Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020) - Ministry of Physical Planning & Transport Management - NRRC Flagship2

 
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Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020) - Ministry of Physical Planning & Transport Management - NRRC Flagship2
Government of Nepal
Ministry of Physical Planning & Transport Management

      Nepal Road Safety Action Plan
              (2013 – 2020)

                     February 2013
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020) - Ministry of Physical Planning & Transport Management - NRRC Flagship2
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                                                    2013

                                                     Table of Contents
Acronyms ................................................................................................................................... ii
1.    Background ......................................................................................................................... 1
2.    Nepal’s Road Network and Vehicle Population.................................................................. 1
3. Road Safety Status in Nepal .......................................................................................... 2
4. Safety Issues in Nepalese Roads ................................................................................. 5
5. Coordination Efforts ......................................................................................................... 6
6. Road Safety Strategy ...................................................................................................... 6
     6.1       Conceptual Structure for the NRSC ............................................................................. 7
     6.2       Action Plan Implementation Impact, Risks ................................................................. 9
7. Road Safety Action Plan ............................................................................................... 15
     7.1       Activity for Pillar 1: Road Safety Management ......................................................... 15
     7.2       Activity for Pillar 2: Safer Roads and Mobility........................................................... 20
     7.3       Activity for Pillar 3: Safer Vehicles ............................................................................ 24
     7.4       Activity for Pillar 4: Safer Road Users........................................................................ 28
     7.5       Activity for Pillar 5: Post Crash Response.................................................................. 31

           i    Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020) - Ministry of Physical Planning & Transport Management - NRRC Flagship2
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                     2013

                                                Acronyms
   ADB               Asian Development Bank
   DDC               District Development Committee
   DfID              UK Department for International Development
   DoC               Department of Customs
   DoHS              Department of Health Services
   DoLIDAR           Department of Local Infrastructure Development and Agriculture Roads
   DoR               Department of Roads
   DoTM              Department of Transport Management
   DUDBC             Department of Urban Development & Building Construction
   FNNTE             Federation of Nepal National Transport Entrepreneurs
   GoN               Government of Nepal
   KVMTPD            Kathmandu Valley Metropolitan Traffic Police Division
   LSGA 1999         Local Self Governance Act 1999
   LSGR 1999         Local Self Governance Regulation 1999
   MoE               Ministry of Education
   MoF               Ministry of Finance
   MoH               Ministry of Home
   MoHP              Ministry of Health and Population
   MoLD              Ministry of Local Development
   MoLJ              Ministry of Law and Justice
   MoL               Ministry of Labour
   MPPWTM            Ministry of Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management
   NADA              Nepal Automobile Dealer Association
   NBSM              Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology
   NPC                National Planning Commission
   NTLA              Nepal National Transport Labourers Association
   RBN               Roads Board Nepal
   RTA               Road-traffic accident
   RTU               Road & Traffic Unit (DoR)
   TP                Traffic Police
   UNESCAP           United Nations Economic & Social Commission for Asia and Pacific
   VDC               Village Development Committee
   VTMA 1993         Vehicle & Transport Management Act 1993
   VTMR 1994         Vehicle & Transport Management Regulation 1994
   WB                World Bank
   WHO               World Health Organisation

      ii   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020) - Ministry of Physical Planning & Transport Management - NRRC Flagship2
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                             2013

1.       Background                                      In addition, the Global Action Plan
                                                         recommends countries to develop their
As per UN estimates, nearly 1.3 million people           national action plans for the decade in a
die globally from road-traffic accidents (RTAs)          manner that is consistent or can be carried
annually or more than 3000 on a daily basis.             forward to the regional plans.
In addition, 20 – 50 million people are injured
from these accidents and such injuries are the           This document thus represents Nepal’s
leading cause for disabilities. Compounded               national action plan on road-safety drafted in
with these staggering statistics is the fact that        line to the Global Action Plan. All stakeholders
90 percent of fatalities from road traffic               are obliged to follow this action plan to
accident occur in low and middle-income                  improve and manage road-safety in an
countries that have less than half of the                integrated manner. It also sets out the
world’s registered fleet. Road traffic injuries          activities that concerned agencies need to
are one of the main causes of deaths for                 implement to achieve the desired goals of
people between the age of 5 to 44 and results            reducing road traffic injuries and resultant
in a huge economic loss to countries                     economic losses in Nepal. As the first national
worldwide. One estimate puts the global loss             action plan, it is anticipated that GoN will
to be over US$ 500 billion and between 1 and             revise and update it in the future as
3 % of the gross national product of the                 necessary.
respective countries. Countries worldwide
and especially developing countries can ill
afford such massive losses. In addition, with            2.         Nepal’s Road Network and
increasing motorization worldwide, road                             Vehicle Population
traffic injuries are predicted to be the fifth
leading cause of death around the world                  Nepal’s strategic road network (SRN) lying
unless immediate, middle and long term                   under the Department of Roads (DoR)
interventions are not taken. In recognition of           comprises the national Highways, feeder
this fact, the UN Road Safety Collaboration              roads and strategically important urban roads.
(UNRSC) was established in April 2004 to                 The local road network (LRN)which lies under
better address road-safety issues globally and           the local bodies (district and village
subsequently the UN Commission of Global                 development committees, municipalities)
Road-Safety issued a call for a decade of                comprise the district, urban and village roads
action to be dedicated to road-safety in its             and are coordinated by the Department of
2009 report.                                             Local Infrastructure Development and
                                                         Agricultural Roads (DoLIDAR). Table 1 shows
This proposed Decade of Action on road-                  the road network in Nepal.
safety has been endorsed by the UNRSC and a
wide range of public figures. As a result, the
UNRSC released the Global Plan for the                   Table 1 Nepal Road Network
Decade of Action for road-safety -2011 to                 Road              Road Standard (km)                  Total
2020 in May 2011.                                        Network       BT        GR           ER                (km)

