In a bid to provide safer environment on city roads and curb rising number of road accidents every year, the UT Administration has chalked out a road safety policy 2014.
From improving emergency medical response for road accidents to identifying the accident-prone areas, the UT Administration’s road safety policy put forth a series of measures to ensure safety of denizens on the roads.
Also, the UT Administration will establish the office of Road Safety Commissioner to ensure effective coordination amongst various stakeholders for the implementation of the policy.
As per the policy, the UT Administration will develop a reliable traffic and accident data base and improve the process of data collection, transmission and analysis. The Administration will also introduce latest design and construction techniques, conduct road safety audit, in a sustained manner for road construction.During the last five years, the average number of deaths due to road accidents in Chandigarh was around 150 every year. The number of deaths due to road accidents in Chandigarh is 10.5 per 1 lakh population and the national average of 32.3 per 1 lakh population.
According to the UT Traffic Police data, a total of 410 accidents killed 117 people in 2013 while 136 people had died in 419 accidents reported in the previous year 2012 here. While pedestrian deaths were 34.18 per cent in 2013, it was 32.35 per cent of the total accidents in 2012.Also, more than 40 per cent of the victims were aged between 15 and 40 year.The vehicular population in Chandigarh is more than 10 lakh. Also, the per capita vehicle population in the city is the highest in the country.
According to the road safety policy, the UT Administration will identify ‘black spots’(accident prone areas) on the basis of intensity and severity of accidents and take appropriate steps for mitigating chances of accident on such spots. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) will also be used to establish a safe and efficient systems to regulate traffic. Also, variable speed limits during peak periods and/or poor weather conditions will be used in Chandigarh.
The Administration has also proposed to implement lower speed limits at high density pedestrian places like railway station, schools, Inter State Bus Terminals, etc.A senior official of the UT Administration said that synchronisation of traffic signals to facilitate smooth flow of traffic will be done. And, to place special emphasis on safety of vulnerable groups like schoolchildren, persons with special needs and senior citizens, the UT Administration will involve NGOs/Civil Society Organisations/ etc for bringing about behavourial changes in identified group of road users.