SAFETY

This part of the transportation plan is related to safety, in a broad sense. On the one hand, it would cover solutions and plans on pedestrian safety in the city center, the Medina. On the other hand, the security regarding the rates established for travel in some of the city's transports. Finally, the mechanical security of the taxis.

1. Improving the Medina for pedestrian

All the antique Moroccan cities have a Medina. In the case of Marrakesh, was founded by the Almoravids in 1070-72. As a medieval layout, the tangle of streets and alleys make it a complete labyrinth, and almost impossible to circulate and walk through. Because of the Marrakesh people lack in wealth is a huge challenge try to change the way they move around the Medina; however, it is a must.

Lately some European cities such as Madrid, Oslo or Helsinki are beginning to shift their mobility solution away from the private cars or in general private means of transport. The measures are towards more environmentally friendly and citizen-focused means (Nieuwenhuijsen & Khreis, 2016). The strategy in this case would be a corporate strategy with stability, economic growth, and retrenchment as pillars to implant. When finding solutions, the case of Copenhagen should be mentioned. It was the first to give priority to pedestrians, adopted the strategy of few cars and extremely attractive city centre. And that is what we proposed.

Of course, changes should be made gradually, giving time to people to adapt, and concerning Marrakesh people about the problem. This active strategy regenerating the Medina, could be made by the local authority, as a part of a national initiative, financed by the Ministry of Environment, The Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Commerce, as it was done in Kajaani, Finland in 1996 (WALLSTRÖM, 2009).

Possibly you have visited Marrakesh, if so, you may have observed that in general, cars are not allowed to circulate in the medina, however a large number of motorcycles, and even animal carts, pass by pedestrians at high speeds.

Then, which are the solutions to improve the pedestrian priority and environment?

Reduction of motorized vehicles on the streets of the medina increases the availability of other alternatives such as bicycles.

Prohibition of motorized vehicles on busier and narrower streets or pedestrian sections at certain times of the day. That is, the creation of a schedule, allowing the unloading of motorized vehicles at night and early in the morning to supply the shops within the Medina.

Behaviour change programs and road safety teaching to the population.

Implementation of vehicle speed restrictions and fines for dangerous driving.

Good signage of these measures along the streets.

Our targets

Quality of air with low atmospheric emissions
Low road accident rates
Accessibility of disable people would be possible
Security at time of walking
Security feeling walking of visitors would increase.
Better built environment conditions
Discouragement of private car and other motorized vehicles
Encouragement of active modes.
Improving public health

Action programs

Formation of a ‘coordinating group’ and a ‘city-centre society’ representing stakeholders (the city authorities, developers, shopkeepers, and residents) to provide active support for the strategy. This implication of people would make more concern and the feeling of improving and belonginess (WALLSTRÖM, 2009).

Clear political vision and commitment by the city council (WALLSTRÖM, 2009)

Involvement of the public with surveys before and after the implementation of the project, in order to know any deficiency or possible improvement.

Listen carefully to both positive support and criticism, be prepared to be flexible and adjust in the light of all feedback.

Time framework to establish the solutions. Source: own elaboration

Monitoring indicators

in the long run

For visitors some random surveys need to be done.
Checking the number of fines and inappropriate conduct.
Preparation of reports with statistics annually to verify improvements or deficiencies.
Maintenance of a good local security team that checks that the measures are carried out.

2. Establishment of taxi rates and other data through an app

Travelling in an unknown country can be stressful sometimes. Being a foreigner also can make you more vulnerable to frauds and many people experienced cases where they had to pay a dubious amount when taking a taxi (Mouttaki, 2020). In Marrakech there exist different taxi scams which tourist but also locals have experienced. One of it is that the drivers say that the meter is broken (Mouttaki, 2020) and charge you a much higher rate. This is illegal, but it happens a lot (Mouttaki, 2020). Another scam is to say that they have no change, or only give you back a part of what they should (Mouttaki, 2020). Furthermore, it happens that the taxi drivers at the airport charge a much higher price than officially listed in the terminals (Mouttaki, 2020).

What could be the solution?

