Latest news with #RoadSafetyActionPlanfor
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Bridging the gap: Road safety plan prioritises gender-inclusive infrastructure
KOCHI: The lack of public toilet facilities and well-lit areas have long been associated with the drawbacks of the road networks in the state. Now, a study report which forms the basis for the state government in preparing a 'Road Safety Action Plan' for the period 2025-30 has called for addressing such issues related to 'gender differences' and consider the different ways both men and women experience road safety and its related aspects. The 'Road Safety Action Plan for Kerala State (2025-2030)', prepared by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), an institution under the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), has pitched for ensuring a gender perspective in transport planning. 'Engaging women and diverse gender groups in decision-making processes will ensure that road safety measures are comprehensive and promote equity, ultimately contributing to safer roads... Gender differences in road safety affect women differently due to physical, behavioural, and social reasons. Transport policy frameworks must provide an enabling environment for safe, secure, accessible, reliable, and sustainable mobility to address these gender differences,' the report said.
New Indian Express
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
36 per cent of highways in Kerala unsafe for motorists
KOCHI: More than one-third of the highways in the state are prone to accidents, reveals a latest study report prepared by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC). According to the 'Road Safety Action Plan for Kerala State (2025-2030)', more than 2,200 km of road corridors -- national highways (NH) and state highways -- in the state are found to be 'crash vulnerable'. The study has been done to facilitate the government to form a comprehensive Road Safety Action Plan which aims to cut the accident fatalities in the state by half by 2030. While a whopping 60% (1,089.4 km out of the total 1,811.52 km) of the NH is accident-prone, 26% of the state highways (1,144 km out of the total 4,342 km) falls under the category. Combined, 36% (2,233km out of 6,153 km) of the highways are crash vulnerable, shows the report. The Average Annual Traffic Crashes (AATC) for all major categories of roads in Kerala was found to be higher for NH with 5.15 crashes/km, followed by state highways (2.23 crashes/km). Other roads reported a low crash rate of around 0.10 crashes/km, the report states. As per the report, a major portion of the vulnerable stretches is in Thrissur (289.9 km) while Ernakulam is second with 265.7 km, followed by Kozhikode (224.3 km), Malappuram (219.7 km), Alappuzha (192.4 km), Kottayam (183.1 km), Thiruvananthapuram (174) km), Palakkad (168.2 km), Kollam (143.1 km), Kannur (137.8 km), Pathanamthitta (83.8 km), Kasaragod (55.3 km), Idukki (49.8 km) and Wayanad (47.7 km).
