Introduction

Specific road safety engineering measures will be adequately integrated in the engineering designs to reduce the safety risks in hazardous locations and also to provide a safer road environment for all road users, especially women and children. Provision of paved shoulders along entire stretches of project roads will provide a safer area for bicyclists and motorcyclists. The protection of vulnerable road users will be improved through speed management measures in stretches passing through settlements. Work zone safety standards will be fully integrated in the contract management framework to ensure the safety of women workers. In addition to inclusion of adequate road safety provisions into the program of state highway rehabilitation and widening under the Civil Works Component, there will be programs of systematic, cost‐effective safety engineering improvements focusing on: (a) high‐risk corridors of the core network based on priorities identified by the International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) survey, and (b) junctions improvements to address pedestrian safety. An awareness program will be carried out with a partner NGO specifically for women; children and elderly people in the project corridors.

The road is expected not only to provide a structural carriageway for the traffic but also to provide necessary information, direction and safety environment to the road users. To fulfill above objectives, a road is to be furnished with necessary road furniture and appurtenances to ensure a safe and smooth passage along and across the road. Such essentially required road furniture and appurtenances are broadly identified as:

  • Road signs.
  • Road markings.
  • Roadside safety/ crash barriers.
  • Road delineators.
  • Kilometre and hectometre stones.
  • Boundary stones.
  • Overhead traffic signs.
  • Traffic impact attenuators.
  • Other may include, use of road humps and rumble strips and utility crossing ducts.

Road Markings

Road markings perform the important function of guiding and controlling traffic on a highway. The markings serve as psychological barriers and signify the delineation of traffic paths and their lateral clearance from traffic hazards for safe movement of traffic. Road markings are therefore essential to ensure smooth and orderly flow of traffic and to promote road safety. The Code of Practice for Road Markings, IRC: 35- has been used as the design basis.

Roadside Safety/ Crash Barrier

Road side barrier is a longitudinal system used to shield vehicles from hazards on the edge of the road, and is provided on following locations:

  • Embankment with high fills and steep slopes;
  • Near roadside obstacles;
  • In approaches to bridge with height greater than 3 m;
  • At specified locations for ensuring safety of bystanders, pedestrians and cyclists;
  • Deep ditches/ ponds along road;
    • In approaches to narrow cross-sections (paved shoulder) in location of constraints/ existing bridges
  • Sharp curves, considered as 100m in rural areas and
    • steep longitudinal gradients.

Bus Bay/ Bus Shelters

Bus stops with bus shelters would be provided at locations of settlements. Bus lay byes will be provided where ever the land is available.

Truck Lay-byes

Truck laybyes primarily provide temporary resting place for the tired truck drivers along the highway. These will be segregated from the usual travel way of traffic on the highway. These are generally provided at areas/sections of freight activity and generally at 30km intervals.

Delineators and Object Markers

Roadway delineators are intended to mark the edges of the roadway so as to guide drivers on the alignment ahead. Object markers are used to indicate hazards and obstructions within the vehicle flow path, for example, channeling islands close to the intersections.

Rumble Strips

Rumble Strips are formed by a sequence of transverse strips laid across a carriageway. Rumble strips are proposed in advance of Sharp curves, Transition zones (speed limit zones) and village/urban approaches. Proper signboards and marking would be provided to advise the drivers in advance of the rumble strips.

Traffic Calming Measures

Traffic calming measures have the advantage of:

  • Reduce and control vehicle speeds to a level commensurate with the activities taking place along the road
  • Will encourage drivers to adopt a uniform speed without excessive acceleration and declaration
  • Influence driver behaviour towards non-motorised users

Traffic calming measures, when proposed on roads passing through urban areas/ environment, whilst encouraging lower speed, will have a reduced rate of accidents involving non-motorized users.