TURKMENISTAN: MINISTRY OF MOTOR TRANSPORT WANTS

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000108 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, EEB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID ECON ELTN TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: MINISTRY OF MOTOR TRANSPORT WANTS NEW TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE OPERATIONS ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: During a January 7 meeting, officials of Turkmenistan's Ministry of Motor Transport, responsible for passenger and cargo safety on Turkmenistan's roads, expressed interest in learning more about how U.S. municipalities successfully manage their public transportation fleets and how to use technology to move passengers in the most efficient way possible. END SUMMARY. SAFETY ON THE ROADS -- BOTH PEOPLE AND GOODS ¶3. (SBU) During a January 7 meeting with EmbOff, the Head of the Roadway and Labor Safety Security Department and the Head Specialist of the International Relations Department of the Ministry of Motor Transport discussed their work regulating the safe and efficient transportation of people and cargo around Turkmenistan. The Ministry's scope includes inter- and intra-city transportation of people via automobiles, buses, and taxis, as well as preventing loss in cargo transportation. SAFETY IS A SEASONAL ISSUE ¶4. (SBU) The Ministry of Motor Transport views Turkmenistan's transportation safety issues as seasonal, when lots of people and vehicles are on the road at the same time. The officials named summertime as one of those periods, when large numbers of children travel to camp. International meetings, when numerous visitors converge on Ashgabat, are sporadic events that the Ministry must also manage. In terms of cargo, a huge amount of raw cotton moves inter-regionally during the harvest season (September),adding cargo traffic to the mix. INTERESTED IN LEARNING FROM FOREIGN COUNTERPARTS ¶5. (SBU) The Ministry of Motor Transport expressed interest in learning from foreign counterparts about efficient organization of municipal mass transportation systems, including use of GPS technology in traffic and fleet management, route planning, and moving passengers in a timely fashion. As an example of their efforts to improve municipal mass transportation capability, Ministry officials added that President Berdimuhamedov recently procured 345 new buses for Ashgabat's public transportation system. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: President Berdimuhamedov said that Turkmenistan needs to gain foreign expertise, and word seems to be trickling down to the ministries. State-of-the-art technology is highly sought after in Turkmenistan, and showing the Ministry how U.S. cities use GPS technology would get the Ministry's attention. However, Turkmenistan needs a national transportation safety campaign. During a recent snowstorm, many drivers routinely passed cars at normal (zooming) speeds on city streets, and children crossed intersections as cars drove through green lights. Furthermore, despite what our interlocutors claimed, road safety is clearly not a seasonal issue in Turkmenistan, because drivers routinely change lanes without looking, and people, soliciting gypsy cabs (private cars freelancing as taxis),stand in the middle of lanes and cross busy streets without looking. Embassy Ashgabat is trying to engage with the government of Turkmenistan on many levels. Working with the Ministry of Motor Transport on highway safety or municipal transportation management would be yet one more way to expand the relationship. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND