New Delhi, July 24: Affordable measures, such as establishing 30 km/h low-speed zones in residential and school areas, can greatly enhance road safety, experts revealed on Friday.
According to a statement from the International Road Federation (IRF), experts highlighted practical and scalable solutions during an event, including high-visibility zebra crossings and elevated pedestrian walkways, which could lead to a significant reduction in road accidents.
Professor Geetam Tiwari, former chair of the Transport Research and Injury Prevention Program and an emeritus professor, stated that India could substantially decrease fatalities from road accidents through cost-effective and evidence-based strategies in urban areas. She suggested measures like curb extensions (bulb-outs) to reduce pedestrian crossing distances and median refuge islands for safer movement on wide roads.
Professor Tiwari also recommended narrowing lanes to naturally control traffic speed, implementing chicanes (slight road curves), and improving reflective indicators and road signs for better nighttime visibility.
She urged the adoption of best practices globally, emphasizing that such practical interventions not only reduce accidents but also enhance mobility for all road users.
K.K. Kapila, president emeritus of the IRF, noted that the rapid urbanization of India’s growing cities is outpacing infrastructure development, leading to increasing road safety challenges. He stressed that, contrary to popular belief, road safety does not solely rely on expensive projects like flyovers and expressways. Most urban road accidents stem from everyday design flaws on regular roads.
Kapila stated, “Low-cost engineering solutions such as roundabouts, elevated pedestrian crossings, traffic calming measures, improved street lighting, and safe intersection designs can reduce road accidents by 20% to 80%. Their costs are significantly lower than large infrastructure projects, and they can be implemented quickly, providing immediate safety benefits.”
He further acknowledged that several challenges remain in advancing road safety, including the responsibility of multiple agencies, weak enforcement of traffic rules, the complexity of improving existing urban roads, fragmented financial systems, inadequate accident data, insufficient post-accident medical arrangements, and resistance to allocating road space for pedestrians and cyclists.
Akhilesh Srivastava, president of the ITS India Forum, emphasized the importance of integrating proven engineering solutions with Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
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