Police stress on pedestrian safety to curb fatalities

After registering a decline — though not as much as targeted — in overall deaths on city roads last year, the Delhi Police have now decided to emphasise on pedestrian safety.

After registering a decline — though not as much as targeted — in overall deaths on city roads last year, the Delhi Police have now decided to emphasise on pedestrian safety.

They feel that adequate arrangements for pedestrian safety on some identified stretches will help in further curbing road mishaps.

When deaths on almost all major roads dropped last year, the 22-km stretch connecting Singhu border and Mukarba Chowk on National Highway (NH) 1 has registered a steep increase in fatalities.

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The number of fatal accidents on the ‘killer stretch’ increased to 112 during 2011 from 70 the previous year — an increase of almost 60%.

This is a stretch like Ring Road and Outer Ring Road where pedestrians, in large numbers, get killed.

“To check pedestrian deaths, we have decided to take certain measures to make pedestrian facilities available on these stretches,” said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

The Delhi Police have identified three stretches where the number of fatal accidents reached three digit figures. These are Ring Road that registered some 200 fatal accidents, Outer Ring Road with over 120 and GT Karnal Road with 112.

“We are carrying out a scientific survey to ascertain the cause and spots of such accidents on Ring Road and Outer Ring Road. Similar exercise will be conducted on GT Karnal Road as well,” Garg added.

To ensure pedestrian safety on the stretch, the Delhi Traffic Police have taken up the matter with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)

and asked it to place rumble strips, construct foot-over bridges, increase the number of signages — indicating the speed limit on the road — and place artificial barriers in the form of drums that restrict the 15-metre-wide carriageway, so that vehicles have to compulsorily slow down.