14 september 2010

First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov chairs a meeting of the Government Road Safety Commission

Participants:

The topics discussed at the meeting included: uninterrupted traffic flow in large cities; development of tramway traffic; freight transport restrictions; improved photo and video surveillance of road offenses; and automatic traffic control systems in towns and cities.

Speakers also dealt with public transport and tougher penalties for illegal parking (especially double parking), which reduces traffic capacity by 50%. Regional representatives described their experience in developing public transport sector by providing special traffic lanes.

Shuvalov said city planners pay little attention to local transport systems. "In large cities, they are tearing down five-storey flat blocks from the Khrushchev's era," the first deputy prime minister said, "but in their place they put up 20-storey buildings without any regard for transport infrastructure. The same applies to the construction of housing without parking spaces." In this context Deputy Transport Minister Oleg Belozerov noted that transport and its safety should be considered at all stages of city planning. "We are proposing a number of special amendments to Russian law," the deputy transport minister said.

Participants agreed that photo and video surveillance is the best way to address traffic offenses. Experience reported from Kazan shows that one unit records about 4,000 violations a month. The Transport Ministry and the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate were asked to draft amendments to laws to allow photo enforcement of such infractions as unfastened seatbelts, illegal parking and driving through a red light and to increase administrative responsibility for these offenses.

The participants of the meeting also examined the possibility of registering minor traffic offences without traffic police present on the scene. Chief State Road Safety Inspector Viktor Kiryanov said: "The inspectorate is willing to accept any procedures that don't require the presence of a traffic officer to clear traffic incidents." The relevant ministries and departments were advised to draft proposals for amending legislation to increase damage compensation for traffic accidents from 25,000 to 50,000 roubles.

Commission members also discussed second-reading amendments to the federal draft law on mandatory technical inspection of transport vehicles in the Russian Federation. The amendments would replace self-regulating agencies with accreditation and document inspections by dealerships without any instrumental control during the first technical inspection (of new cars), etc.

In his summary, Shuvalov urged Commission members to focus on measures to improve the situation in large cities. "We must share traffic safety responsibilities between different ministries," the first deputy prime minister said.

Shuvalov noted that the Transport Ministry should not only legislate and establish standards on road traffic but also see to it that they are observed and complied with. He called on the regions to take an active part in developing public transport safety and efficiency.