The UN Global Action mandates member                        SRN                   2,065         3,818         10.835
countries to develop their individual national             (2009)      4,952
plans for the decade (2011 to 2020)                                     28%           27%           45%            100%
incorporating interventions under the                       LRN        Include 22,000 km village                30,000
following five pillars to road-safety.                     (2010)      roads
                                                                       %         % NA         % NA                 100%
        Road safety management
                                                                       NA
        Safer roads and mobility                        Source: Sta ti s ti cs of SRN 2009; GoN/DoR & DoLIDAR.
        Safer vehicles                                  Note: LRN a re only estimates in a bsence of official da ta .
        Safer road users
        Post-crash response

         1   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020) - Ministry of Physical Planning & Transport Management - NRRC Flagship2
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                                  2013

Table 2 shows the vehicle registrations in                         registrations range from 9 to 17 % (16% -
Nepal. The annual growth-rate of vehicle                           motor cycles, 13 % -overall fleet).

Table 2              Total Vehicle Registrations in Nepal

                                       Truck,                                                                        F.Y.
                                       Exc.,      Car,               3-              TRA,                F.Y.        Gross
 F.Y.        B        MB       MiB     Crane      SUV      UV        wh    MC        p-tiller   Others   Total       Total
 2006-
 07          1,564    806      138     3,278      5,156    736       12    72,568    2,942      1,535    88,735      626,174
 2007-
 08          1,419    1,179    31      3,594      4,741    1,588     18    69,666    3,297      206      85,739      711,913
 2008-
 09          1,843    593      128     3,643      6,857    1,287     20    83,334    4,663      202      102,570     814,483
 2009-
 10          1,888    780      145     4,524      12,268   1,975     9     168,707   11,460     31       201,787     1,016,270
 2010-
 11          1,610    1,370    115     1,969      8,510    3,087     2     138,907   7,937      133      163,640     1,179,910
Source: GoN Department of Transport Management.

There is however no system of recording the                        highest rate in both Asia and the world. The
aging vehicles which are phased out or                             fatality rate is actually higher than 17 if the
scrapped.                                                          number of vehicles phased out or scrapped
                                                                   and under-reporting are taken into
In recent years, there has been high growth-
                                                                   consideration.
rate for light vehicles in addition to motor-
cycles. In the urban areas, this trend is the                      Table 3 shows a recent comparison of Nepal’s
impact from an expanding economy in an                             RTA injuries with that in the region.
environment       where      efficient  mass
transportations are lacking.

3.       Road Safety Status in Nepal
As per the police statistics, there were 8,656
road-traffic accidents in the fiscal year 2010-
011 resulting in 1,689 fatalities, 4,071 serious
injuries and 9.133 minor injuries. However,
these figures may not truly reflect the actual
number of casualties occurring in Nepal as
past researches have indicated that RTAs are
under-reported, particularly, the minor
injuries. Taking these under-reporting into
account, a recent study estimated that were
13,247 road traffic accidents in fiscal year
2009-010 resulting in 1,734 fatalities, 4,130
injuries (minor and serious) and 7,383
damage-only accidents. Comparing the road
traffic fatalities with the cumulative number
of vehicle registered in the country during this
period (i.e. 1,016,270), Nepal’s fatality rate in
fiscal year 2009- 010 was 17 per 10,000
registered vehicles, which, is one of the

         2    Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                                                     2013

Table 3                 Regional Comparison of RTA Injuries with Nepal

                                                                                                        Regional
                                                                          Fatality Injury                fatality Regional
                                                                            per      to                    per    Injury to
                                 RTA             RTA                       10,000 Fatality               10,000    fatality
    Country         Year      fatalities       injuries       Vehicle Reg vehicles Ratio                   veh      ratio
Nepal                2007             962          2,653            617,305       16          3:1         17           5:1
Afganisthan          2007          1,835           3,212            731,607       25          2:1          17          5:1
Bangladesh           2006          3,160        403,000          1,054,057        30         128:1         17          5:1
Bhutan               2007             111            724              35,703      31          7:1          17          5:1
India                2006       105,725         452,922         72,718,000        15          4:1          17          5:1
Maldives             2007                8            -               33,807       2          0:1          17          5:1
Pakistan             2007          5,565         12,990          5,287,152        11          2:1          17          5:1
Sri Lanka            2007          2,334         31,688          3,124,794         7          14:1         17          5:1
China                2006        89,455         431,139       145,228,994               6     5:1          6           5:1
Mauritius            2007             140          2,915            334,125             4     21:1         4           21:1
Malaysia             2007          6,282         21,363          1,682,515             37     3:1          13          28:1
Myanmar              2007          1,638         12,358          1,045,105             16     8:1          13          28:1
Philipines           2006          1,185           5,870         5,515,576              2     5:1          13          28:1
Singapore            2007             214        10,352             851,336             3     48:1         13          28:1
Thailand             2007        12,492         973,108         25,618,417              5     78:1         13          28:1
Source: Global Status Report on Road-Safety; UN World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland; 2009.

Table 3 shows that Nepal’s fatality-rate per
registered vehicles is around the average rate
within South-Asia (17 per 10,000 registered
vehicles) but higher than the corresponding
rate in South-east Asia and China. This table
also substantiates the fact that there is gross
under-reporting of RTA injuries in both Nepal
and South-Asia as both the national and the
regional average of the ratio of the RTA injuries
to fatalities is less than 10:11.
While in aggregate, recent past data show an
increasing trend in both the RTA fatalities and
injuries, the distribution of the causalities is not
consistent across different regions of the
country. While there is no official statistics on
the accident rates in Nepal, Table 4 shows the
extrapolated RTA statistics classified by the
different regions of the country.

1 A ratio of the injuries to fatalities less than 10:1 is often taken as
a yard-stick to determine under-reporting of RTA injuries.

