreiteratesthesadparadoxbeingthatmostpedestrianfatalities
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occurneartheovergroundorundergroundpassesandnotwherethesefacilitiesareinexistent.Perhaps,pedestriansdecidetotakeextracautionatplacesofhighriskandassumethattheywillbesafernearthecrossingpremises,ortheyoverlyrelyondrivers’givingtherightofwaytopedestriansbydefault.
AnothercontributingfactorinthediscourseofroadsafetyproblemsinBaku,expertsargue,isthatduringmajoreventskeyundergroundpassesarebeingshutdown.Expertscallforcityadministrationandrelevantagenciestoensureallpedestriancrossingsystemsoperateatfullcapacity,onbigdaysspecifically,andallowfortheamplemanagementofpedestrianflow.
Sufficientmediacoverageofroadcasualties,pedestrian-ledtrafficthreatsandotherrelatedmattersisimportant.Mostpeople,sayexperts,receiveinformationonmattersofsocietalimportancethroughmedia,includingtraditionalmedia(TVandradio)andmoresothenewmedia(socialaccounts)andInternetingeneral.Thesesourcesshouldbeintensivelyusedtopromotesaferoadbehavioursandeducatepeopleontrafficrulesaswellasconsequences,includinglegalandadministrative,ofunsaferoadusebehaviour.Asmanypointouttheimportanceofawarenessraisingcampaigns,AzerAllahveranovandKamanAliyevthinkamajorloadofactionsinthisareashouldbeputoncivilsocietyandonNGOsinparticular.
Tosummarisetheresultoftheexpertinterviews,manyconcludedthattimelyandholisticeducationofallsegmentsofthesocietywillhavealong-lastingeffectonsaferoadusepractices,alongwithsufficientinfrastructuralchangesandpedestriansafetyenforcementoperationsthroughroadpoliceinvolvement.
LimitationsofthestudyTheanalysisofstatisticaldatafromdifferentcountriesoftheglobeconfirmthatpeopleatsenioragearemorelikelytobecomevictimsoftrafficaccidents,duetovariousreasons,mainlytheirtendencytodevelopsensorydelays24,limitedmobilityoranykindofphysicalorintellectualdisabilityassociatedwithage.Mostelderlypedestrianinjuriesandfatalitiesarecausedbywhatisreferredtoasanerrorofinitialjudgement,or,inotherwordsdifficultiesinrealisticallyestimatingthedistancebetweenacarinmovementandthepedestriancrossingwheretheymightbeeitherstandingorcrossing.Buildingfromtheempiricalevidencethatsuggeststheelderlypopulationisathighriskofexposuretoroadtrafficincidents,theresearchmissionaimedattargetingarepresentativesamplingsizeofthispopulationinordertobeabletodrawaccurateanalysesoftheelderlypedestrians’behaviourandtheirneedsintermsofsecuringbetterandsaferroadsforthem.However,asnotedabove,thisgoalhasnotbeenfullymet,sinceonly9.3%ofrespondentswereindividualsage55andabove.Thedatacollectionteamreportedthereluctanceofmostelderlypeopletoparticipateinthestudywhenapproachedbysurveyors.Asaconsequence,findingsofthepedestriansurveysmaynotfullyrepresenttheneedsandconcernsoftheelderlypopulation.Duetothefinancialrestrainsandconsideringthecurrentprojectisthefirstattemptatconductingaroadsafetyandpedestrians’needsassessmentinAzerbaijan,AMAKhasinitiatedtheresearchmissionbasedonarelativelysmallsamplingsize.Thetotalnumberofrespondents–1200mightnotfullyrepresenttheneedsofallpedestriansinacitywiththepopulationofnearly3millionpeople.
24http://www.sdt.com.au/safedrive-directory-PEDESTRIAN.htm
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ConclusionandimplicationsforfutureresearchandpolicymakingSocialmobilityandinclusionCulturallycongruentandinclusivepolicyeffortsshouldbeattheforefrontofroadsafetyinterventionsataholisticspectrum.Thefocusshouldbemadeonvulnerableroadusers–elderly,women,andchildrenandyouthage15-29,aswellasabroaderarrayofindividualswithlimitedmobility.Thelatterincludespeoplewithdisabilitiesandthosewhosemobilityistemporarilyreducedduetocertain(notnecessarilypermanent)circumstances,suchasparentsridingstrollerswiththeirinfantsandminorchildren,peoplepullingouttheirshoppingcards,andindividualsridingwheeledmotoriseddevicestoassisttheirmovement,includingscooterrunners,etc.Thereshouldbemoreefficientandinclusivepoliciesinplacethatwouldprovidesufficientconditionsandsolidinfrastructureforpeoplewithrestrictedmobility,whoareamongmostat-riskgroupsofpedestriansfortheirexposuretoroadtrafficcasualties.Specifically,widersidewalksordesignatedwalkwaysshouldbedesignedinstreetsofBakutoallowforsafemovementofpeoplewithreducedmobility.
