Significance

 Transportation of goods – 64.5% by road.

 Passenger traffic – 90% by road.
 In the next five years (NHAI) will be able to generate Rs. 1 lakh crore
(US$ 14.30 billion) annually from toll and other sources
 provide connections for feeder roads to significant rail lines and ports,
 integrating underdeveloped areas, such as rural, tribal, LWE-affected,
J&K, and North East
 provides door-to-door and last-mile connectivity
 encourages urbanization.
 contribute 4.7% of India’s GDP.
 Unskilled workers find work For instance, Bharatmala
Pariyojana employing large number of unskilled people.
 help in achieving the maximum utilization of the resources
 help in improving national security.
 Electronic toll collection- Online sale of fast tags

Challenges

 Construction of roads more expensive in hilly and plateau areas

 regional variations in road density -rural areas have fewer roads.
 State and national highways -65% of all traffic,
 average road speed is between 30 and 40 km/h. -standard road speed
across globe is 60 to 80 km/h.
 40% of the roads are unsurfaced-only usable in good weather
 Increasing fuel prices
 Land acquisition- cost at least 25 to 30 percent of every project
 delays-over 800 road projects of more than 27,000 km being delayed.
 Lack of diversified source for funding-MoRTH’s lacks any source of
revenue other than budgetary support from the Central government
 Issues related to dispute redressal – Over 1500 cases involving NHAI
are under various stages of litigation.
 Slowdown in core sector like cement & steel
 Companies debt ridden – Aggressive bidding during the high growth
phase
 Opaque investment policy & complex tax system

r NorthEast

 Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for the North-

Eastern
 region (SARDP-NE)
 envisages improvement of road connectivity to the State capitals with
district headquarters in
 the north-eastern region

 North-East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase ‘I’

 improve infrastructure in Meghalaya and Mizoram and enhance
connectivity with inter-state
roads and international borders
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

PMGSY phase II, the roads already built for village connectivity was to be
upgraded to enhance rural infrastructure

Challenges:

1. Lack of dedicated funds.

2. Limited involvement of the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
3. Inadequate execution and contracting capacity.
4. Less working season and difficult terrain particularly in Hill States.
5. Scarcity of the construction materials.
6. Security concerns particularly in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) areas.

Initiatives

Golden Quadrilateral:
connects India’s four largest megacities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and
Kolkata.

Bharat Mala Project

facilitating access to the border-hugging districts.
preventing the expansion of the Chinese network across the border

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY): To connect all villages in India
with good all-weather roads.

SARATHI (for licensing) and VAHAN (a car registration ICT solution) to stop
fraud in the registration of vehicles and the issuance of licenses.

Infrastructure Investments Trust (InviTs):

mechanism to raise money for the construction of road infrastructure.
By monetizing the assets of the National Highways

National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP)

five-year plan that will invest in highways.

Build Operate Transfer (BOT), Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), and Toll
Operate Transfer are examples of various PPPs (TOT)

 Setubhratam Pariyojana to construct about 1500 major bridges

 District Head Quarter Connectivity Scheme for development of about
9000 km newly declared NHs

Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for North-East region

(SARDP-NE) aims at improving road connectivity to state capitals, district
headquarters,

(MoU) with Republic of Austria on technology cooperation in the road

infrastructure sector.
  Pradhan Mantri Bharat Jodo Pariyojana (PMBJP): linking of major
cities to National Highways.

NATRIP

 Department of Heavy Industry will oversee the National Automotive

Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP
 seeks to establish testing, validation, and research and development
facilities

North South – East West” projects:

 will connect the Northern most point of the country to the
Southernmost, and similarly from East to West,

Way Forward

 big Data Analytics and Trend Analysis to create predictive analysis,

 application of robotics in warehouse management and cargo
aggregation.
 only dense bituminous mixes should be utilized.
 should be built properly, including space for pavement, transit stops,
and smoother bends.
 Road safety education
 Addressing systemic delays –amended norms for swifter environmental
clearances for linear infra projects
 Overhauling dispute redressal –BK Chaturvedi Committee constituted
to design a framework for swift dispute redressal.
 Plug-and-Play Mode –where regulatory clearances will be assured by
govt. agencies prior to awarding infra projects
 Mobilizing resources –Institutionalizing savings through JDY, KVPs
etc.
Expanding the corporate bond market –

1. Instruments such as Infrastructure investment trust for long term credit.

2. Public awareness to diversify savings from gold to capital markets.
3. Emphasis on EPC rather than BOT.
4. Exit policy to allow companies easy exit.

concl
sound road network will be one of the key building blocks of India’s quick
economic revival. To meet the goals of SDG 9,

Road Safety

Significance of Road Safety

Road transport is the dominant mode of transport

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ 2020 report
  Speeding accounted for 69.3% of deaths.
 Non-wearing of helmets resulted in 30.1% deaths.
 Non-use of seatbelts caused 11.5% of deaths.

Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) are the eighth leading cause of death globally

India accounts for almost 10% of all crash-related deaths,

Initiatives

Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety (2015):

 Sustainable Development Goal 3.6 i.e. to halve the number of global
deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2030.

Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030:

 ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and
injuries by 2030.
 aligns with the Stockholm Declaration, by emphasizing the importance
of a holistic approach to road safety.

International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) :

 registered charity dedicated to saving lives through safer roads.

India:

 Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019:

oThe Act hikes the penalties for traffic violations, defective vehicles,
juvenile driving, etc.
o It provides for a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, which would provide
compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India for certain types
of accidents.
o It also provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the
Central Government.

Emergency (Post-crash
response and Trauma
care)
• Effective Trauma Care and Good Samaritan Guidelines;
• Motor Vehicle Accident Fund and Cashless Treatment during Golden Hour;

• Compensation payable to road accident victims

The Carriage by Road Act, 2007:

 The Act provides for the regulation of common carriers, limiting their
liability and declaration of value of goods delivered to them to
determine their liability for loss
Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2000:

 The Act provides for the control of land within the National Highways,
right of way and traffic moving on the National Highways

National Highways Authority of India Act, 1998:

 The Act provides for the constitution of an authority for the

development, maintenance and management of NHs and for matters
connected therewith

Supreme Court set up the three-member KS Radhakrishnan panel on road

safety
recommendation of the committee was

 Ban on the sale of alcohol on highways (both state and national) to

restrain drunk driving.
 The states were directed to implement laws on wearing helmets.
 Audit of road safety to ensure the safety standards in the design,
construction, and maintenance of roads.
 creating awareness among people on road safety rules.

3 Year Action Agenda NITI Aayog-

 Create Road Safety Boards to reduce accidents.
 Use data to monitor accidents
 Standardize reporting of accidents
 enhance preparedness through better logistics.

 Intelligent Transportation System(ITS)-can detect any accident and

receive alerts-ambulance reaches accident spot within 10-15 minutes
 Onboard Driver Assistance and Warning System (ODAWS)-MeitY-
vehicle-borne sensors-deliver acoustic and visual alerts for driver
assistance.

Causes:

 Infrastructural deficits:poor road design and engineering – including

quality of material and construction, especially a single-lane with a
sharp curve.
 Negligence: Over speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or
drugs, tiredness or riding without a helmet,
 Distraction: Talking over mobile phones
 Overloading: To save on the cost of transportation.
  Weak Vehicle Safety Standards in India: In 2014, crash tests carried out
by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) revealed that
some of India’s top-selling car models have failed the UN (United
Nations)’s frontal impact crash test.
 Lack of awareness: Regarding the importance of safety features like
airbags, Anti lock Braking system etc.

Impacts:

 Economics:
o India loses 3% of its GDP due to road accidents

Social:

 Burden on Households:
 pushes the kin of victims into a cycle of poverty and debt.

 Gender Specific Impact:

 World Bank’s report “Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities:50% of
women were severely affected by the decline in their household income
after a crash.
 40% of women reported a change in their working patterns post-
accident,
 11% reported taking up extra work to deal with the financial crisis.
 income decline for low-income rural households (56%) was the most
severe

wf
 Transparent Machinery:
 With E-challan implementation, corruption can be decreased

 Speed-Detection Devices:such as Radar and speed detection camera

systems can be introduced.
 Chandigarh and New Delhi-implemented the service of speed detection
devices such as digital still cameras (Chandigarh), speed cameras (New
Delhi), and Radar gun (New Delhi)
 Improved Safety Measures:
 Speed humps, raised platforms, Roundabouts, and optical markings
 Stricter Rules and Heavy Fines-when driving under the influence of
liquor, cannabis or another drug.
 Vehicular Safety Standards:safety features such as electronic stability
control, effective Car Crash Standards and advanced braking should be
made mandatory.
 Training and capacity building:
Intelligent Transporta on System (ITS

Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) provide transport solutions by utilizing

state-of-theart information and telecommunications technologies. It applies
sensing, analysis, control and communications technologies to ground
transportation.
Pros
 Improve road safety and security for all users. For ex- Video Traffic
Management Student Notes:
 using CCTV to provide information
 Address increasing congestion,-costs. For
 ex-Traffic Signal Priority for Buses and Automatic Vehicle Tracking
System focuses
 on analysis of data for adjusting transit schedules
• Make available real-time information to commuters and agencies,
helping in
 better travel planning and traffic management, saving man-hours and
energy
 Enhance the attractiveness of public transport
• Reduce the environmental impacts of transport
• Improve the competitiveness and performance of freight logistics

systems

Issues being faced in deploying ITS

 Technology: electronic equipment such as sensors, detectors and

communication
 devices etc. need to be developed
 Lack of proper understanding of the traffic system for
 building a reliable ITS systems.
 Fragmented Supply Chain: hindering seamless interconnectivity of the
various branches of the
 transportation sector for effective movement of services
 Lack of skilled human capital

wf
 Standards: establishing ITS standards applicable throughout the urban and
rural
 sections of India
• Managing heterogeneity: designing an ITS that encompasses the
heterogeneous
 vehicle population
• Collaboration: Setting up active interaction between academia,
industries and
 governmental agencies
• Regulation: setting up rules and regulations of traffic that will aid in
ITS
 implementation