National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute for Road Traffic Education (IRTE) and Institute for Development and Communication, Chandigarh (IDC) to promote road safety and collaborate in the areas of traffic management through a programme titled “Capacity building of Road Safety Management through the Safe Systems Approach Programme”. MoU was signed in presence of Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Chairman NHAI and Dr. Rohit Baluja, President IRTE and other senior officials.
Under the partnership, IRTE will support NHAI to improve the functional aspects of road geometrics and ensure that Traffic Control Devices conform to the IRC standards to achieve efficient, free and rapid flow of traffic. IRTE will also support NHAI and its associated agencies in conducting the safety audit, traffic engineering surveys, developing and creating awareness programmes for schools, universities and general public.
The MoU also includes development of a need-based data management system and in developing a methodology of collection and recording of data with reference to accidents, enforcement, traffic volumes. It will also help to create specialised training programmes, tools and systems of training as well as provide basic training, road safety audit, accident investigation and traffic management.
The Institute will help NHAI to develop and devise a strategy for coordination of traffic enforcement personnel along the national highways, conduct study of Road Traffic Violations (“RTVs”) and support with one of their INTERCEPTOR- CrashLab, Mobile traffic enforcement & research laboratory.
As a part of the arrangement, IDC will help NHAI to mitigate social, environmental and health risks to varied population, formulate strategies particularly on social aspects of road safety, including financial investments and social capital in road safety to enhance awareness of road conduct amongst various users, quantify the benefits from reduction in travel time and material costs for the commuters. NHAI will extend required financial support for different programmes such as safety improvement works, road safety training, audit and research, holding of workshops, seminars and coordination meetings with allied departments and stakeholders. NHAI will also provide full support to the IRTE and IDC in terms of data, traffic information, according permissions, coordinating with other related departments in order to achieve the goal of improving traffic management across various National Highways.This arrangement is set to remain in effect for over a period of two years and is expected to improve the safety and the efficiency of the traffic management system on National Highways. This partnership will help in creating safe road environment, by reducing traffic violations and consequently injuries and fatalities occurring due to road crashes which will benefit the entire nation at large.