Disabilityaccessisanimportantaspectofsafeandhealthyroadenvironment.Accessiblepedestrianpassesforpeoplewithvarioushealthconditions(notlimitedtophysicaldisabilityonly)thatrequirespecialaccommodationshouldbeinstalledthroughoutthecity.Peoplewithheartdiseaseorelderlywhocannotwalkupanddownthelengthystairsshouldhavesomealternatemeansavailableforthemtocrosstheroadsinasafemanner.Sameappliestoparentsandcaregiverswhohavetocarrytheirchildrenthroughthepassorapedestriancross.Insteadofstairsthereshouldbeescalatorsinstalledintheunderpassandfunctionalatalltimes.Peoplewithvisualimpairmentshouldbeabletousevoice-enabledroadsafetydevices.AmorethoroughneedsassessmentshouldbeconductedtoaccuratelyanalysewhatinfrastructuralchangesmightberequiredinordertomakestreetsofBaku–andthecountryingeneral–accommodating,moreinclusiveanddisability-friendly.
PublicawarenessWhilereportsfromothercountriesacrosstheglobesuggestthatgovernmentsshouldpayacloserattentiontolawenforcementbytighteningdrunken-drivinglaws,fasteningseatbeltsfordriversandpenaltiesforpedestrians,manyrespondentswhotookpartinthesurveyinBakudemonstratedasignificantlevelofscepticismtowardsthesemeasures.Emphasisshouldbemadeonbroaderpublicawarenesscampaigns.Enhancingeducationandpublicawarenessatanearlystageisanotherpopularresponsemechanisminaddressinghazardousbehaviouramongpedestrians.BothrespondentsandSMEshaverepeatedlyemphasisedthatroadandsafetyregulationsshouldbetaughtearlyonatayoungerageandbeincludedinaschoolcurriculum.
Whilepublicawarenessinitiativesshouldnotbetreatedasthepanaceaforpedestriansafety,timelyandcontinualeffortsshouldbeundertakenbythegovernment,mediaandcivilsocietyorganizationstoeducatepedestriansofallagesaboutthepotentialnegativeeffectandcircumstancesofunlawfulroadcrossingandotherriskybehavioursatareasoftrafficcongestion.Assomeoftheexpertsinterviewedforthisstudynoted,roadsafetyeducationshouldbetailoredtoparticularareasanddemographics.Specifically,awarenessraising
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workshopsshouldbeorganisedinvariousneighbourhoodsinBaku,residentialareas,workplace,school,anduniversitiesandcanbecustomisedtomeettheneedsofeachaudiencebasedonpedestrians’agegroup,targetedlocationsor“problemareas”wheremosttrafficcasualtiesoccur.Literatureonroadsafetysuggeststhateducationcampaignsaremosteffectivewhenofferedtoatargetedaudienceatatargetedlocation.Knowingwherethepercentageand/orfrequencyofpedestrian-causedviolationsofroadregulationsarehigher,thegovernmentandcivilsocietyactorsshoulddelivertrainingprogramsandabroaderscopeofpublicawarenesscampaigns,suchaslocatingstreetposters,billboards,anddigitalscreenboards,spreadingleafletsamongthepopulationinthatarea.Writtenpostersandsignsindicatingthatcrossingisnotallowedinaparticularareashouldbeplacedinthestreetstoguidepedestrians’roadcrossingdecisions.Thesignsshouldbelargeenough,readableatadistance,andshouldclearlystatethatthosewhocrosstheroadinaninappropriatespotwillbefinedbyadesignatedamountofmoneyinAZN.
Toraiseawarenessofsaferoaduserbehaviourandbestpractices,roadsafetypublicitycampaignsthroughTVdebatesandeducationalTVprogrammescanhaveatangiblepositiveimpactonpeople’sperceptionofsafetymeasuresingeneral.ManyrespondentsbelievedtherewerenotenoughTVcoverageofroadmovementandrulesofroadregulation,althoughtheSMEsnotedanumberoftelevisionandradioprograms,interactivepublicserviceannouncementsandnewsreleasesdevotedtoroadsafetyissues.Pedestriansurveysconcludedthatstreetsignsshouldbeplacednotonlywherethepedestriancrossingisallowed,butalsonearby–towarnbothdriversandpedestriansbyindicatingthattherearecrossingspotsnearby.Forinstance,atsubwayexitsasignindicatingthatapedestriansignis100metersaway,wouldremindpedestriansthatasafeandlegitimatepedestrianpassageisaccessibleatareasonablewalkingdistance.Awarenesscanbeenhancedalsothroughoutreachmaterials–brochures,leaflets,billboardsandon-streetdigitaladvertisementscreensetc.Publicserviceannouncementsmayhaveapositiveeffectonraisingawareness,alongwithdoor-to-dooreducationalcampaigns.
