State frames rules to reduce road accidents by 35% in 5 yrs

Maharashtra aims to reduce road accidents by 35% in five years after 15,000 fatalities, focusing on pedestrian and two-wheeler safety measures.

MUMBAI: After Supreme Court (SC) took serious note of 15,000 fatal road accidents in the state, of which 70% involve pedestrians and two-wheeler riders, in October, the state government swung into action to formulate a road map involving multiple departments to implement the plan within a set time-frame to reduce accidents by 35% in the next five years. An SC-directed committee was set up the same month to ensure stringent measures are instituted to reduce the number of deaths.

State frames rules to reduce road accidents by 35% in 5 yrs

According to a road accident report of 2023, prepared by the Union ministry of road transport and highways, Mumbai is one of the 50 cities in the country that sees the highest number of mishaps, while 10% of the total accident deaths in India are from Maharashtra.

Data collated by the state transport department over the last three years (see box) shows a rise in death toll in fatal accidents, with a minor reduction of 0.4% between January and September this year. It has been observed that 70% of the fatalities and accidents involved pedestrians and two wheelers, which led the government to put focus on checking unruly two wheeler riders and managing footpaths by keeping them encroachment free.

The five departments that have created the road map are: transport department, urban development department, public works departments, school education and public health. In the last few weeks, they have put out a plan of safety measures bearing in mind the principles of the Indian Road Congress with focus on roads, footpaths, pavements and pedestrian crossings to drastically reduce the accident numbers.

An official from the transport department, who did not wish to be named, told HT that a committee appointed by the Apex court under retired SC judge A M Sapre has been monitoring the steps taken by various states, especially after the recent court ruling. “Apart from the transport department, which is responsible for road safety, UDD and PWD have been given the responsibility to bring about corrective measures to structure roads and footpaths. The PWD has been asked to take measures to ensure flawless road designs to make them vehicle-safe, while the UDD has been asked to ensure the safety of pedestrians,” said the official.

The UDD has also been tasked to audit footpaths and crowded stretches such as markets, railway stations, bus stands, and educational institutions regularly. Authorities have been empowered to reveal 15-20 spots that see a high rate of accidents.

He added that in a meeting held by then chief secretary Rajesh Kumar last month, it was also decided that contractors and road construction bidders be booked for faulty road designs. “While the move may incite protests by contractors, the black spots identified by us have revealed that faulty designs are at the heart of accidents,” he said.

Additionally, the municipal corporations in the state have also been directed to take road safety measures for which each body has been asked to eke out 1% of its annual budget for the road safety, ensuring traffic discipline and awareness among people. Both, corporations and landowning agencies have been asked to set up a grievance redressal mechanism to address complaints related to lack of maintenance of the footpaths, requirement of pedestrian crossings, etc. The civic bodies have been empowered to take swift action against encroachers on footpaths.

The guidelines to the corporations, which HT has seen, underscores pointing out deficiencies in footpaths with respect to height, width and surface, and deciding on remedial measures including improvement in road engineering. Likewise, pedestrian crossings and intersections must also be audited, and chronic problem spots should be made free of hawkers. Respective municipal bodies have also been asked to put cameras at nodal places and install regular GIS mapping to protect pedestrian spaces.

The roadmap also states the system will be reviewed intermittently by higher bodies.

An officer from Mantralaya said that the state transport department is the nodal agency to implement the overall plan, with its minister Pratap Sarnaik heading state Road Safety Council. “We are in the midst of framing the rules for road safety and pedestrian security; it will be completed in the next few weeks. After this, respective departments will carry out their tasks. This is a serious matter, being monitored by the SC-appointed committee,” said the officer.

The school education department has been asked to carry out awareness programmes in schools and colleges on road safety. Likewise, the district collectors have been directed to activate District Road Safety Committees to implement the guidelines.

The state government has already directed transport and traffic authorities to ensure helmets are worn by both bikers and pillion riders and all passengers, including drivers in four wheelers to strap on seat belts. This comes on the back of the 2023 report which suggests around 45% of the drivers who died in the accidents were bikers, 70% of who were driving without helmets.

Speaking to HT, transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said, “We have been reviewing the implementation of the roadmap regularly. In a meeting held a few days ago, officials from the transport department were asked to coordinate with other departments. Helmets and seat belts will be made compulsory soon from highways and expressways which will be extended to other roads in a phased manner.”

Sanjay Sethi, additional chief secretary (transport), said: “As the nodal department, our responsibility is to streamline the roles and responsibilities of all other agencies. We will use technology to achieve our targets. The Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) has already helped us significantly reduce fatalities on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. We now plan to introduce devices and machinery capable of detecting behavioural patterns—such as tired or fatigued drivers, and even those driving under the influence of drugs.”