The World Bank on Tuesday approved $358 million of financing to help Bangladesh improve road safety and reduce fatalities and injuries from road traffic crashes on selected high-risk highways and district roads.
The Road Safety Project will help Bangladesh achieve the Sustainable Development Goals on road safety by 2030, said a media statement issued by World Bank Dhaka Office.
The credit is from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), which provides concessional financing, has a 30-year term, including a five-year grace period. Bangladesh currently has the largest ongoing IDA programme totalling over $14.5 billion.
On two national highways—N4 (Gazipur-Elenga) and N6 (Natore to Nawabganj)—the project will pilot comprehensive road safety measures, including improved engineering designs, signing and marking, pedestrian facilities, speed enforcement, emergency care.
These measures will help reduce road traffic deaths by more than 30 per cent on these two highways, it added.
“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,” Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan was quoted in the statement.
“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.”
The costs related to traffic crashes can be as high as 5.1 per cent of the GDP. Unsafe and under-invested road infrastructure is one of the key factors for crashes. With a sharp increase in the number of vehicles including two-wheelers, safety inspections for registered vehicles remain inadequate, it continued.
The project will support the development of a long-term national programme and a National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan to improve road safety through stronger coordination among ministries and strengthening the institutional framework, according to the statement.
The project will also undertake road safety pilots in selected urban areas and district roads.
It will help modernise the capacity of the Traffic Police and highway patrol to manage speeding and prevent risky road user behaviour through instilling a combination of automated enforcement systems, such as CCTVs, electronic messaging, and physical measures to slow down traffic speed, including patrol vehicles and crash scene clearing equipment.
It will improve post-crash care, which is critical in saving lives.
In 2016, about two-thirds of the road crash victims died on the way to a hospital. It will set up an ambulance service via a toll-free number and upgraded emergency care services in selected district hospitals, and Upazila Health Complexes along the two national highway corridors. It will provide training to medical providers on trauma care and help develop standards, protocols, and operational policies for emergency medical care services, said the World Bank.
It will create a crash database and implement an integrated traffic management and incident detection system. ICT systems will support the integration of existing information systems and databases of vehicle registration, driver licensing, and payments. The project will undertake campaigns to create road safety awareness and behavioural change.
“Investment in Road Safety Programs will be fruitful when they are matched with proper institutional setup, legislative framework, and efficient monitoring systems,” Dipan Bose, World Bank Senior Transport Specialist and Task Team Leader of the project was quoted as saying.
“With three related ministries, Road Transport and Bridges, Health and Home Affairs joining together, this project is an example of the government’s commitment to stronger road safety management.”
The project will establish a training centre for Bangladesh Police to strengthen its capacity on modern road safety enforcement. It will also develop a comprehensive training program for commercial drivers, it mentioned.