AAP govt launches ‘zero fatality corridor’ to reduce accidents

New Delhi:The Delhi government on Monday launched its annual road safety action plan rolling out a ‘zero fatality corridor’ project for reducing the number of fatal incidents on the outer ring road stretch between Burari and Bhalaswa Chowk.

Delhi witnessed 1,691 road crash fatalities in 2018 and the government is adopting a new approach to tackle this, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said. 

“The zero fatality corridor pilot project 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 Save LIFE Foundation, that will undertake a scientific investigation of high number of road crashes on the stretch.

 “We will give a detailed report on the safety audit of the stretch in three months. However, interim reports will be available in next few weeks,” said Piyush Tiwari, the CEO of the Foundation. 
 
The project will entail a scientific study to reduce the conflict involving pedestrians and cyclists on one hand and the cars and heavy vehicles on the other, he said. 

The Transport Minister said that nodal officers have been appointed in various departments for smooth coordination to execute the action plan mandated by road safety policy, notified by the Delhi government in July 2018. 

The action plan also calls for commissioning road safety audit of top 20 accident prone zones in the city. Such zones are places around 500 metre diameter having three fatal or total 10 accidents. 

It also provides for a Road Safety Fund to be maintained through 50 per cent of the fine money realised by the Transport department’s enforcement wing and traffic police. 

Officials said it is estimated to be around Rs 90 crore annually. The fund will be used to implement road safety measures, including infrastructure development and improvements. 

The Save LIFE Foundation’s ZFC model is well-known for reducing road crash deaths by 30 per cent on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. 

It attempts to reduce road crash deaths through a 360-degree intervention, panning road engineering, police enforcement, rapid emergency care and road-user engagement, said a government statement.