Pedestrians worst victims of road crashes

Almost three quarters of people killed in road accidents in Dhaka city are pedestrians while mostly minibuses are involved in these accidents.
Even though pedestrians constitute around 60 percent of the road users in the capital they are one of the least cared for.
According to Accident Monitoring Cell of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), 377 people died in 620 accidents in Dhaka metropolitan area in 2008. Of them, 283 were pedestrians. Another 79 walkers were seriously injured.
Experts say that lack of pedestrian-friendly policies, poor planning and design, and high concentration of pedestrians in a small area are the main reasons behind this high death rate.
They also identified the absence of unbroken pavements, poorly planned, badly-placed and ill-advertised zebra crossings, encroachment of pavements, lack of pedestrian awareness, reckless driving as prime contributing factors for the present situation.
In 2007, the total number of accidents in the city was 696 that caused deaths to 451 people. Among them 336 were pedestrians. At least 108 persons were also seriously injured.
The percentage of pedestrian fatality in road accidents across the country is 54. Most of the accidents occur on national highways.
BRTA and DMP officials, however, say that the actual number is much higher as many accidents go unreported and many other incidents are settled through arbitration.
Prof Md Shamsul Hoque, director of Accident Research Institute (ARI) at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said 60 percent of all road users in the city are pedestrians, whose needs are mostly ignored in the planning and design of streets.
Pedestrians’ “degree of exposure” to risks is too high in Dhaka city with high concentration of pedestrians and vehicles in a limited road network. Pedestrians and drivers are not at all aware of road safety issues, he added.
“Most accidents occur during rush hours at intersections when people hurry to work or return home and compete for boarding a vehicle amid the chaotic traffic management system,” he said.
“Dhaka city dwellers also take comparatively long trips to go to work, take children to school or run errands. Local facilities should be developed so that everything is available within walking distance,” he said.
It will curtail length of trips and reduce the volume of traffic on streets, he added.
According to an ARI survey conducted in 2008, there are 54 accident-prone spots in Dhaka city among which the ARI identified Jatrabari intersection as the most dangerous city intersection.
Jatrabari is a junction of two roads and three major highways–Chittagong, Sylhet and Mawa. This makes the intersection extremely risky for pedestrians, he said.
Farmgate, Kakoli, Bijoy Sarani, Shanir Akhra intersection, Shapla Chattar in Motijheel and Purana Paltan intersection are also dangerous places.
Prof Shamsul mentioned high concentration of industries, especially garment factories, at the core of the capital, next to the main arterial roads, as one of the reasons behind pedestrian vulnerability. Thousands of workers cross the busy roads during rush hour every day to get to work, he said.
Dr Mahabubul Bari, an expert on transportation infrastructure, said, “Street planning and design in Dhaka city has always been based on motor vehicles. Pedestrians are not valued as road users. Since pedestrians are not only the majority of road users but also the most efficient, in terms of space requirement, energy use and pollution rating, they should be given the highest priority.”
Government policy clearly neglects pedestrians’ need. Out of $5 billion budget, the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) only allocated 0.22 percent for pedestrian facilities, he pointed out.
Under the current planning, pedestrians are compelled to take long uncomfortable detours to cross streets. It prevents pedestrians from crossing streets at various spots throughout the city by installing concrete barriers, grilles, barbed wire fences and other obstacles. However it has not worked so far.
Since pedestrians do not feel comfortable using 25-foot-high footbridges, there should be street-level crossings for them, he added.
The existing facilities are very poor. Walking facilities compared to the number of pedestrians are minuscule. Existing pavements are a little more than two metres wide. Underpass and footbridges also pose an obvious risk to safety.
Moreover, around 70 percent of the sidewalks in the city have become unusable. The rest remain occupied by construction materials, hawkers, parked cars and encroachers.
He suggested that existing sidewalks be repaired and widened, trees along sidewalks be planted to provide shade, and all other space occupying things removed from pavements.
Buildings and billboards often obstruct line of sight at intersections. Letting pedestrians see and to be seen is very important, he noted.

Courtesy of The Daily Star