NEW DELHI: After making the Bhalswa Chowk accident-free, Delhi Transport Department in association with SaveLIFE Foundation on Tuesday implemented the Tactical Urbanism (TU) project at Rajghat intersection to curb accidents and make the road safe for pedestrians and the disabled. Once this gets successfully implemented, the same project will be replicated at 13 intersections and other accident-prone zones and black spots across the city.
The TU trials at Rajghat intersection were inaugurated by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot. Gahlot said: “Delhi roads belong to all, as much to pedestrians and cyclists as to motorists. Keeping this in mind we had launched the Delhi Road Safety Policy in 2018.
Through these TU trials, earlier at Bhalswa Chowk and now at Rajghat, we aim to develop a comprehensive network of safe roads and junctions across the city.” He added: “Small interventions like these, can effectively drive the behaviour change needed from commuters to enable safe road practices.”
These trials, which also involve Delhi Traffic Police, PWD, and SWAYAM charitable trust as important stakeholders, will be conducted for two months. TU trials are temporary, quick, and low-cost interventions, which test out urban design, transportation planning and infrastructural changes for improving road safety, especially for the most vulnerable, like pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorised transport users.
As part of the Zero Fatality Corridor Project with the Transport Department, SaveLIFE Foundation will be testing temporary urban design interventions to improve safety, starting this week. The trials will see road space being redistributed to ensure modal equity, road geometers being modified, traffic being channelised, vehicular speeds being reduced, and pedestrian and cyclist safety infrastructure being added.
After its success, the project will be handed over to PWD for permanent civil construction and other facilities to be made for pedestrian safety. The same pattern may be included in the government’s streetscaping project. Two years ago, a similar urbanism trial was implemented in Bhalswa Chawk on a pilot basis, which reduced the crash fatalities.
Current traffic volume at Rajghat intersection
