RECLAIMING SPACE FOR WALKING AND CYCLING
LED BY Dilshod Kholmatov FROM TAJIKISTAN
In Tajikistan, poor road safety is one of the most significant barriers that keep young people from walking and cycling. Tajikistan is also a society dominated by cars meaning that road users are at risk of road crashes.
The project calls on city authorities to promote walking and cycling as a policy priority. The project is about creating and leading advocacy efforts to promote active mobility to address environmental issues, highlight sustainable urban development, and improve public health.
The project will emphasize pedestrian and cyclist safety as a priority in transportation and mobility. Through mobilizing and empowering young people, the project will help give young people a voice in planning and decision-making processes around sustainable urban mobility.
ABOUT THE PROJECT LEAD
Dilshod is from Dushanbe, Tajikistan. He graduated from the Tajik Technical University where he studied Civil Engineering and Architecture.
Dilshod was a semi-professional road and mountain bike cyclist and has traveled to many places by bicycle. He co-founded the Critical Mass Dushanbe that was established 7 years ago with two international colleagues. Critical Mass Dushanbe is an organization that encourages cyclists to ‘reclaim roads’ while also protecting the environment and preventing climate change.
He currently works as a project manager in road safety and post-crash response. He is a candidate to become a Chess Master and is interested in learning new languages.
PROJECT UPDATES
In an article published by AA, Sibel Morrow writes that Turkmenistan’s Embassy in Ankara organized a bicycle tour in the Turkish capital to mark the World Bicycle Day.
More than 50 cyclists as well as the representatives of the World Health Organization, embassies of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Russia participated to the tour around Eymir Lake.
The Public Organization Young Generation of Tajikistan organized a bike ride on the Dushanbe-Hisor route. Skilled bike owners, representative of the Japan Embasssy in Tajikistan , and Critical Mass participated in this event.
The event was is conducted through the support by Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport.
The Dushanbe Center for Children and Adolescents hosted the annual gathering of Young Road Inspectors. This event was held in conjunction with the Young Generation of Tajikistan. Young inspectors from various schools, including Donishvar-1 gymnasium, participated in this event. As part of the activities, a test was conducted among the participants to identify their knowledge on road safety.
The key activity was to hold a bicycle contest among the young road inspectors. Based on the points earned, the judges determined the winners of the competition and gave them memorable gifts.
Local Actions Winner Dilshod Kholmatov, Tajikistan, and his team published a study on bike sharing, titled “Assessing the Viability and Impacts of Bike Sharing Schemes in Tajikistan: A Case Study Analysis in China, US, and Europe. The Study looks to push forward the culture of cycling and guide other young leaders in implementing or researching similar projects.
“[The Study] will be useful in future projects and initiatives for both us and other donor organizations that finance the construction and reconstruction of urban roads and especially the integration of sustainable mobility. In a sense of the word, this study can also be a guide in the development of a national road safety strategy in my country for sustainable mobility.” - Dilshod Kholmatov
PROJECT GALLERY
