Our main task is to develop comprehensive solutions for road safety, reducing accidents and deaths,” Alikhan Smailov emphasized at one of the Government meetings in October 2022.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics ASPR RK, from 2017 to 2021, the accident rate in Almaty decreased by 63%. However, this is only official data.
According to the participants of the Round Table, today, the classic means of traffic rules and the mass media are no longer enough to reduce accidents on the roads. We need new formats, discussions, where specialists in this field, interested parties can join the discussion and contribute to the organization of traffic and the promotion of the concept of road safety among residents and visitors of the city. To this end, it is planned to introduce a new global social project Vision Zero. Its meaning is to unite the efforts of government departments, public organizations and other NGOs involved in urban studies in general. An equally important difference between the project and the previous formats is the program-target approach, which will allow tracking intermediate results and making timely adjustments.
“Events and results of past years have once again emphasized the importance of sustainable development issues in the country. There has been a rethinking of values in the direction of strengthening the emphasis on the safety and well-being of people, and reducing the impact on the environment. Therefore, Freedom Holding Corp. continues to support the ESG agenda in the country through transformational projects, rethinking business approaches, and strengthening social responsibility in society as a whole. Freedom Insurance IC has been the leader in online auto insurance in the country since 2019. Initially, we focused on creating technologically advanced and convenient products for Kazakhstanis. In 2022, we launched two innovative products - compulsory CPLI auto insurance by subscription and online payments in case of an accident. Being one of the active participants in the Kazakhstani insurance market and part of the Holding, based on the available expertise, internal data and analytics, we understand the importance of improving safety for road users. Therefore, it is natural that it is the Freedom Group that is the initiator of today's round table and a partner in the Vision Zero project,” said Marlen Sikhaev, Advisor to the Chairman of the Board of Freedom Insurance, in his speech.
David Kaminsky, architect, member of the Association of Urbanists "Q88" emphasized that the city needs a comprehensive Road Safety Program based on a scientific approach and international best practices, covering all road users - pedestrians, drivers, public transport and others:
“The program should be based on international experience, and its main tools should be physically tangible measures to calm traffic, rationalize road space. The element of changing the behavior of the participants in the movement through training, propaganda can take place, but people tend to err. Therefore, it is important to use the infrastructure to exclude the possibility of the error itself and minimize its consequences,” the speaker believes.
Kairat Akhmetov, co-founder of the Sergeyk Group, supported the representative of the Association of Urbanists and noted that improving driving discipline in Almaty is not enough to make traffic safer:
“After the introduction of the Sergek intelligent public and road safety system, we observed a positive trend in reducing fatal accidents. Astana has managed to halve the number of deaths since 2017 and has managed to maintain these figures to the present. In Almaty, after the introduction of the system, the mortality rate also immediately fell by almost half, but now we are seeing a deterioration in the situation. Therefore, systemic problems on the roads need to be addressed through joint efforts and comprehensive measures, including within the framework of the Vision Zero project.”
In his speech, Marat Shibutov, a member of the Public Council of Almaty, a member of the Urban Planning Council, focused on planning financial expenses to improve safety on Almaty roads in a new format:
“Now we only know the statistics of accidents, victims and deaths as a result of road accidents, we see the consequences of improper planning of city roads, sidewalks, ignoring traffic rules by drivers and pedestrians. With the help of the new Vision Zero project, we will have the opportunity to improve conditions for pedestrians and drivers, reduce accidents on the roads of Almaty. First of all, for this we need to calculate how much all these accidents and their consequences cost in monetary terms. It is necessary to determine the amount that will be needed in subsequent years for the implementation of the Vision Zero project.”
At the end of the event, the participants, for more productive actions on the implementation of Vision Zero, agreed to hold such discussions regularly, providing updated data on accidents, a monthly report on the work done and the funds spent, as well as to connect new participants and supporters of the project.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics ASPR RK, from 2017 to 2021, the accident rate in Almaty decreased by 63%. However, this is only official data.
According to the participants of the Round Table, today, the classic means of traffic rules and the mass media are no longer enough to reduce accidents on the roads. We need new formats, discussions, where specialists in this field, interested parties can join the discussion and contribute to the organization of traffic and the promotion of the concept of road safety among residents and visitors of the city. To this end, it is planned to introduce a new global social project Vision Zero. Its meaning is to unite the efforts of government departments, public organizations and other NGOs involved in urban studies in general. An equally important difference between the project and the previous formats is the program-target approach, which will allow tracking intermediate results and making timely adjustments.
“Events and results of past years have once again emphasized the importance of sustainable development issues in the country. There has been a rethinking of values in the direction of strengthening the emphasis on the safety and well-being of people, and reducing the impact on the environment. Therefore, Freedom Holding Corp. continues to support the ESG agenda in the country through transformational projects, rethinking business approaches, and strengthening social responsibility in society as a whole. Freedom Insurance IC has been the leader in online auto insurance in the country since 2019. Initially, we focused on creating technologically advanced and convenient products for Kazakhstanis. In 2022, we launched two innovative products - compulsory CPLI auto insurance by subscription and online payments in case of an accident. Being one of the active participants in the Kazakhstani insurance market and part of the Holding, based on the available expertise, internal data and analytics, we understand the importance of improving safety for road users. Therefore, it is natural that it is the Freedom Group that is the initiator of today's round table and a partner in the Vision Zero project,” said Marlen Sikhaev, Advisor to the Chairman of the Board of Freedom Insurance, in his speech.
David Kaminsky, architect, member of the Association of Urbanists "Q88" emphasized that the city needs a comprehensive Road Safety Program based on a scientific approach and international best practices, covering all road users - pedestrians, drivers, public transport and others:
“The program should be based on international experience, and its main tools should be physically tangible measures to calm traffic, rationalize road space. The element of changing the behavior of the participants in the movement through training, propaganda can take place, but people tend to err. Therefore, it is important to use the infrastructure to exclude the possibility of the error itself and minimize its consequences,” the speaker believes.
Kairat Akhmetov, co-founder of the Sergeyk Group, supported the representative of the Association of Urbanists and noted that improving driving discipline in Almaty is not enough to make traffic safer:
“After the introduction of the Sergek intelligent public and road safety system, we observed a positive trend in reducing fatal accidents. Astana has managed to halve the number of deaths since 2017 and has managed to maintain these figures to the present. In Almaty, after the introduction of the system, the mortality rate also immediately fell by almost half, but now we are seeing a deterioration in the situation. Therefore, systemic problems on the roads need to be addressed through joint efforts and comprehensive measures, including within the framework of the Vision Zero project.”
In his speech, Marat Shibutov, a member of the Public Council of Almaty, a member of the Urban Planning Council, focused on planning financial expenses to improve safety on Almaty roads in a new format:
“Now we only know the statistics of accidents, victims and deaths as a result of road accidents, we see the consequences of improper planning of city roads, sidewalks, ignoring traffic rules by drivers and pedestrians. With the help of the new Vision Zero project, we will have the opportunity to improve conditions for pedestrians and drivers, reduce accidents on the roads of Almaty. First of all, for this we need to calculate how much all these accidents and their consequences cost in monetary terms. It is necessary to determine the amount that will be needed in subsequent years for the implementation of the Vision Zero project.”
At the end of the event, the participants, for more productive actions on the implementation of Vision Zero, agreed to hold such discussions regularly, providing updated data on accidents, a monthly report on the work done and the funds spent, as well as to connect new participants and supporters of the project.
