Ludhiana second most unsafe city in India; rolls out mission safe Ludhiana 2020- Kamal Soi
Jasbir Kapoor/ royalpatiala.in/ Ludhiana
Ludhiana loses close to 350 people every year & more than 500 are seriously injured in road accidents. The fatality rate is as high as 68% making Ludhiana second most dangerous city on the roads in the country first being our own holy city Amritsar.
Disturbed, pained & shocked at the state of affairs on Road Safety, Dr Kamal Soi Chairman of the NGO Raahat – The Safe Community Foundation & Member- National Road Safety Council, GOI , Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, decided to take it on, this very serious Socio, Psycho & Economic issue in a big way by undertaking following activities and rolled out “MISSION SAFE LUDHIANA 2020”.
Mission :
- To reduce Number of Deaths on the Roads by 25 % in the year 2020
- To Help in ensuring Less Traffic Jams & ensure Safe, Reliable & Ease of mobility.
Dr Kamal Soi & his NGO Raahat – The Safe Community Foundation have been taking up the issues of road safety from last about 20 years and has been recognized at State, National & International level for the work done in this field.
Addressing the media persons he said that Ludhiana is regarded as City of Jams & City of Deaths , in the in last three years only 1100 Deaths have occurred in road accidents leading to a loss of precious human lives as well as financial loss of approximately 500 crores due to fuel wastage , man hours loss , loss of productive hours & frequent traffic jams etc.
He said that although there are various reasons for this high fatality rate but he considers poor road infrastructure as one of the main reasons, and the same can easily be improved with little effort. He added that Ludhiana road infrastructure is bad from road or traffic engineering point of view, the design of roads are inherently unsafe (there is very little separating opposing traffic flows, eliminating cross traffic, and providing wide shoulders and traffic lanes and poor visibility compounds the problem), this we can find on Jagraon flyover, Gill flyover, apart from just separating the traffic no effort is being made for a safe infrastructure.
He emphasized that No road safety audit is done & roads are laid without proper planning. You will not find road markings & road furniture is absent from most of the roads. Everywhere in World we talk of crash barriers here in Ludhiana you will find big concrete blocks spread everywhere like a Static Death Traps on the roads. If a car/two wheeler driver hit these concrete blocks death is certain . Is it the poor knowledge & understanding of civic authorities or is it the lack of money for safe road furniture or scant respect for human life.
Dr Soi enunciated that SPEED is the single biggest factor contributing to road deaths in India & more particularly in Ludhiana. Over 40% of fatal collisions are caused by excessive or inappropriate speed. We don’t have any mechanism to enforce speed limits in Ludhiana. And the famous FOBC- Fear of being caught over speeding in Ludhiana is not there . People drive at reckless speed endangering their own & others lives. A 5km/h difference in speed could be the difference between life and death for a vulnerable road user like a pedestrian.
He highlighted that existing roads infrastructure can be Improved
- By realignment, improving vision, and resurfacing slippery surfaces , having safe road furniture , road markings / zebra crossings , freeing footpaths from encroachments .;
- Regulating traffic movement by installing traffic signals, traffic islands, road markings, and regulatory signs such as “stop” and “give way” signs;
- Assisting the driver with warning and destination signs to avoid danger and confusion can reverse the situation a bit.
“MISSION SAFE LUDHIANA 2020” Plan of action involving all four pillar of democracy ……
- HSRP Number plate Affixation & monitoring for effective enforcement
- Involvement of all stake holders Administration, Civic Authorities, Police Politicians , Press , Transport Department , Public & Judiciary .
- Issuing of Driving Licenses / Testing Tracks .
- Scientific Enforcement based on the Violations
- Safe School Vahan Policy
- Police Station wise monitoring of Road Accidents , Deaths & Traffic Jams
- Road Safety Audits & Condition of Roads with improvements on potholes etc
- Correction of Black Spots
- Commercial Vehicle Testing for Fitness & Road Worthiness
- Conditions of Roads , Road Cuts, Traffic Lights , Potholes and ongoing projects .