         3      Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                                                            2013

    Table 4                   RTA Statistics Classified by the Different Regions of Nepal

                                                                                                                RTA Statistics
                                                                                                                                        Per 10,000 registered
                                                                                   Nos. of casulties        Per 100,000 population            vehicles

                                   Nos. of                     Cum. Vehicle
        Year          Region        RTAs       Population^      Registered      Fatalities     Injuries       Fatal        Injury        Fatal        Injury
      2004-05      KTM Valley         3,701        1,106,766         265,916             127      2,293               11         207              5        86
                   East                 545        5,486,815          44,191             176        301                3            5            40        68
                   Central*             418        6,686,000         103,001             192        456                3            7            19        44
                   West                 636        2,250,679          50,185             245      1,124               11          50             49       224
                   Mid-west             190        1,580,224          10,823              53        549                3          35             49       507
                   Far-west              42        1,134,794            8,348             15           69              1            6            18        83
                          Total=     5,532      18,245,279          482,464           808        4,792                4           26          17           99
    2005-06        KTM Valley         1,989        1,149,383         292,697              93      2,132                8         185              3        73
                   East                 494        5,535,099          50,124             191      1,844                3          33             38       368
                   Central*             486        6,813,034         115,192             213      1,018                3          15             18        88
                   West                 590        2,268,460          58,153             202        899                9          40             35       155
                   Mid-west             248        1,607,720          12,576              40        415                2          26             32       330
                   Far-west              87        1,151,703            8,697             78        198                7          17             90       228
                          Total=     3,894      18,525,399          537,439           817        6,506                4           35          15         121
    2006- 07       KTM Valley         2,224        1,193,680         330,956              93      2,621                8         220              3        79
                   East                 406        5,583,808          60,923             166      1,034                3          19             27       170
                   Central*             520        6,942,482         140,490             303      1,485                4          21             22       106
                   West                 800        2,286,380          69,089             226      1,585               10          69             33       229
                   Mid-west             358        1,635,694          14,611              91        743                6          45             62       509
                   Far-west             137        1,168,863          10,105              74        411                6          35             73       407
                          Total=     4,445      18,810,908          626,174           953        7,879                5           42          15         126
    2007- 08       KTM Valley         2,211        1,287,575         373,841             120      2,774                9         215              3        74
                   East                 704        5,632,946          66,362             235      1,304                4          23             35       196
                   Central*             648        7,074,389         168,494             242      1,585                3          22             14        94
                   West                 624        2,304,443          76,312             341      1,440               15          62             45       189
                   Mid-west             302        1,664,156          15,319             146        619                9          37             95       404
                   Far-west             148        1,186,279          10,586              47        186                4          16             44       176
                          Total=     4,637      19,149,787          710,914         1,131        7,908                6           41          16         111
    2008- 09       KTM Valley         2,735        1,337,316         423,931       137          3168                   9         207              3        65
                   East                 841        6,097,115          75,042       280          1630                   4          21             31       174
                   Central*             766        6,676,763         199,851       366          2241                   4          24             12        79
                   West                 766        2,480,295          88,141       396          2039                  14          58             39       163
                   Mid-west             299        1,664,203          15,839       116           809                   9          37             92       391
                   Far-west              82        1,085,544          10,680        61           179                   4          17             44       174
                          Total=     5,489      19,341,236          813,484         1,356       10,066                7           52          17         124
    2009- 10       KTM Valley          4101        1,389,019         506,135       146          3865                  11         278              3        76
                   East                1232        5,732,522         106,563       366          2337                   6          41             34       219
                   Central*             796        7,345,769         240,897       481          2089                   7          28             20        87
                   West                 790        2,340,997         124,406       452          2143                  19          92             36       172
                   Mid-west             402        1,722,572          22,562       211           836                  12          49             94       371
                   Far-west             114        1,221,894          14,708        78           243                   6          20             53       165
                          Total=     7,435      19,752,773        1,015,271         1,734       11,513                9           58          17         113

    Source: Consultant’s estimates based on published data from the Traffic Police and the Department of Transport Management.
    ^Projected based on 2001 and 2011 census data from the GoN Central Bureau of Statistics, Kathmandu.
    *Cumulative vehicle registrations for the central development region exclude the corresponding vehicles in Bagmati Zone.
.

               4     Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                         2013

