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Chandigarh: Percentage of cyclist fatalities in 2020 highest in 5 years
The Road Safety in Chandigarh 2020 report, released by the traffic police on Friday, says 10 cyclists were killed in road mishaps in 2020, forming 19% of the total fatalities (53) in the year
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Even though the number of fatalities in accidents in the city dropped to half between 2019 and 2020, the percentage of cyclist fatalities was the highest in five years, according to the Road Safety in Chandigarh 2020 report, released by the traffic police on Friday.
A total of 10 cyclists were killed in road mishaps in 2020, forming 19% of the total fatalities (53) in the year. An equal number of cyclists died in 2019 as well, but overall, the accidents claimed 104 lives, making the percentage of cyclist fatalities in 2020 higher.
Accidents involving cyclists continue in Chandigarh despite a large network of cycle tracks, meant to be a considerably safer means of travel.
Umesh Sharma, professor in the civil engineering department of Punjab Engineering College, who specialises in traffic management, noted that though cycle tracks were available, there was an imbalance.
“Most of these tracks are in northern sectors, while majority of the city’s population lives in southern sectors, where traffic movement is higher. Infrastructure for cyclists also needs to be improved. The cycle tracks must be well lit and have no obstructions or potholes, as specified by the Indian Road Congress,” he said.
Use of the tracks by cyclists also remains inconsistent, even as the administration has been working to encourage cycling as a mode of transport to reduce traffic congestion.
Through the year, traffic police conduct awareness drives, asking cyclists not to move on main roads, fix reflectors on their bikes and not wear dark clothes while cycling. Cycle squad also patrols the tracks for safety and removal of wrongly parked vehicles.
NP Sharma, chief general manager of Chandigarh Smart City Limited, which has launched the public bicycle sharing project in the city, said they were also working on awareness campaigns for cyclists. “We will update the bicycle sharing app to contain awareness material for cyclists. Further, the UT administration has also started lighting up cycle tracks, among other infrastructure arrangements for cyclists,” he added.
Pedestrian fatalities lower
Meanwhile, the number of pedestrians killed in road accidents went down. Pedestrians constituted 35% of fatalities in 2019, but the figure dipped to 23% in 2020.
The traffic police’s report noted that all 11 accidents involving pedestrians happened where pedestrian infrastructure was missing, while no fatal accidents took place where zebra crossings were available.
Vehicles continue to outnumber population
The number of vehicles still continues to exceed Chandigarh’s population. As per the report, there were 12,34,757 vehicles in the city in 2020 against 11,58,491 people.
It was in 2018 when the number of vehicles first crossed the number of people in the city, and the gap has only grown wider since then.
The report, however, also found that the vehicle registration went down by 34% in 2020 and was also lowest in a decade. A total of 29,518 vehicles were registered in 2020, compared to 45,336 vehicles in the year before.
