Road safety conundrum

The joy of exploring outdoor activities, such as cycling, is once again overshadowed by an unfortunate incident involving Mr. Avtar Saini. His untimely demise serves as a stark reminder of much required social change.

We must ask ourselves what is the time saved in speeding and why are our roads chaotic?

Local transit perspective: Cycling, with its health benefits and eco-friendly nature, has gained popularity worldwide. As a mode of transport for short distances, cycling plays a crucial role in urban mobility. Given that no road is wide enough to entirely eliminate congestion, active mobility options like cycling and walking can optimize the use of available spatial networks. However, incidents like Mr. Saini’s tragic accident highlight the risks cyclists face on our roads.

Balancing Priorities: While roads play a crucial role in boosting national economies and reducing commuting time, we must ask ourselves: At what cost? Misplaced priorities can lead to devastating consequences. Innocent lives are cut short due to negligence, reckless driving, inadequate safety measures and carelessness of certain road users.

Global Perspective: The Jaahnavi Kandula incident, occurring on the other side of the world, mirrors this tragedy. A police officer, speeding to save a drug addict, inadvertently took an innocent life. The road was blocked for hours, emphasizing the urgency of road safety reforms worldwide. As mentioned in earlier posts, its the time for automotive companies to transform themselves as holistic transportation solution providers than a mere equipment sellers.

Vehicle Diversity on Indian Roads: There is also larger problem ultimate to solve in India, we have too many vehicle types on sharing same road, their speeds and weights are incompatible, example who deserves the left lane on a city highway? A public bus or an Rickshaw? Bus and rick are slow moving, but one is heavier with very huge braking distance carrying more passengers per square meter and other is a very slow but agile vehicle. However left lane can not accommodate both.

Conclusion: As we mourn the loss of Mr. Saini, let us raise our voices against reckless driving, its a good start in our journey towards safer roads and streets. Automotive companies, too, must introspect on their offerings and how they promote them. Lastly, we can only hope that's Minister Gadkari’s views on inadequate Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) will one day resonate with urban planners, EPC companies, and contractors. That's how together, we can create a safer and more responsible road environment.