GOVT TO MAKE ‘ZERO FATALITY’ CORRIDOR IN NORTH DELHI

NEWDELHI: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Delhi government said it will develop a four-kilometre stretch of road in north Delhi as a “zero fatality corridor”.

The stretch between Burari chowk to Bhalswa chowk, which officials said was accident-prone, will be taken up under the pilot project, officials said.

For this, the Delhi government’s transport department has roped in ‘Save Life Foundation’ — which has been working on improving road safety — to scientifically assess the cause for crashes on this stretch and suggest safety measures.

“This is a pilot project and our aim is to bring down the fatalities to zero on this particular stretch. We will replicate the model in other parts of the city,” said Jasmine Shah, vice-chairman of Dialogue and Development Commission, Delhi government.

PWD minister Satyendar Jain said, “We need to make our roads safe for pedestrians. This can be achieved through street design.” Jain was speaking at an event organised by Save Life Foundation to discuss Global Street Design Guide along with Jenette Sadik-khan, chair of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Global Designing Cities Initiative.

This project is part of the Delhi government’s road safety policy, which was finalised this year.

The stretch between Burari Chowk and Bhalswa Chowk was taken up, as it is one of the stretches with very high fatality figures. “Last year, 67 deaths were reported on this stretch — about 11 deaths per kilometre each year, which is a high figure,” Piyush Tewari, chief executive officer of Save Life Foundation, said. The work on the project will start in the next few days.

As part of the project, the Save Life Foundation will scientifically investigate the crashes that occur on this stretch. “Our team will go to the accident spot and assess the reasons for the crash based on the information from the crash site, injuries sustained by the victim and damage to the vehicle,” Tewari, who is doing a similar project on the MumbaiPune Expressway, said.