The hill state of Himachal Pradesh (HP) ranks as high as 4th in terms of persons killed per lakh population as per the road accident data of year 2019 published by MoRTH. The road crash fatality rate in the State is 15.8 people per lakh population compared to the national level fatality rate of 9.7.
To address this issue, the Himachal Pradesh Roads and Other Infrastructure Development Corporation (HPRIDC) has appointed TRL as a consultant for providing Road Safety Advisory Services (RSAS) with an aim to manage the state-wide road safety agenda and strengthen technical and institutional capacity for the Himachal Pradesh Department of Transport (HPDoT) which is road safety lead authority for the state.
The role of the RSAS is to ensure that the outcomes critical for sustainable long-term road casualty reduction are realised through supporting the agency to implement the multi-sectorial interventions on the identified Safe Demonstration Corridor and other hazardous districts.
The Safe Demonstration Corridor initiative will involve road infrastructure improvement, support to the state highway patrol by providing surveillance equipment (CCTV cameras for speed control, accident recording, etc.), variable messaging system (VMS), training the police, and establishing emergency response posts.
As part of these efforts, HPRIDC will conduct iRAP assessment of over 7,000km road network comprising of Major District Roads (MDRs) and National Highways (NHs). The systematic safety assessment will involve preparation of Star Ratings for four road user groups and preparation of a road safety investment plan which will help to design 3-star or better infrastructure for the SCDP.
The safety investment plan for entire road network will help to identify cost-effective safety treatments and its prioritization. Under this project, over 200 engineers of Public Works Department will get trained on iRAP methodology, road safety engineering and safe system approach. This will help the road authorities in the state to implement such systematic safety assessment of its roads on sustainable basis.