                                                         Single bus accidents where the vehicle runs
Table 4 shows that both the fatalities in terms
                                                          over the hill-roads represent the fatal RTAs
of the population and registered vehicles first
                                                          of catastrophic proportions.
decreased but then increased within the
Kathmandu Valley between the fiscal year                 About 30 to 40% of the accidents happen
2004- 05 to 2006- 07. The trend was different in          after sunset when traffic is low.
the other regions of the country. For example,
                                                         Driver negligence, drunk driving, random
the per capita fatality within the western region
                                                          roadside parking, reckless pedestrian
increased significantly in the fiscal year 2009-
                                                          crossing, poor road conditions, etc., were
010 while a significantly higher number of the
                                                          the major causes responsible for the
population as well as the registered vehicle-
                                                          accidents.
fleet in the mid-west succumbed to RTA fatality
from the fiscal year 2006-07 onwards. In terms           Accidents tend to cluster at the following
of non-fatal RTA injuries, the population of              locations.
Kathmandu is the most affected while amongst                   o    Urban areas: intersections
the vehicle fleet, those in the mid-west are the
most affected in the country.                                  o    Highways:      bridge    approaches,
                                                                    intersections, and roadside built-up
Though the RTA statistics presented in Table 4                      areas.
is slightly distorted from the actual scenario
due to the assumptions involved in the data              From a conservative estimate, the
extrapolation, it is safe to conclude that the            economic loss from RTAs in Nepal was at
safety record varies by locations of the country          least NRs.22.7 billion(US$ 41.2 million)
with disparate trends. The following                      annually or 0.4 % of the GNP3 at 2007 price.
summarizes the findings of RTAs in Nepal based            When the accident under-reporting are
on past research and monitoring.                          adjusted, the loss was 0.8% of the GNP
                                                          annually.
 About half of all the RTAs nationwide occur
  in the Kathmandu Valley alone where
  nearly half of the country’s fleet ply.               4.          Safety      Issues         in    Nepalese
 The severity of the RTA injuries in the                           Roads
  Kathmandu Valley is less pronounced than              There are numerous safety issues on the
  in the rural areas.                                   Nepalese hill roads (which form a substantial
 RTA fatalities amongst the vehicle fleet are          portion of the road network) such as poor
  higher in the regions outside the                     visibility at blind corners; poor shoulders;
  Kathmandu Valley.                                     unforgiving side-drains, inadequate safety
                                                        barriers at steep vertical drops; unscientific
 Pedestrians are the most vulnerable groups            location of passing bays in single lane roads;
  in road accidents because pedestrian-safety           lack of climbing lanes; very steep gradients at
  has not been considered.                              numerous sections, narrow sections at built-up
 People between 15 to 40 years of age are              areas, etc..
  most affected in road-accident followed by
  those above 50 years.
 In the urban areas, there is significant
  number of motor-cycle accidents.
 In the rural areas, there are significant
  number of trucks and bus accidents.
 Bus accidents along the long-distance                 2   Nepali Rupees
  routes are of serious concern accounting              3 Report:
                                                                “Cost of Road Traffic Accidents in Nepal”; GoNDoR
  for 13% and 31%of all the fatalities and              Road Connectivity Sector I Project (ADB Grant 0051-NEP); N.D.
  serious injuries, respectively.                       Lea (Canada) - CEMAT- Soil Test- TMS JV: 2008.

      5   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                          2013

Figure 1 Hairpin Bends in Nepalese Hill                      such a council while some quarters have
Roads                                                        suggested designating a stakeholder as the lead
                                                             agency. In both options, there have been calls
                                                             for expanded jurisdiction and resources.
                                                             At the legislative level, the Parliamentary State
                                                             Affairs and the Financial Labour Relation
                                                             Committees within the country’s then
                                                             Legislative Assembly had recently monitored
                                                             road-safety issues. Under the Interim
                                                             Constitution, technical committees can be
                                                             formed to specifically address road-safety as
                                                             per the provisions of the Assembly. However,
                                                             road-safety did not receive the due priority it
                                                             demanded as the then Assembly was
Source: “RSA: Galchhi- Trishuli- Syafrubesi Road”; GoN       concentrated in the drafting of the Constitution
DoR/ADB RCSIP; N.D. Lea. (Canada) - CEMAT- Soil Test -TMS    and the country is in transition phase.
JV; Kathmandu, Nepal; 2007.                                  Nevertheless, the provisions for technical
Figure 2 Truck run-over accident in a                        committees will most likely be in place in the
hill-road of                                                 Constitution.
Nepal
                                                             Recently, lawmakers, senior bureaucrats and
                                                             traffic police have mooted for the
                                                             establishment of a high-level road management
                                                             board to improve traffic management in the
                                                             Kathmandu Valley. While the first emphasis of
                                                             such body is traffic management, such
                                                             measures do enhance road-safety as well and
                                                             encourage horizontal coordination.

                                                             6.      Road Safety Strategy
Source: “RSA: Narayanghat- Mugling HWY(Post Construction);
DoR/IDA RMDP; SILT-Full Bright-CEMECA JV; Kathmandu,         The detailed formulation of the road-safety
Nepal; June 2005.
                                                             strategy is proposed as one of the activity of
Along the roads in the plains (Terai),                       this action plan. However, the following is a
unforgiving drains, inadequate pedestrian                    brief outline of the strategy that will emerge.
provisions, inadequate delineation at
                                                             Vision: Safe road-infrastructures and services
bridge/culvert crossings, narrow carriageway at
                                                                     backed with effective post-crash
build-up areas, etc., are the predominant safety
                                                                     response and conducive environment
issues.
                                                                     resulting in little or no casualties from
                                                                     the RTAs.
5.       Coordination Efforts                                Mission:(i) To mitigate the loss of life,
                                                                            properties and economic loss
Horizontal     coordination    amongst    the                               from RTAs.
stakeholders to manage road-safety has been                            (ii) To complement the broader
poor, ad-hoc, often hampered with duplication                               mission of the National Strategy
of activities from parallel committees set up                               on the Prevention and Control of
under different agencies while interventions                                Violence, Injuries and Disabilities4
been arbitrarily implemented.
A National Road Safety Council was set up in
Nepal during the nineties but this body has                  4
                                                              National Strategies for Prevention and Control of
been defunct. There have been calls for reviving             Violence, Injuries and Disabilities in Nepal; GoN

       6    Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                       2013

