Figure1.Photocredit:www.pedbikeimages.org/DanGelinne

PedestrianSurvey:Identifyingpedestrianknowledge,perceptionsofandattitudesonroadsafetyinBaku

Baku,Azerbaijan

2016-2017

TheNationalAutomobileClubofAzerbaijan

(AMAK)

8GurbanKhalilovstr.WellingtonHeights,

BlockABaku,Azerbaijan

Hotline:*5858

Office:+994124375858office@amak.azwww.amak.az

AcronymsAMAK AzərbaycanMilliAvtomobilKlubu–TheNational

AutomobileClubofAzerbaijanAZN AzerbaijaniManat(nationalcurrencyofAzerbaijan)EASST EuropeanAllianceforSafeandSustainableTransportFIA TheFédérationInternationaledel'Automobile

(InternationalAutomobileFederation)NGO Non-governmentalorganisationSME(s) Subject-matterexpert(s)UN UnitedNations

WHO WorldHealthOrganisation

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.

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

relevantknowledgeontheroadsafetysituationinAzerbaijanandidentifyimplicationsforfuturepolicypracticesinthisarea.

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

IntroductionNationalAutomobileClubofAzerbaijanTheNationalAutomobileClubofAzerbaijan(AMAK)isaregisterednon-profitorganisationoperatinginAzerbaijanandspecialisingatprovidingfull-scaleroadsideassistance,motoringadvicealongwithexclusivebenefitstotheclubmembers.AmemberoftheInternationalAutomobileFederation(FIA),AMAKisdevotedtopromotingthecultureofcar,self-driveandtouringclubsaspartofculturaltourisminthecountryandstandsfortheinterestsofdriversandthebroadercommunityofroadusers,advocatingforpolicychangesattheupperhierarchiesofthenationalgovernment.

HavingjoinedtheEuropeanAllianceforSafeandSustainableTransport(EASST)asapartnerin2016,AMAKhasbeenactivelypromotingroadsafetyviadifferenteducationalandresearchprojectsaimingtoimprovetheroadsafetycultureamongdriversandpedestriansinAzerbaijanandfosterparticipatoryinvolvementandcollaborationofrelevantgovernmentagencies(includinglawenforcementauthoritiesandstatehealthcareagencies),civilsocietyorganisation,educationalinstitutions(universities,schools,kindergartens)andmassmedia.

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/

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/

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/

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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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