- Emergency Medical Services – TRIAD.
- VTS/ GPS in Public Service Vehicles for women, children & safety while in distress.
- National level Road Safety Conference in March 2020.
- Yearly Road Safety Award for Enforcement, Education, Engineering, Individual & NGO Category.
- Media Briefing Every month for activities undertaken, Success & Failures.
Dr Soi said that special focus has to be the implementation of High Security Registration Plates in Ludhiana . he urged government to expedite the process of implementation of high security registration plates (HSRP) on new as well as old vehicles as this is a issue of National Security and can go a long way in curbing vehicle borne crimes. He informed that State Transport Department has already implemented restrictions for any transaction without affixation of HSRP. and the process of applying is now being made easier as customer can now apply HSRP online for old/existing vehicles in addition to implementation of appointment system for affixation of HSRP , but implementation of HSRP on Old vehicles and lack of enforcement still remains a major challenge. Temper proof HSRP plates are affixed with non-removable and non-reusable snap locks and their Reflectivity index improves vision specially at night and during foggy season.
Activities already undertaken by Dr Kamal Soi & NGO Raahat – The Safe Community Foundation:
- Motor Vehicle Amended Bill 2019
- High Security Registration Number Plates – For Visibility in Fog & Otherwise, Effective Enforcement & Law and Order.
- Speed Governors for Controlling Speed in Commercial Vehicles
- Safe School Transportation – Satmev Jayte & Saving Lives Project
- VTS/ GPS in Public Service Vehicles
- Identification of Black Spots ,
- Road Safety Policy & Road safety Audits
- Safe Outdoor Advertising Policy
- Training of Police Personnel
- State level Road Safety Conference in CMC.
About RAAHAT (The Safe Community Foundation) | http://raahatthesafecommunityfoundation.com
RAAHAT was established in March 2006 to provide assistance to Road Accident Victims, Women Safety & Empowerment, Drug De addiction, Poverty Alleviation, Communal Harmony in the states of the Punjab, J&K , Haryana , Delhi . UP, Rajasthan & many other states of India. Since then, adhering to the concept of “psycho-social and self-reliance support,” RAAHAT has been consistently in charge of offering support activities to those people who have been stricken with hardship due to manmade accidents, conflicts and disasters across the globe, in every phase of recovery from emergency assistance to reconstruction & rehabilitation. RAAHAT is a non-profit organization since its beginning in 2006, with its headquarters in Ludhiana-Punjab-INDIA.
About Dr Kamal Soi , Chairman RAAHAT (The Safe Community Foundation) http://www.kamalsoi.com
Internationally acclaimed Electric Vehicles , Road, Rail Safety Scientist, Sustainable Transport, & Smart City Expert. Member- National Road Safety Council, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. Member Censor Board of Film Certification in the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India.
Doctorate in the Transportation Management & In Transit Losses. Advanced post doctoral studies in Road, Rail Safety & Accident Prevention & has been working in the field of Transportation Management, Railway Safety , ITS , Road Safety, Accident prevention, NCAP from last 20 years.
Probably the only Safety Expert with 28 national & international awards including Humanitarian Award from USA, Godfrey Philips Physical Bravery Award, National & Three State awards including one state bravery award apart from Royal Excellence Award from Europe for work on Safety. Satyamev Jayte Program on Road Safety with Amir Khan. 10 Books, 100+ papers published in National & International Journals & Publications. A TED Speaker , Over 150+ national international conferences , TV programs , I T S Professional / Project Management Professional (PMP) / Information Technology Infrastructure, Rail , Road Safety Certified Professional / IEEE Senior Member/ ASSE(American society of safety engineers) / Technology Leader / Information Technology. Efficient, sustainable & safe public Transportation, facilities for pedestrian movement, facilities for disabled & underprivileged, uninterrupted communication facilities & power supply , effective governance , rather services at your door step .