        (iii) To meet the targets of the UN               out that the existence of the National Road-
               Decade of Action.                          safety Council in Nepal headed by the Secretary
        (iv) To provide a common framework                of the Ministry of Labour and Transport
               for stakeholder agencies to                Management. However, this council has been
               implement        the       various         dormant since its establishment. The
               interventions required to mitigate         establishment of a centralized body such as the
               RTAs outcomes.                             NRSC is the option that most of the countries
                                                          globally have been pursuing to coordinate road-
Central to the common framework that the
                                                          safety interventions. Some stakeholders have
stakeholders need to adopt is the recognition of
                                                          suggested designating a lead-agency coordinate
the five pillars of road-safety outlined in the UN
                                                          road-safety in lieu of the NRSC given Nepal’s
Global Plan for the Decade of Action.
                                                          past difficulty in coordinating road-safety
A reflection of the background information of             activities.    Nevertheless, there is now
Nepal outlined in the previous section shows              unanimous consensus that coordinating
the following facts:                                      through the NRSC is the best option for Nepal
     Both RTA fatalities and injuries are                and this option was endorsed during the last
      increasing.                                         workshop conducted in 31 January, 2012.
     Road-users are most exposed to RTAs in the           The existing NRSC will be revitalized with
      Kathmandu Valley but casualties are less            higher authority to delegate and implement its
      severe compared to other regions.                   various activities. To give it a legal standing, this
     RTAs are under-reported and analysis                council will be backed with the necessary act.
      inadequate.                                         This council will have the power to delegate all
     Light vehicles, especially motor-cycles,            the stakeholders and request regular reporting
      dominate the vehicle fleet while mass               required for monitoring the road-safety
      transportation is lacking.                          interventions.
     Pedestrian, population within 15- 40 years          There will be two phases to the revitalized
      are most vulnerable users.                          NRSC. – (i) preliminary stage; (ii) fully
     There is a high number of motor-cycle               empowered stage.
      accidents in the urban areas.
     Single bus accidents represent the RTAs             The NRSC will be at preliminary stage from the
      with the most severity in the rural areas.          instant of it revitalization till the time that the
     RTAs are mainly caused by reckless driving          appropriate act enacting the council is
      and pedestrian recklessly crossing the              introduced. Though in the past, the NRSC was
      streets.                                            chaired by the         Minister of Labour and
     Safe pedestrian access is lacking                   Transport Management with representations
      aggravating pedestrian-safety.                      from the main stakeholders as members, the
                                                          revitalized NRSC in the preliminary stage will
     Safe-design (forgiving road) is lacking.
                                                          now be chaired by the Minister of Physical
     Stakeholders’ interactions are ad-hoc and
                                                          Planning, Works and Transport Management
      responsibilities are often duplicated.
                                                          (MPPWTM) as per the latest ministerial re-
6.1      Conceptual Structure for the NRSC                organisation. The NRSC’S executive committee
                                                          will be backed by a technical body to assist in
The establishment of a central agency that can            the daily activities. During the preliminary
effectively coordinate all the stakeholders               stage, the NRSC will have limited authority to
involved in road-safety is the basic requirement          implement interventions across the board but
for improving road-safety in any country. This            will nevertheless set the pace to effectively
need arises from the fact that road-safety                coordinate and refine the activities proposed
concern virtually all sections of the society and
                                                          under this action plan. The council should be
government. Earlier discussions have pointed
                                                          headed at the minister-level as it ensures
                                                          higher priority that the council activities
Ministry of Health and Population; Dr. S.K. Joshi;
Kathmandu, Nepal; December 2011.

        7   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                     2013

demands in terms budget provisions and                        reference to the good practices outlined in
manpower resources allocations.                               the UN Global Action Plan.
                                                        6.    As a policy document developed and
In the fully empowered stage, it will be
                                                              endorsed from the stakeholders, the
appropriate for the NRSC executive committee
                                                              concerned line agencies will follow this
to still be chaired by the Minister of the
                                                              action plan to improve and manage road-
MPPWTM with the ministry’s secretary acting
                                                              safety in an integrated manner.
as the member-secretary for the executive
                                                        7.    Amend the acts and regulations in order to
committee. This will take place when the NRSC
                                                              accommodate road-safety requirements
Act with the above institutional structure is
                                                              adequately and ensure an enabling policy.
enacted.        As       per       stakeholders’
                                                        8.    Formulate a national target for RTA
recommendations, the NRSC Act will have
                                                              reduction. As signatory to the Busan
provision to either nominate or renew the
                                                              Meeting, a target of 35~ 50 % reduction of
chairmanship, membership of the executive
                                                              RTA recommended by this meeting will
committee on a rotating basis or annually and
                                                              form as a basis for setting the national
have the change published in the government
                                                              target.
gazette. The NRSC will have its own
                                                        9.    To ensure funds             for road-safety
independent secretariat to execute its
                                                              interventions, seek endorsement from the
activities. The NRSC Act should also entrust the
                                                              Ministry of Finance and the National
council to delegate the stakeholders, stipulate
                                                              Planning Commission to recognise the
mandatory periodic and annual reporting from
                                                              principle of the first-year of returns as a
them and execute projects conducted under its
                                                              basis for investment decision. Seek these
programmes. The full details of the structure of
                                                              agencies endorsement also to utilise the
the NRSC will be dwelt with as one of the
                                                              Roads Board Fund or to set a policy to
activities proposed in this action plan.
                                                              mandatorily set aside a fixed portion (e.g.
Taking these facts into consideration, the                    10%) of the total cost of road-constructions
following will be the broad strategies to adopt               to mobilise budget for road-safety
for road-safety improvements.                                 interventions.
1. Ensure collaborative inputs from all the             10.   For maximising the positive impact,
   stakeholders to formulate an action plan                   prioritise interventions according to their
   incorporating the five pillars of road-safety              effectiveness in mitigating the RTA severity
   and hence guarantee ownership.                             at specific locations. For example,
2. To improve horizontal coordination,                        overloading control and random vehicle
   effectively       manage       the     various             inspections of buses will be adopted at
   interventions and champion road-safety                     rural areas to reduce single bus accidents.
   issues, study the option of re-establishing a        11.   Pedestrian-safety will be prioritised in the
   high-level NRSC with the legal authority to                road-safety planning and the interventions
   delegate various agencies.                                 proposed.
3. Have the NRSC monitor the road-safety                12.   Development of forgiving roads and
   initiatives of different agencies. For some of             infrastructures will be advocated through
   the     activities     related     to policy               necessary guidelines, incorporation in the
   development, the NRSC will conduct the                     design standards, etc.
   works in question itself.                            13.   A mechanism to evaluate the outcome of
4. Have the NRSC regularly disseminate its                    various interventions will be developed in
   research findings, delegate specific                       the near future.
   responsibilities to the various stakeholders         14.   Research and development, awareness for
   and legally mandate regular reporting                      the public and stakeholders and trainings
   requirements from them.                                    will be the integral part of the road-safety
5. Enumerate the specific interventions                       interventions.
   required to reduce the RTA severity with             15.   To improve the RTA database, an inter-
                                                              agency referral mechanism to identify

