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BISHKEK (TCA) — Kyrgyzstan is planning to introduce alternative toll roads. The first pilot project will be the Bishkek—Chaldovar highway, bypassing Uzgen city in the south of the country. Continue reading
ASTANA (TCA) — In the period of 2015-2016, within the framework of the Nurly Zhol program, 1,300 km of motor roads were reconstructed in Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Roads Committee of the Ministry for Investments and Development Mereke Pshembayev told a briefing on December 25, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported. Continue reading
KABUL (TCA) — Afghanistan’s Finance Ministry and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on December 17 signed an agreement for the ADB to provide a US $400 million aid package for Afghanistan’s development projects, TOLOnews reports. Continue reading
DUSHANBE (TCA) — As more than 1.3 million people worldwide are killed in traffic accidents each year (with 90% of them in low-income countries such as Tajikistan), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), together with the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST) and the Young Generation of Tajikistan (YGT), is running a road safety media and public awareness campaign in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe to promote the use of seat belts and highlight the benefits of eco-driving, the EBRD press office reported on December 14. Passengers are twice as likely to die in a crash if they are not wearing a seat belt. But the use of seat belts in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, is rare. Research carried out by the EBRD and its road safety partners revealed that fewer than one in eight drivers or passengers there actually wear them. Nearly two thirds of vehicles have seat belts that either do not work or cannot be reached by passengers. As part of the campaign, posters, leaflets and billboards now inundate the city’s streets, illustrating the benefits of wearing a seat belt as well as saving fuel and protecting the environment through eco-driving. Striking video messages are now playing on Tajik television as part of the campaign, showing the fatal consequences of not wearing a seat belt even on short journeys and at low speeds. The campaign also stresses the benefits of eco-driving, rare amongst the city’s commuters. Through colourful video animations, it explains that more efficient driving not only leads to lower carbon emissions and accident rates but also decreases fuel consumption – protecting the environment and cutting costs for motorists. Creating a memorable road safety campaign is only half the battle. Education, solid stringent legislation and police enforcement are also key. The project will see road safety education delivered to hundreds of school pupils to help improve their safety as pedestrians and will see the development of a ‘Youth Road Inspectors’ programme. Local transport companies are already providing training on eco-driving skills and hosting awareness seminars, attracting an impressive turnout. The country’s traffic police is also committed to the initiative and announced that new sanctions and enforcement regimes are being introduced for non-use of seat belts. Final results will be assessed at the end of the campaign in 2018 to determine whether attitudes to seat belts and wearing rates have changed. But the transformation is already underway. Over 50 key stakeholders attended the media campaign launch last month including the Deputy Mayor of Dushanbe, Mr Qurbon Saidzoda, and the Deputy Head of the Republican Traffic Police Mr Abdusattor Kholov. Jamshed Rahmonberdiev of the EBRD Resident Office in Tajikistan welcomed participants and spoke of the Bank’s strong commitment to reducing road casualties in the region. He emphasised that road safety is mandatory in all Bank investment projects. “Tajikistan has a very fast growing motorisation rate. 80% increase in CO2 emissions from transport is projected by 2030 if nothing is done,” he said. “EBRD investments are helping...
KABUL (TCA) — The Asian Development Bank on December 6 said its Board of Directors has approved $330 million in grant financing to support the completion of Afghanistan's national Ring Road, a vital national strategic corridor and a critical part of the country’s regional integration agenda. Continue reading
BISHKEK (TCA) — On November 10, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Sapar Isakov held an emergency Government meeting to discuss the critical situation on the country’s roads. The Prime Minister signed two Government resolutions, according to which the Main Patrol Police Directorate has been abolished and the Main Directorate for Road Traffic Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be established. The staff of the new unit will be increased. “Recruitment of employees should be carried out transparently and on a competitive basis. It is necessary to create a new department of professionals who are not involved in scandals and corruption," he said. Road accidents record From November 1 to 9, 2017, 208 road accidents were recorded across the country, in which 42 people were killed and 321 injured. Two accidents, which killed 5 and 10 people respectively, caused a wide public response. In 10 months of 2017, 5,197 road accidents were registered in the country, in which 695 people died and 7,839 were injured. “It is vital to understand what is happening on our roads, and what is the reason for so many road accidents in which our compatriots died,” PM Isakov said. Causes of accidents Since the beginning of 2017, traffic rules violations have risen 12% compared to 2016. According to the Patrol Police, the main causes of the accidents were speeding, violation of maneuvering rules, driving along the oncoming lane, violation of the overtaking rules, and drunk driving. The low level of drivers’ training and the low culture of driving were also among the causes of accidents. Since 2010, the number of vehicles has increased almost 2.5-fold in Kyrgyzstan (from 400 thousand to 1.15 million), Interior Minister Ulan Israilov said. More than 417 thousand vehicles were registered in Bishkek alone. The number of inexperienced drivers has increased, he added. There were cases when traffic accidents were committed in three or four days after receiving a driver's license. Drivers often do not pass traffic rules tests and simply buy a driver's license. Urgent measures needed It is necessary to exclude corruption when obtaining a driver's license, PM Isakov said. He ordered the Ministry of Education and Science to check all of 223 driving schools operating in the country and proposed creating a single testing center for driver's licenses. Isakov reminded that on August 30, 2017, the Government approved an Action Plan to reform the road safety system in Kyrgyzstan. He ordered relevant state bodies to conduct a thorough analysis of the Plan’s implementation within a week. The Ministry of Internal Affairs was tasked to submit a bill providing for toughening of criminal and administrative liability for violation of the Road Traffic Rules. The government needs money from the state budget to install video cameras on the roads, parliament members say. In Bishkek, the patrol police now use special cars with cameras and equipment to record violations and search for cars that are wanted. The MPs proposed that the local governments install cameras and that 50% of the fines...
