Zebra Project

Project "Zebra" (2013): filling the roadway with a special solution

The goal of the project, which ended in July 2013, was to improve the safety of schoolchildren crossing the roads near three Almaty schools.

In our city, a very large number of schools go directly to the road. The number of incidents and cases of child injuries associated with this is very high. Most schools did not have any special signs, signs or road markings for pedestrian crossings, although more students attend schools without parental supervision.

Based on data obtained by the Traffic Police Committee under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 199 children were killed and 1490 injured in road accidents only in 2008. Most incidents on the roads involve children crossing roads and colliding with vehicles. The territories of schools are located, as a rule, at the intersection of roads, but not all intersections are equipped properly - there are no traffic lights, there are not enough pedestrian crossings ("zebras") and curbs separating the pedestrian area from the roadway.

Covering the crossings with fresh paint and a special anti-slip coating, which became widespread in the UK in the late 1970s, reduced the number of road accidents with children by more than 60% in the first year of use. Now this method is used in many European and Asian countries.

This project was implemented with the help of an international grant, which combined the efforts and funds of the Rotary Almaty Club, several partner clubs from Hong Kong and the global Rotary Foundation.

Also in the educational part of this project, members of the youth Rotaract Club of Almaty were involved, explaining to children and their parents the basic rules of proper behavior on the roads. They organized a duty and worked for several days as volunteers, helping children cross the road during the busiest hours in the morning and evening.