Road Safety in Azerbaijan: Challenges and Way Forward World Bank Transport Team April 16, 2010

Summary Background World Bank assistance program Opportunities and way forward

Road network Road Network - Overall condition of the road network is fragile Massive ongoing road investments - during 2005-09, totaled about US$3.8 billion Main (M roads) Secondary (R roads) Local (Y roads) Azerbaijan 1 871 km 2 706 km 14 222 km

Increasing rate of motorization The total vehicle fleet – 937 000 in 2009 81 private passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants (2008) The total vehicle fleet has grown by 113% between year 2000 and year 2009

Fatality and Injuries Rates In 2009, 930 people died, 3044 injured from 2792 road crashes in Azerbaijan

Fatality rates – comparison with other countries Source: World Bank (2005) The rate of fatalities per 100 thousand people is about two times and per 10 thousand vehicles about 5-10 times higher than the best countries in road safety terms

Common problems on the roads Poor quality of roads Traffic management issues Inadequate signs and road markings Buses/minibuses appear to stop anywhere, on demand Poor traffic management at construction sites Lack of proper pedestrian crossings in settlements, pedestrians crossing everywhere, even on high speed roads

New section on edge of city: no lane markings or shoulder

Poor traffic management during construction

Laws & Enforcement Current laws are not perfect, but if followed, allow improved road safety Enforcement Speed enforcement ongoing by police, speed cameras and radars Insufficient enforcement of seatbelts No enforcement of child restraint use Poor enforcement of pedestrian behavior Poor enforcement of bus driver behavior

M4 – near Baku: unregulated bus stop; pedestrians crossing the road

Poor behavior: walking in the middle of the road

Road Infrastructure Overall poor quality of the road network-only 45% of M-roads, 30% of R-roads, and 16% of paved Y-roads are in good condition. Safe road design principles are not applied Insufficient acceleration-deceleration lanes on high-speed roads No or insufficient median crash barriers and guardrails No or insufficient fencing to protect from animals crossing the road

Baku-Alat road: many u-turns, most not marked or with adequate geometry for a high speed road

Results of unsafe installation of roadside guardrails

A cow in the median

Road Safety Institutional Arrangements (i) NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY COMMISSION HOSPITALS AND RESCUE SERVICES Ministry of Finance Ministry of Transport GOVERNMENT POLICY AND LEGISLATION Municipalities Ministry of Health Ministry of Education Ministry of Internal Affairs The Traffic Police Local Executive Power DRIVING SCHOOLS NGOs SCHOOLS INSURANCE COMPANIES Azeryolservis JSC Road Safety Unit (ARS) Road Users CONCERNED PARTIES UNIVERSITIES

Road Safety Institutional Arrangements (ii) National Road Safety Commission Traffic Police – nominated as a lead agency The Ministry of Transport and ARS have limited involvement of in the road safety issues No approved Road Safety Strategy and action plan

Road Safety in Azerbaijan - World Bank Program Objectives Improved condition of the road network Increased financing of road safety activities (up to 10% of the total investments in the future) Support to develop and implement road safety strategy and action plans Road safety audits of all road designs Improved blackspots identification and treatment Support to develop appropriate normative and regulatory frameworks Capacity building and professional development of traffic police

World Bank support to road safety Phase 1 – National Traffic Safety Policy Highway Project (completed in 2009) The first draft National Traffic Safety Policy for Azerbaijan has been developed (Finnroad) Includes sections for the key road safety areas The draft Document has not been approved by the Government due to lack of proper coordination between concerned agencies

World Bank support to road safety Phase 2 – Focus on Implementation Second Highway Project (ongoing) Development of the National Road Safety Strategy and 5-year Action Plan to commence implementation of the Strategy Development of at least 4 implementation plans for immediate actions over the first two years of the Action Plan Design and first stage implementation of a Crash (Accident) Database Development of Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Guidelines for Blackspot Identification and Treatment, and corresponding training Capacity building, professional development and equipment for traffic police

World Bank support to road safety Phase 2 – Focus on Implementation Most comprehensive road safety technical assistance program ever implemented in Azerbaijan Tendering has been completed and implementation of contract by SweRoad (Sweden) is expected to start within one month Ownership by the State Traffic Police and Azeryolservis JSC and good interagency coordination are keys to success of the project

World Bank support to road safety Phase 3 – Road Safety for Motorways Third Highway Project (scheduled for approval in May 2010) Development of a traffic safety management strategy for daily motorway operation Safety audits of designs Traffic safety supervision reviews Road safety improvements during construction of additional two lanes of Baku-Shamakhi road (better facilities for pedestrians, improved junction designs and roadside crash barriers)

World Bank support to road safety Phase 3 – Road Safety for Motorways The component is designed in response to issues faced during rehabilitation of Baku-Shamakhi road under the Second Highway Project Implementation of the road safety activities are scheduled to take place in 2011-2012 The results will be replicated in other road construction projects in Azerbaijan

Way forward Political commitment is key Coordinated actions by the leading agencies Active involvement of key agencies in development of the Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan Full time Road Safety Secretariat, possibly under the National Road Safety Commission Training and capacity building of the staff of Secretariat and agencies involved in road safety Public awareness campaigns (e.g. seatbelts use) Active involvement of the assigned staff in Traffic Police, MoT, ARS in the implementation of the project for better absorption of the technical assistance