Dhaka, Bangladesh (CU)_ The World Bank granted $358 million today to Bangladesh for enhancing road safety and lowering fatalities and injuries associated with vehicle accidents on certain high-risk motorways and district roads. According to a news release, the initiative would assist Bangladesh in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals for road safety by 2030.
The project will implement extensive road safety measures on two national roads namely N4 (Gazipur-Elenga) and N6 (Natore to Nawabganj). These measures will include enhanced engineering designs, signage and marking, pedestrian facilities, speed enforcement, and emergency care. According to the World Bank, these changes would help cut road traffic mortality by more than 30% on these two busy highways.
Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, spoke about the importance of road safety. She said, “Road accidents are the leading cause of permanent disability, and the fourth leading cause for children’s death. They disproportionately affect poor families. For Bangladesh, improving road safety is a critical economic and development priority”. She added, “This is the first dedicated road safety project in South Asia supported by the World Bank. It will help Bangladesh develop a comprehensive program to improve road safety management and minimize tragic loss of human lives.”
Additionally, the initiative will conduct road safety pilots in a number of metropolitan regions and district roads. It will assist the Traffic Police and highway patrol in upgrading their capacity to manage speeding and prevent risky road user behavior by incorporating a combination of automated enforcement systems, such as CCTVs and electronic messaging, and physical measures to slow traffic, such as patrol vehicles and crash scene clearing equipment.
It will enhance post-crash care, which is crucial for lifesaving, and will also establish an ambulance service through a toll-free number, as well as expanded emergency care services at certain district hospitals and upazila health complexes located along the corridors of the two national highways.
It will provide trauma care training to medical practitioners and assist in the development of emergency medical care standards, procedures, and operational policies. As part of the project, a crash database will be established and an integrated traffic management and incident detection system will be built. ICT systems will facilitate the integration of databases of car registration, driver license, and payment and current information systems. The initiative will conduct campaigns to increase public awareness regarding behavior change and road safety.