InfrastructuralreformsMore“zebra”crossingsshouldbeinstalledthroughoutthecity.Numerousrespondentspointedtoescalatorsontheundergroundandovergroundpassesbeingoutoforderandnotfunctioningformanymonths.Thecityadministrationorotherrelevantagenciesinchargeofpedestriansafetyinfrastructureneedtoberepairedinatimelymanner.Agenciesresponsiblefortheirinstalmentandmaintenanceshouldregularlycheckescalatorsformalfunctionandonceanyirregularitiesarespottedtheyshouldarrangefortimelyrepair.Onthecontrary,somebelievethatzebrasposeagreaterrisktopedestriansasmanyvehicledriversdonotstopatpedestrianlinestoletpassengerscross,whilethelatterrelyondrivers’knowledgeofandcompliance(orreadinessandwillingnesstobecompliant)withroadsafetyrules.Moreover,maintenanceofstreetsigns,includingwhitepedestriancrosslinealsomayaffectbothdriverandpedestrian-causedaccidents.Zebrasshouldberepaintedregularly,asthepaintfadesawayandoftentimesthelinesarenotvisibletoeitherofthepartiesinvolved,beitapedestrianoravehicledriver.Today,cutting-edgetechnologiesmadetheirwaytorevolutionizetheroadtrafficsystems,asresearchandnumerousmediareportspointoutcompetitiveadvantagesofopticalillusionsthrough3Dpaintingforsavingpedestrian’slives,whichmaybetakenintocloserconsiderationbyroadsafetyexperts,roadpoliceunits,civicplanners,andlocalgovernments.Growinginpopularity,3Dcrossingshavebeeninstalledinmanypartsoftheworld,primarilyinChina,India,wherethegovernmentsusetheopticalpaintingtechniquetocreateanillusionofvirtualspeedbreakers–amethodthathasbeenhighlyeffectiveinaddressinghighspeeddriving.Visuallyperceivedasstandingobstacles,the3D-insinuatedbumpsareeasilyspottedbydriversevenatafardistanceandmakethemtoslowdownbeforeapproachingthecrossing.
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TighteningofenforcementmeasuresManyrespondents(35.3%altogether)donotdenythatpunitivemeasures(highfines)willhavethemostimmediateanddesirableeffectonbothdrivers’andpedestrians’mindset.Specifically,19.7%ofrespondentsproposeddriversshouldbepenalizedmoreoftenfornotgivingwaytopedestrianswhereneededand15.6%ofrespondentsthoughtnon-compliantpedestrianbehaviourshouldbefinedaccordingly.Consequently,theroleofpolicepresencewasemphasizedbymostrespondents.Some(2respondents)evennotedtheimportanceofpublicshamingbyshowingpeoplewhoviolateroadsafetyrulesonTV,sothatthebroaderpubliccanseethesepeople.Tougheningofpenaltyenforcementthroughincreasingtheamountoffinesforpedestriansbreakingroadsafetyregulationswasamidthemostrepetitivesuggestionsthatmostofrespondentsputforward.Onfurtherdiscussionswithsubjectmatterexperts,however,opinionsdifferedasexpertsdidnotnecessarilythoughtincreasingtheamountofcivilandadministrativepenaltiesagainstpedestriansanddriverswhomanifestunsafeon-the-roadbehaviourwouldproveeffective.
Overthecourseoftheresearchactivities,thestudyteammetalotofpeoplewhoweretravellingtoBakufromruralareasandwerenotfamiliarwithstreetsignagewellenough.Intheeraofimprovedsocialmobilityofpeopleandagrowingtendencytowardstheurbanisationofruralpopulation,afurtherincreaseinthenumberofpeoplewhomigratefromsuburbstoBakushouldbeexpected.Withthat,moreemphasisshouldbemadetoeducatethesesegmentsofthepopulationaswell.Toreiterate,streetsignsshouldbeplacedatthebusstopsandmetroexitstoinformpeopleoftheriskofbeingchargedwithfinesincaseiftheyviolatetheroadsafetyrulesandcrosstheroadinareaswheretheyarenotallowedtocross.Manypeople,eventhoseinyoungeragegroups(15-24)revealedtheirlackofknowledgeofroadsafetyrules,signage,andpedestrianresponsibilities.Onthecontrary,manythoughttherootoftheproblemwasinmindsetandmentalbarriersarguingthatevenpeoplewhoknewthepedestriansafetyrulesandexperienceddriverswhowerefamiliarwithroadregulationstendedtoviolatepedestriansafetyrules–outofpureneglectorbecausesuchabehaviourbecamehabitual.
