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SAFETY

Bending the Curve

Tanushri Gupte, Manager, Urban Transport and
Road Safety - India, World Resources Institute
talks about challenges and opportunities to
reduce road deaths in Mumbai

n average, two people die on Mumbai’s unique characteristics, the transport infrastructure (especially
roads owing to traffic crashes every public transport) is heavily burdened due to increasing
day. The city ranks seventh in the population, a problem faced by most Indian cities. Road safety
country in terms of absolute numbers issues in Mumbai are similar to those in other Indian cities.
Oof road traffic fatalities. Pedestrians, The process of road safety reform in India has been slow.
cyclists and motorcyclists are most vulnerable, and are One of the major challenges is the lack of political recognition
involved in more than 90 percent of all road traffic
fatalities. Young working populations – mostly men –
are particularly affected.
Most crash data reports only talk about what
happened – the crash itself. However, the political
and societal influencers of road safety decisions and
outcomes must be understood in order to identify
underlying issues. A new study, “Securing Safe Roads:
The Political Economy of Road Safety in Mumbai” seeks
to address these issues. It examines factors embedded
in the political, economic, and social framework of
the city which influence road safety, and the potential
solutions to reduce serious injuries and fatalities. This
study is part of a broader project by the Overseas
Development Institute (ODI) and the World Resources
Institute (WRI), and supported by the FIA Foundation.
Differing interests at national, state
and local levels
The city of Mumbai enjoys considerable political
attention by virtue of being the state capital and a
key contributor to the Indian economy. Millions of
commuters use the city’s transport infrastructure –
roads and public transport – every day. Despite these
Photo credit: Marc van der Chijs/Flickr

56 June-July ’18 / TrafficInfraTech www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com