A solution for that problem can be an app calculating the exact costs for the trip, depending on the kilometres, day and hour. The idea is to offer an app after the examples of Uber and Cabify. There, you will know the amount beforehand and you can even pay with a credit card. If you would like to pay in cash, you can do that when you arrived at your destination. It is no secret that many taxi drivers try to take longer routes to increase the costs you have to pay. With an app this could be the end for that trickery.

Not only serves the app to control the payments and its correctness, but it is also useful in other issues of safety. Since every trip will be recorded with the data of the driver and clients, every case can be followed. For example, if anyone gets aggressive and violent, other parties can intervene easier and try to solve the case if anyone escapes. Or if the taxi driver endangers the passengers in the way he drives, this can be reported by the clients enforcing a control of his condition. It happens frequently that taxi drivers suffer from sleep deprivation or that they have taken drugs. This is very risky for all parties involved and can lead to serious accidents. Also, in other cases, solutions can be provided with the app. When the clients leave their property in the car it is possible to keep track of it since the car’s data is included in the app in every ride.

Further improvements

Time framework

The application will be available for petit and grand taxis. It would take about one to two years to offer the app in Marrakech. Primary, the city government would need employ programmers or directly send an offer to a company which creates applications. The time of the technical implementation depends on the requirements and complexity of the app.

Before that steps, the financial burden needs be clarified. Companies could be the supporters or completely fund the project. Another possibility to manage the financial expenditure is that advertisement can be shown in the app by different businesses to maintain it in the long-term. Of course, adjustments have to be made in the course of time to update the offers, possibility of payments and improve the customer service. All those factors depend on the reviews of the clients and the aim to always enhance the usability.

Second year

Present

Issues that can be included in the app when using it as a passenger:

Entry of the start and destination to get a taxi (for current rides or reservations in the future), tracking via GPS

Tracing of rides from the past, current ones, and reservations

Personal data

Commentaries

FAQ’s in different sections and the possibility to report different cases directly and get responses

Profile/account: how to create an account, current payment method
Safety/Security: loss of property, issues with a driver, how to report a driver
Disability: how to get an accessible taxi
Reservations: means of payment, cancelations

Get directly in touch with the staff: by telephone and email

3. Mechanical revision of the taxis

As already mentioned in the SWOT analysis’ part of improvements, many taxis lack the safety measures for cars. These issues can lead to severe physical injuries when it comes to accidents and there are not any safety belts and air bags. To avoid those results and enhance the safety in cars and on the streets, it is necessary to make revisions over time. For that, the DEKRA group which stands for German Motor Vehicle Monitoring Association (DEKRA History, 2020), is a reliable partner. They focus on technical safety and have many centres around the world, also in Marrakech. DEKRA especially offers vehicle inspections and is world leader in this field (Vehicle Inspections, 2020).

Hey taxi!

Action programs

To make safer the streets of Marrakech, there are different measures which will be crucial when owning a taxi and offering services:

Mandatory inspection for identification (Vehicle Inspections, 2020): Confirmation of the safety condition and identity of the vehicle (Mandatory Inspection for Identification, 2020). In this way the authorities can be sure that the car was not stolen and that it is compliant to be used officially.

After damage repair inspection (Vehicle Inspections, 2020): After an accident it is necessary to let the vehicle be inspected to ensure safety and meet the necessary standards (After Damage Repair Inspection, 2020).

Mandatory periodical inspections (Vehicle Inspections, 2020): These inspections especially are important in the long run, to ensure the safety of all the existing taxis in the street from time to time.

The check includes amongst others the monitoring of the braking system, steering system, lighting, visibility, wheels and the safety equipment like seat belts and air bags (Mandatory Periodical Inspections, 2020).

If those requirements are not followed, it can lead to the withdrawal of the taxi driver’s license or the loss of the vehicle. The costs have to be covered privately, but if the government notices high losses and the taxi companies are threatened by these measures, they should intervene supporting them financially.

The objectives

The objectives are to ensure the safety of the taxis for drivers, passengers, and all transport users. There must be a prevention from illegal avoidance of the inspections by the taxi drivers to save money in order keep going with the business. For that there should be fonds and state subsidies to avoid bankruptcy in this business and endangerment to all parties.