      8   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                              2013

       potential accident-blackspots will be                          plan will be developed and updated as
       adopted. For example, a hospital should                        necessary.
       immediately refer such potential blackspots
                                                                6.2       Action Plan Implementation Impact,
       to DoR, traffic police, etc., based on the
                                                                          Risks
       hospital’s inference to its admission record
       for RTA injuries.                                        Upon implementation of the various
16.    To develop in-house expertise and ensure                 interventions proposed under this action plan,
       commitments from the stakeholders, road-                 it is expected that there will be positive impacts
       safety units will be formed at these                     to various aspects concerning road-safety.
       agencies.                                                There will be some challenges as well as risks if
17.    The activities relating to road-safety policy            proposed interventions are not implemented in
       will also look into aligning them with the               the right manner. It is necessary to take into
       ISO traffic safety management standard -                 account these risks when implementing the
       ISO 39001.                                               interventions.
18.    The establishment of a comprehensive
                                                                Table 5 shows the implementation impact and
       injury-surveillance at the hospitals and
                                                                risks of the various interventions.
       health centres will be pursued to mitigate
       under-reporting of RTAs.
19.    As this is the first national action plan, a
       monitoring mechanism to evaluate this

Table 5            Action Plan Implementation Impacts and Risks

S.N.          Pillar         Main Activities           Impact Following                          Risks
                               Proposed                 Implementation

A (1)                      Establish the          Effective coordination with      Possibility   of    inadequate
                           National Road           stakeholders.                     budget      and      manpower
                           Safety Council with                                       resources.
                                                  Monitoring of road-safety
                           sweeping
                                                   improvements from an             Lack of required autonomy and
                           authority.
                                                   autonomous agency.                authority to effectively operate
                                                                                     the council.

A(2)                       Train stakeholders     Institutional enhancement        Inadequate budget provision.
                                                   of agencies.
                                                                                    Training organized ad-hoc.
          Pillar 1: Road                          Skilled developed and
                                                                                    Targeted individuals excluded
               Safety                              manpower motivated.
          Management                                                                 in the trainings.
                                                  More awareness for
                                                   stakeholders.

                           Amend the Vehicle      Conducive environment for        Omissions of the provisions
                           & Transport             road-safety improvements.         required in the amended acts.
                           Management Act
                                                  Reformed insurance               Difficulties encountered in
                           1993 (VTMA 1993),
                                                   policies to cover liabilities     enforcing the amendments.
                           Local Self
                                                   from RTAs.
                           Governance Act
                           1999 (LSGA 1999)
                           and develop
                           various guidelines.

         9   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                            2013

S.N.         Pillar         Main Activities            Impact Following                         Risks
                              Proposed                  Implementation

                          Develop a national      Guideline on required          Required provisions omitted in
                          road-safety              steps for improving road-       the strategy.
                          strategy and             safety.
                                                                                  Strategy lacking legal standing.
                          implementation
                                                  Directive on prioritization
                          modality.
                                                   of long-term investments,
                                                   stakeholder accountability,
                                                   monitoring, national
                                                   targets, integrated
                                                   planning, alternative
                                                   funding, etc.

                          Reliably,               Improved mitigation and        Lack of long-term horizontal
                          scientifically           mechanism for RTAs.             coordination between
                          compile, analyze                                         agencies.
                                                  Supplement and
                          the RTA statistics
                                                   development of research        Low priority to research.
                          and research on
                                                   in suitable
                          countermeasures.
                                                   countermeasures for the
                                                   country.

B(1)                      Develop road-           Safety perceived in all        Road-safety audit manual for
                          safety audit             roads.                          non-strategic roads not
                          manual for non-                                          formulated.
                                                  Improvements in road-
                          strategic roads and
                                                   safety.                        Safety audits not enforceable in
                          gradually enforce
                                                                                   all roads lacking legal mandate.
                          safety audits in all
                          roads (strategic
                          and non-strategic).

B(2)                      Introduce               Clear directives for           Policy lacking legal mandate.
                          compliance policy        implementing
                                                                                  Audit recommendation not
                          for safety audits        recommendations.
                                                                                   complied in absence of legal
                          recommendations
                                                  Ensure stakeholder              mandate.
                          (strategic and non-
                                                   accountability for
        Pillar 2: Safer   strategic roads).                                       Lack of mechanism to
                                                   implementing
         Roads and                                                                 prosecute non-compliant
                                                   recommendations.
           Mobility                                                                agencies.

B(3)                      Develop design          Guide on design of safe        Guideline not developed.
                          guideline for safer      roads.
                                                                                  Absence of design appropriate
                          roads and
                                                  Safety perceived from           for the country.
                          construct required
                                                   infrastructures.
                          infrastructures.

B(4)                      Investigate              Accident-blackspots            Inadequate auditing.
                          accident                 mitigated
                                                                                  Lack of horizontal coordination
                          blackspots for all
                                                                                   amongst stakeholders on
                          road types and
                                                                                   sustained basis.
                          construct
                          appropriate                                             Countermeasures
                          countermeasures.                                         inappropriate for the country.

       10   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                            2013

S.N.         Pillar         Main Activities           Impact Following                         Risks
                              Proposed                 Implementation

B(5)                      Enforce work-zone     Safety perceived throughout      Lack of authority and difficulty
                          safety from           the road constructions.           enforcing work-zone safety.
                          construction to
                                                                                 Work-zone safety not covered
                          defect-liability
                                                                                  in the contracts.
                          period in all road
                          project contracts.