Overall,thestudyrevealedthatthelackofadequateandsuitablylocatedpedestrianinfrastructureisoneofthemajorcontributingfactorstoroadfatalities.Placesofsocialimportanceshouldbegivenspecialconsiderationincityplanning.Asanexamplethathasbeenbroughtoutbyrespondents,Neftchilerhospitalisonesuchplacewithaconstantflowofincomingandoutgoingpedestrians.However,thereisnopedestriancrosswalkanywherenearbythehospital,whichputsthemovementofpeopleatgreatrisk–andthesearepotentiallypeoplewithcertainhealthconditions,consideringtheircommutetoandfromamedicalfacility.
SafetyFearoftheftandothercriminalactivitiesintheundergroundpasseswerementionedamongmanyotheralarmingthreatstothecity’sroadsafety.Onerespondentreportedherschoolagedaughter’sbaghadbeenstolen,andtheirentirefamilystoppedusingtheunderpasseverafterthatincident.Anotherrespondentsaidheavoidedenteringtheundergroundpassatnightbecauseofsafetyconcerns.Afewotherintervieweesreportedthattheyorsomeonetheyknewhadexperiencedsuchincidentsatsomepointintimewheretheywererobbedorfacedwithariskofbeingrobbed.Securitycamerasshouldbeinstalledinsuchareasofhighrisktoprovidefor24-hourvideosurveillance,inadditiontoactivepolicepresenceinthearea.Sufficientstreetlighteningincludinginundergroundpasses,mayalsocontributetoanimprovedsafetyofpedestrians.
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DigitalinnovationsAlthoughnotadirectoutcomeofthecurrentstudy,cutting-edgetechnologiesareofferedasyetanotherwayoftappingtheunmetneedforreducingroadfatalities,bothdomesticallyandinternationally.Thoughtleadersintheautomobileindustry,manufacturers,andurbanplanningexpertscallforintensifiedresearchanddevelopmenteffortsaimingtodesignnewgadgetsandsoftwarethatwillallowtocontrolspeeding,preventcollisionsontheroadsbyautomaticallyslowingvehiclesdown,andevensendingalarmsignalstowakedriversupincaseiftheyaccidentallyfallasleeporsendingthempushnotificationstotakeabreakifthesystemregistersfatigueinadriverbasedontheintensityofblinking,forinstance.Alternativetechnologiesofthiskindhavealreadybeendevelopedandareavailableatthedigitalmarketplaceforuse.Mobileapplications,suchasSprint’sDriveFirst,FleetSaferMobile,DriveSafe.ly,Textecution,Cellcontrol,KyrusMobile-tonameafew,areavailableforAndroid,Blackberry,iPhoneandWindowsdevices,althoughrestrictionsmayapplybasedonthegeographicallocation,assomeprogramscanonlybeinstalledandoperateincertaincountries.Ifcompatible,thesoftwaredirectlyinterfereswiththeso-calleddistracteddrivingsyndromeandautomaticallyblocksomeofthekeyfunctionalitiesofsmartphoneswhiletheydetectthatthedriver(adeviceholder)isinmotionontheroad.Thus,bydisablingtextingandemailing,aswellascallingduringtheentireperiodofcommute,theseapplicationspreventdriversfrombecomingattachedtotheircellphones.Manyattributevehiclescrashesandroadfatalitiestodrivers’negligenceoftrafficconditionsduetotheirpreoccupationwithwork-relatedobligationsforcingthemintorespondingtomessages,emailsandcallsaspartoftheiremploymentobligations.Insomecountries,statelawsholdemployersliablefordistracteddrivingifprovedthatapersonwasusingahand-helddevicewhiledrivingtomakecallsorsendemailsandtextmessagesforbusinesspurposes.Whiletechnologicalsolutionspromisetobecomeoneofthemostpowerfulinterventionsthatcaneffectivelyandefficientlyaddressroadsafetyissues,morein-depthresearchisneededtomeasuretheirimpactandprovidefeasibilityanalysisofthepotentialuseofsoftwareapplicationsinthelocalcontext.
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