In order to make the city roads safe and secure for the pedestrians as well as for commuters, the Delhi Transport Department has planned to conduct a survey to find out black spots and well as dark stretches to curb the accidents in Delhi. The survey will be conducted to identify the accident prone areas and to suggest remedial measures including road engineering.
Delhi witnessed 1,691 road crash fatalities last year and the Government is adopting a new approach to tackle this, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Monday.
“The zero fatality corridor pilot projects is aimed at reducing deaths to near zero levels on this particular stretch. After evaluating the impact of the initiative, we will replicate the model in other parts of the city,” Gahlot said.
The three-km stretch between Burari Chowk and Bhalaswa Chowk, having four black spots, witnessed 67 deaths due to road accidents in 2016 and 2017, said the SaveLIFE Foundation, that will undertake a scientific investigation of high number of road crashes on the stretch.
Gahlot launched “Zero Fatality Corridor” (ZFC) project in the annual road safety policy to scientifically assess the causes of road accidents on the Outer Ring Road stretch between Burari Chowk and Bhalswa Chowk, infamous for accidents. The study will be conducted on pilot basis and its results will be implemented across the national Capital.
Delhi Government will conduct the study in collaboration with the Save life Foundation which works on road safety, to adopt the Burari to Bhalswa stretch as a pilot project with plans to replicate the model in other parts of the city. With starting the pilot project on this stretch, the transport department aims to reduce road accidents by 30 percent by 2020.
“As we mark the 30th Road Safety Week, we have also released the first ever Annual Action Plan that provides a blueprint to reduce road crash deaths in Delhi.
Delhi witnessed 1,691road crash fatalities last year and our Government is trying to change that by adopting a new approach to tackle this pandemic.
Through the Zero fatality corridor pilot projects our aim is to reduce the fatalities to near zero levels on this particular stretch. After evaluating the impact of the initiative, we will replicate the model in other parts of the city,” Gahlot said.
Also as per the data by Delhi Traffic Police, a total of 6515 people were injured and a total of 1690 people were killed in road crashes in 2018. Further, the 3 km stretch in the North East part of Delhi is known for road rages with four black spots, Burari Chowk, Bhalswa Chowk, Jahangirpuri Bus Stand and Mukundpur Chowk, claiming 67 lives in 2016 and 2017.
“The Annual Action Plan on Road Safety, which is mandatory under Delhi’s first Road Safety Policy released in 2018, binds all Delhi Government agencies (Transport, Public Works Department (PWD), Health and Education Departments) and Delhi Traffic Police to year-round set of actions to reduce road fatalities in Delhi. The plan outlines concrete commitments with timelines,” said an official.
The officials also added that the team will also conduct scientific crash investigation to study the reasons leading to road injuries and deaths. Based on the causal factors identified, Delhi Government and Delhi Police to implement will take counter measures to make the corridor fatality-free.