Road safety initiatives in cities like Arequipa pave the way for other Peruvian municipalities. Photo by Xiaozhuli.

A message from EMBARQ Andino Director Jorge Jara:

I am very pleased to inform you that 64 mayors of various local governments of Peru agreed to implement seven concrete actions to improve road safety within their jurisdictions, using the experiences in Arequipa and Lima, and supported by EMBARQ Andino, as a reference.

This commitment was assumed by the mayors of Healthy Municipalities and Communities, a program promoted by the Peruvian Ministry of Health to mark the United Nations' declaration of the Decade of Action for Road Safety.

The mayors committed:

1.       To identify the five zones with the highest number of accidents with trauma caused by transit crashes and transform them into safe transit zones, beginning with the promotion of the safe system approach.

2.       To achieve, by the end of 2013, improvement of the signaling, speed reducers, and road auxiliary devices surrounding 20% of public and private educational institutions and 20% of health establishments in their jurisdictions. This is expected to reduce speed on average to 30 kilometers per hour surrounding these institutions.

3.       To have, by the end of 2013, 5 kilometers of bike paths in optimal conditions and with suitable signaling in each jurisdiction of the participating Local Governments.

4.       To integrate 20% of the motorcycle-taxi and taxi drivers, according to the Local Governments that they belong to, in health and road safety programs of the local government, becoming community agents of the promotion of road safety.

5.       To engage, by the end of 2012, at least 60% of higher educational institutions in the use of non-motorized transport and three road safety awareness campaigns per year, as a strategy to increase youth participation in the promotion of road safety.

6.       To prioritize public investment in road safety.

7.       To establish a non-motorized transport program every Sunday of the year to promote physical activity, and to improve recreational, cultural, touristic and citizen coexistence at the local level.

These goals are in line with our priorities and our vision to impact cities. 

Below, find the original signed Spanish version of this commitment, and the English translation.