Delhi govt signs MoU on road safety

The Delhi government's Transport department under its minister Kailash Gahlot signed the MoU to enter into parternship with the prestigious Bloomberg Philanthropies, said a statement from the department. Under this initiative the Delhi government will be supported by the world's leading experts in road safety and will receive technical assistance to conduct various periodic road user behaviour surveys and training for staff, it said.

The Delhi government, in a bid to enhance road safety in the national capital, on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bloomberg Philanthropies, joining 30 world cities in the initiative for global road safety. The Delhi government's Transport department under its minister Kailash Gahlot signed the MoU to enter into parternship with the prestigious Bloomberg Philanthropies, said a statement from the department.

Under this initiative the Delhi government will be supported by the world's leading experts in road safety and will receive technical assistance to conduct various periodic road user behaviour surveys and training for staff, it said. "Through signing this MoU and joining the Global Road Safety Initiative by Bloomberg Philanthropies, we partner with the world's leading organisations in improving road safety. The Delhi government, global road safety experts and Delhiites, together will now ensure no more lives are lost on Delhi roads," Gahlot said.

Welcoming Delhi on joining the initiative, Kelly Larson of Bloomberg said, "30 cities will participate in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, a network committed to reducing the deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes". The initiative will cover various aspects of road safety including enforcing laws on speeding, drunken driving, wearing helmets and seat belts, and designing and building safer roads and transportation systems. Promoting safe driving and building public support for road safety via communication campaigns and using data from high-quality monitoring and evaluation systems for policy and planning, will be other strategies of the initiative, the statement said.

The 30 cities including Delhi will participate in the 2020-2025 phase of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety. "The cities will receive resources and support to enable them to implement bold, ambitious road safety activities that will save lives and decrease injuries from road traffic crashes," it said. The participating cities will work in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies' partner organisations and road safety experts, who will provide technical assistance on all aspects of planning, implementation and enforcement, it added.