B(6)                      Establish road-       Institutional development of     Units not established in all
                          safety units in       all agencies regarding road-      agencies.
                          DoLIDAR and valley    safety and demonstrate their
                                                                                 Inadequate manpower or
                          municipalities.       commitments.
                                                                                  competency.

B(7)                      Train stakeholders    Manpower skill development       Concerned staff excluded in the
                          on safe roads and     for safer roads, maintenance.     trainings.
                          safety-audits.
                                                                                 Lack of trained instructors.
                                                                                 Lack of budget and low priority
                                                                                  for the trainings.

C(1)                      Develop and            Safety perceived.              Standard inadequately
                          introduce                                               prepared.
                                                 Introduce globally
                          standards for safe
                                                  recognized environmental       Failure to enforce the
                          vehicles, spares.
                                                  and differently-abled           standard.
                                                  friendly practices and
                                                                                 Difficulty or deficiency in
                                                  equipment.
                                                                                  monitoring.

C(2)                      Amend VTMA             Legal mandate to safer         Delay or difficulty in amending
                          1993, VTMR 1997         vehicle provisions.             act, regulation.
                          and develop
                                                 Regular revision of acts,      Omission of required safety
                          national transport
                                                  regulations to be sensitive     provisions in the amended act,
                          policy to reinforce
                          safer vehicles.         to road-safety.                 regulation.
                                                 Incorporate safer vehicle      Omission of required safety
        Pillar 3: Safer                           provisions in the national      issues in the national transport
           Vehicles                               transport policy.               policy.

C(3)                      Review route-          Gradual improvement in        Weak monitoring due to
                          permit procedure.       public transportation and     manpower constraint.
                                                  passenger comfort.
                                                 More regular roadside
                                                  checks
                                                 Introduce disciplined
                                                  services.

C(4)                      DoTM institutional     Human resource                Inadequate budget provision.
                          development.            development at DoTM.
                                                 Scientific transport
                                                  management.

       11   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                              2013

S.N.         Pillar         Main Activities            Impact Following                          Risks
                              Proposed                  Implementation

C(5)                      Financial incentives   Encourage use of in-vehicle      Lack of discount in the use of
                          to promote in-         safety devices.                  devices.
                          vehicle safety
                          devices.

C(6)                      Improve vehicle         Introduce scientific            No improvement in procedure.
                          inspection               inspection.
                                                                                   Shortcoming or difficulty in
                          procedure.
                                                  Improve vehicle road-            monitoring.
                                                   worthiness.
                                                  Better speeds and load
                                                   (passengers/ weight)
                                                   controls.

C(7)                      Research major          Minimise significant loss of    Inadequate budget provision,
                          public vehicle           life and properties.             low priority to the research.
                          accidents, school
                                                  Ensure safe journey in
                          bus safety and
                                                   school buses.
                          initiate mitigation.

C(8)                      Basic repair and        Develop skilled manpower        Inadequate budget provision,
                          maintenance              on basic repairs,                low priority accorded to the
                          training for public      maintenance on public            training.
                          vehicles.                vehicles.
                                                                                   Concerned crews being
                                                  Create opportunity to            excluded in the training.
                                                   improve road-worthiness
                                                                                   Training designed
                                                   for public vehicles.
                                                                                    inadequately.
                                                                                   Shortage of trainers.

D(1)                      Amend VTMA             Legal provisions accorded to      Difficulty amending the act,
                          1993, VTMR 1997        safe road-users.                   regulation.
                          to invigorate safe
                                                                                   Omission of required provisions
                          road-users.
                                                                                    in the amendments.
                                                                                   Inability to enforce the
                                                                                    amended provisions.

D(2)                      Strictly enforce the    Reductions in RTA               Difficulty enforcing the rules.
                          rules on the seat-       fatalities.
        Pillar 4: Safer                                                            Inability to enforce code-of-
                          belts, helmets use,
         Road-Users                               Emergence of conscious,          conduct.
                          public transport
                                                   disciplined road-users.
                          safety and develop                                       All users not considered in the
                          comprehensive           Awareness shortcoming in         code.
                          code-of-conduct          the road-users identified.
                          for all road-users.

D(3)                      Public awareness        Emergence of citizens            Budget constraint for
                          campaign and            responsive to road-safety.        awareness, research.
                          research for all
                                                                                   Low priority to the programme.
                          road-users.

       12   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                           2013

S.N.         Pillar         Main Activities           Impact Following                        Risks
                              Proposed                 Implementation

D(4)                      Include road-safety   Increase awareness in road-     Difficulty including in the
                          education in school   safety at the school level       school curriculum or
                          curriculum with       itself.                          inadequate preparation.
                          regular revisions.
                                                                                Budget constraints
                                                                                Lack of trained instructors.
                                                                                Low priority to the programme.

D(5)                      Train drivers and     Increase awareness in the       Budget constraints, trainings
                          other road-users.     road-users.                      not sustained.
                                                                                Training design inappropriate.
                                                                                Lack of qualified trainers.
                                                                                Training participation
                                                                                 discouraging.

D(6)                      Improve driving       Develop experienced drivers.    Omission of the necessary
                          license procedure                                      provisions.
                          scientifically.
                                                                                Difficulty implementing.

D(7)                      Establish road-        Institutional development    Budget constraints.
                          safety units in the     in transport management.
                          Department of
                                                 Skilled manpower
                          Transport
                                                  development in traffic
                          Management and
                                                  police.
                          institutional
                          development of         Manpower resource
                          the traffic police.     enhanced.

D(8)                      Construct modern       Develop skilled manpower      Budget constraints, low priority
                          driving training       at the training centres.      and no continuity accorded to
                          centres and                                          the trainings.
                          capacity
                          enhancement.

