Failure to yield to pedestrians is the leading cause of traffic accidents in Chișinău municipality. Pedestrians represent the most vulnerable group and additional efforts are needed to make pedestrian crossings safer, concludes Stanislav Ghilețchi, deputy director of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE), in an analytical note on how to reduce traffic accidents in the capital city.
This year, accidents involving pedestrians rose by 10% from 2018, making up 26% of the total.
According to Stanislav Ghilețchi, some important risk factors include inadequate street infrastructure, poor visibility in intersections, confusing traffic marking, and poor lighting conditions around pedestrian crossings. The expert recommends installing curbside bollards and applying marking to deter parking in the immediate vicinity of intersections and crossings.
The city administration needs to put in place guidelines on the construction of safe pedestrian crossings and develop investment plans for safe roads. Stanislav Ghilețchi also says streets need to be resized and efforts need to continue to install street lights around pedestrian crossings.
According to the police, in January-August 2020, there were 477 traffic accidents in Chisinau that killed 20 people and injured 539 others.
