Transport Department working with PWD on improvement of roads marking system for Delhi Roads to facilitate movement of non-motorized transport and pedestrians
Transport Department to implement initiatives on improvement of fatality prone road intersection, neighborhoods and schools to improve road safety in FY 2022-23
Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot stresses on the need for closer coordination among agencies and District Magistrates to take leadership role in implementation of Road Safety Initiatives
Under the visionary leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal, we want to ensure that Delhi roads are safest in the world for citizens – Kailash Gahlot
New Delhi:
Delhi Government held meeting of the State Road Safety Council under Chairmanship of Minister of Transport Shri Kailash Gahlot at Delhi Secretariat today. The meeting was attended by various members of State Road Safety Council including officers and representatives of PWD department, Higher Education Department, Traffic Police, Magistrates of the various districts of Delhi among others. The meeting was also attended by representatives of various institutions and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), TRIP Center, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Save Life Foundation, World Resource Institute (WRI) India, Global Designing Cities Initiative, Vital Strategies and International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) who have been implementing road safety projects in collaboration with Transport Department of the Delhi Government.
The Transport Department made a presentation on ongoing Bus Lane discipline drive being conducted since 1st April 2022. There was a consensus among stakeholders about bus lane discipline drive being an effective mechanism to reduce congestion and ensure road safety for citizens. It was mentioned that Bus lane discipline drive is currently being implemented in its first phase along Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Roads. In the following phase, all major roads will be covered under the ongoing bus lane discipline drive and closer involvement of district administration is expected. Transport Department is also implementing a pilot of improved road marking for bus lane between Raja Garden Junction and Britannia Chowk in collaboration with IIT Delhi to facilitate movement of Non-motorized transport and pedestrians. The Department will also conduct training of PWD engineers to harmonize road marking system across all PWD roads in Delhi.
A presentation was also made to the council on Action Plan for road safety projects for Financial Year 2022-23. Transport Department along with its partner NGOs has identified 10 high impactful projects for implementation during the current financial year. It has identified 14 fatality prone intersections which will be redesigned and improved for reduction of crashes. It has also selected Rajender Nagar as an area for overall road safety improvement under its Neighborhood improvement initiative. 11 Schools have been also identified from 11 districts of Delhi for improvement into a safer school zones. Additionally, Transport Department would also run mass media campaigns to sensitize citizens, organize community engagements and undertake training of police personnel, DTC drivers and conducted data driven research on road safety scenario in Delhi.
Addressing stakeholders during the meeting, Transport Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot directed all stakeholders to ensure closer coordination and functioning for effective implementation of road safety initiatives. He mentioned that role of District Magistrates are critical in success of Road safety initiatives and ongoing bus lane discipline drive. They should be deeply involved implementation of bus lane discipline drive and ensure that bus lanes area clear from encroachments. Additionally, they should also utilize the District Road Safety Committees (DRSCs) to regularly meet with stakeholders for effective implementation of initiatives.
The State Road Safety council acts as an apex body in the state to oversee and monitor road safety measures taken in the state, to advise the government on road safety policies and prescribe and enforce road safety standards and procedures. It also reviews and formulates schemes, projects and programmes, and co-ordinates the functions of all the agencies and Government Departments discharging the duties relating to road safety.
Transport Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot further said, “Even a single loss on Delhi’s road is a loss for all of us. Under the leadership of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, we want to ensure that Delhi roads are safest in the world for all our citizens. Road Safety Council is an effective forum to discuss critical initiatives and policies related to road safety. I have stressed the need for deeper coordination between all concerned departments and agencies; especially District Magistrates (DMs) should take lead and steer other agencies and departments for implementation of Road Safety Initiatives.”