Road safety action plan to bring down accidents, fatalities in Chennai, suburbs

According to a Greater Chennai Corporation official, the objective of the plan is to review the existing institutional arrangements for road safety in CMA and to conduct an analysis of road crashes and fatalities.

“The comprehensive road safety and action plan is for five years – from 2021 to 2026. The project aims to provide a systematic and sustained improvement in traffic safety. Improvement should aim at a minimum of 50 per cent reduction in fatalities over five years,” the official said.

It may be noted that the World Bank had earlier agreed to fund a whopping Rs 50,000 crore to the city under the Chennai City Partnership project. The fund will be utilised by various government agencies and departments, including Chennai Corporation and Transport Department, to carry out a wide range of projects.

“Under the project, we should implement road safety measures by devising a comprehensive plan. Also, we should create a road safety cell, which will function under the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Agency (CUMTA),” the official added.

The road safety plan will be created by involving various stakeholders, including Corporation, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, Traffic Police and Chennai Metro Rail. The Chennai Smart City Limited (CSCL) has invited consultants to provide services for preparing a road safety action plan for the city Corporation and neighbouring local bodies.

As per CSCL data, Chennai alone contributes to nearly 11.9 per cent of total accidents and 10.3 per cent of total road fatalities in the State. In the city, nearly 21 per cent fatalities were recorded on National Highways, 18 per cent on State Highways and 61 per cent on other roads. Most of the fatalities involved vulnerable road users like pedestrians, and those riding cycles and two-wheelers.

Besides, the city has also commenced measures to prepare a master plan for non-motorised transport to integrate the multi-model transportation facilities, besides earmarking roads and streets where facilities for non-motorised transportation are to be created.