Page 50 - Traffic Infra Tech

COVER STORY PLUS

October 19 in Vadodara. And while they are Interview:
at the Vadodara site, they want to show them
Vadodara’s bus port because it is more on the ‘If people comply with law,
pattern of an airport with all the facilities. It
is to expose them to it as it might motivate enforcement will not be needed’
them to start with at least one such facility in
their state.
As a matter of fact, the Ministry has already Yudhvir Singh Maik, IAS, Secretary,
taken an initiative to set up an Integrated Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Transport Systems facility at Varanasi, not
because it is our Prime Minister’s constituency tells Vidyottama Sharma that data
but because it is the site which offers you
ample opportunities to create a multi-modal collected in 2016 shows that 84% of
intra linkage. We are planning to set up and road accidents take place because of
develop in about 30 acres a three-mode facility
which will have the bus, the rail and the inland drivers’ mistakes, two percent due to road
waterways at one place as a multimodal design and about five percent because of
station. It will be replicated in Nagpur which
is both rail as well as the bus station. automobile technology. “We need to be law-
The Ministry is taking these initiatives
despite these sectors being in the domain of compliant”, he says.
the state on a large scale because we want
to create a few pieces which can have a In the last five years, we have Proper awareness has to be
demonstration effect. Then, the states can go expanded our infrastructure created but the governments
ahead with those in their own manner. The but when it comes to road too haven’t done much when
Public Transport is the most important part of safety, we do not see much of it comes to improving the
mobility, and has to be seamlessly integrated a progress. What changes can driver behavior.
into the system. But our buses have not come be expected? You are right, the awareness has
up to the level of quality of buses in the West Yes, road fatality is a very serious to be created. A rigorous system
because we have not pushed them to do so concern and there has not been of issuance of driving license is the
in any way.
any marked improvement. A 2016 government’s duty but what is
So now, here is a demanding public, report which was released only our responsibility as a citizen? We
and a demanding government in terms of a few days back shows that the talk everywhere of enforcement
improvement in the quality of the buses as number of accidents has come but then what happens? What it
well as the quality of ride. The personalized down by about 3-4 percent but does is that if the fine is increased,
vehicles are growing at a pace which is more the number of fatalities has gone the share of ‘paying’ to get away
than 10% CAGR. So if no significant effort is up. The data for the first half of goes up. If the fine is increased to
made to enhance Public Transport to reduce 2017 shows some improvement Rs 1000, the share of the person
the personalized vehicles, this very Ministry but whether it will be consistent allowing you to go will go up to
will be tasked with creating one additional throughout the year I really don’t Rs 500. Why do we give him an
lane on its entire NH network every three know. But let’s look at the whole opportunity of enforcement if
years, which is going to be extremely difficult thing. About 1.8 to two percent we are self-compliant with law?
and challenging. I am sure that smart and of the road accidents are being As a citizen am I supposed to
intelligent mobility moves, integrated attributed to road design and be compliant with law or not? If
seamlessly from the origin point to the engineering. Another three to five I am, there will be no need for
destination point involving the sectors of percent are being attributed to the enforcement.
road, and Motor Vehicle Transportation Act technology in the automobile and Over the last six decades
as well as the most important factor -- the 84 percent are being attributed to we have seen that this self-
citizen interface, should take us to a more the drivers’ mistakes. How do you compliance is not happening.
pleasant experience in future. address that? Doesn’t the government then

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