Lancement de la première initiative de classement par étoiles pour les écoles en République kirghize

Original article and image from EASST 

Avec le soutien du FIA Foundation, EASST is working with Public Association ‘Road Safety’ (PARS) and the local FIA Club to implement the first pilot Classement par étoiles pour les écoles (SR4S) intervention in the Kyrgyz Republic. This will involve using the using the SR4S App to assess road safety around school zones across Bishkek and the Chuy region. Road safety infrastructure upgrades will be installed at one of the assessed schools to improve standards and serve as an example of best practice for future improvements.

The work started late last year in collaboration with the local traffic police to identify five high-risk schools to be assessed. These are schools No. 7, 18, and 92 in Bishkek; school  No.1 in Ivanovka village, and the Budenovka village school in the Issyk-Ata district of Chuy region.

Representatives from PARS, the FIA Club and Traffic Police all received training on how to use the SR4S App and have been out to assess the selected schools. In December, PARS also held a workshop with key stakeholders from the target schools to inform them about the project and gather their perspectives on what changes will be beneficial for their school communities.

“We are located on the strategic Bishkek-Torugart highway, we are the only school in Budenovka village and there is no traffic light near our school. We have about 1,000 students. Many facilities are located around school area, such as a car wash, a tandoor, a shop and a cafe. Children run across the road there every day.” – M. Kaidulatova, Director of the Budenovka village school

“Since 2017 a lot of work has been carried out near schools by City Hall… road markings and road signs are being updated. Now we are trying to pay more attention to residential areas, but some old schools remain ignored. I am glad that this project includes school 7 and 18 in Bishkek.” – Guzel Zhenishovna, Education Department of Bishkek City Hall

This project has the potential to dramatically improve the safety of school children in often overlooked areas. In Moldavie the Star Rating system has already been used be our EASST partners to reveal the unsafe state of the roads in some school zones which have now been fitted with safety upgrades designed to calm traffic and improve the visibility of children. Similar success with the SR4S App has been experienced by EASST partners in Géorgie and Azerbaijan.

This project will be especially important in Kyrgyzstan where 2023 data shows that 23% of road crashes involve children under the age of 16.

The star-rating assessment will also build on the continued efforts of PARS and the Republican Traffic Police to reduce speed limits to 30km/h in school zones across the country. Traffic calming measures are proven to be more effective than signage alone in the enforcement of speed limits. With the Kyrgyz government and Bishkek City Hall making children’s road safety a priority, this project is an opportunity to set a standard for school zones across Kyrgyzstan and make a real difference.

Find out more on the EASST programme – Safe Routes to Schools ici