E(1)                      Introduce toll-free    Reductions in the RTA         Delays in operation.
                          telephone number        fatalities.
                                                                                Budget constraints, low priority
                          for RTA
                                                 Facilities for users.          accorded.
                          emergencies.
        Pillar 5: Post-
E(2)                      Develop                Reductions in post-           Shortage of trainers.
             crash
                          ambulance policy        accident fatalities.
          Response                                                              Budget constraints, low priority
                          for post-accident
                                                 Improvement in                 and no continuity to the
                          treatments and
                                                  emergency services.            training.
                          emergency
                          treatment training.                                   Lack of horizontal coordination
                                                                                 amongst agencies.

       13   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                           2013

S.N.         Pillar       Main Activities           Impact Following                          Risks
                            Proposed                 Implementation

E(3)                    Develop strategy      Relief for low income groups      Budget constraints, low priority
                        and introduce         regarding rehabilitation,          and no continuity to the
                        revolving fund for    disability.                        programme.
                        RTA victims and
                                                                                Misuse of funds
                        disabled.

E(4)                    Open Trauma Care       Increase facilities for         Budget constraints, low priority
                        Centres and train       trauma care.                     and no-continuity to the
                        for RTA injured.                                         programme.
                                               Develop skilled manpower
                                                in trauma-care.                 Shortage of skilled trai ners.
                                                                                Concerned health-providers
                                                                                 being excluded from the
                                                                                 training.

E(5)                    Research and          Reduction of fatalities from      Budget constraints, low priority
                        prioritise            predominant RTA injuries.          and no-continuity to the
                        treatments for                                           programme.
                        serious injuries
                                                                                Lack of required provisions.
                        from RTAs .

E(6)                    Develop, introduce     Improve the RTA database.       Budget constraints, low priority
                        comprehensive                                            and no-continuity to the
                                               Provide scientific basis for
                        injury surveillance                                      programme..
                                                prioritizing RTA injuries,
                        system in
                                                their treatments and            Weak coordination between
                        hospitals, health
                                                research.                        hospitals, health-centres and
                        centres.
                                                                                 agencies.
                                                                                Database system ineffective,
                                                                                 unscientific.
                                                                                Database inaccessible, non-
                                                                                 transparent.

E(7)                    Establish road-        Create awareness towards        Budget constraints and low
                        safety unit in the      road-safety in the health        priority.
                        Ministry of health      sector.
                                                                                Lack of required manpower and
                        and Population
                                               Institutional development        other resources.
                        and institutionally
                        enhance it.             of the ministry.

E(8)                    Develop               Improve ambulance services        Budget constraints and low
                        ambulance             and their access.                  priority.
                        network along the
                                                                                Lack of effective and prompt
                        major highways,
                        urban and rural                                          communication.
                        roads.                                                  Overall and inter coordination
                                                                                 shortcoming between the
                                                                                 ambulance services and

       14   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                      2013

7.        Road Safety Action Plan                         Though a National Road Safety Council was
                                                          established in Nepal during the late nineties, it
The following outlines the national road- safety
                                                          was not adequately resourced and is defunct
action plan for the period 2013 – 2020. These
                                                          now. There is no long-term road-safety strategy
plans are the product of one-on-one meetings,
                                                          outlined for Nepal to date. However, Nepal is a
focused group discussions, correspondence
                                                          signatory to the UNESCAP Meeting in Busan,
with all the stakeholders, discussion workshops,
                                                          Republic of Korea, which commits all the
etc., and was finalized after reaching consensus
                                                          signatories to a 35 percent reduction in
during the final workshop organized in
                                                          fatalities and serious injuries from RTAs.
December, 2011.
                                                          The Traffic Sign Manual 1997 published by the
7.1       Activity for Pillar 1: Road Safety              DoR conforms to the UN World Convention on
          Management                                      Road Signs and Signals 1968 (Vienna
Objectives: Set up a mechanism to improve                 Convention). However, Nepal needs to
capacity to manage road-safety through                    harmonise its acts, regulations and policy with
                                                          the existing UN conventions relating to road-
         Adopt UN legal instruments                      safety.
         Encourage creation of regional road-
          safety instruments                              Traffic police collects and compiles all the RTA
         Improve      horizontal  coordination           data in Nepal through their network of local,
          amongst stakeholders                            district and regional offices. The Traffic
         Develop      sustainable  road-safety           Directorate at the Police Headquarters
          strategies and accident reduction               maintains consolidated statistics of RTAs in
          targets                                         Nepal. These data are segregated by the five
         improve accident data collection and            development regions in Nepal and includes
          research                                        statistics such as age, gender, vehicle involved
                                                          and severity of injury. However, these
Background                                                consolidated data do not present the detailed
                                                          analysis necessary for a comprehensive analysis
The legal provisions relevant to road-safety              of accidents.
such     as    drivers’    licensing,    vehicle
roadworthiness, loading, speed regulations,               Currently, there is no permanent network
insurance requirements, etc., in Nepal are                arrangement between the DoR and the Traffic
stipulated in the Vehicle Transport                       Police for comprehensive accident analysis.
Management Act 1993.            Road-safety is            However, during the late nineties, there was
identified as a policy objective in the National          such collaboration between the DoR Traffic
Transport Policy 2001. However, both these                Engineering & Safety Unit (now renamed the
documents do not elaborate on the road-safety             Road & Traffic Unit, RTU) under the UK-assisted
requirements nor are these framed from the                Road Maintenance Project (RMP). RMP had also
multi- sectors perspectives that road-safety              installed the TRL MAAP for Windows accident
demands.                                                  software at TESU and the Valley Traffic Police
                                                          Office, VTPO (now the Metropolitan Traffic
The National Transport Policy 2001 outlines a             Police Division, MTPD).
long-term strategy to create an autonomous
Road Transport Authority by merging the                   The ADB assisted Road Connectivity Sector I
Department of Roads (DoR) and the                         Project had studied improved accident data
Department of Transport Management. This                  management in 2008 and proposed the
move will simplify the coordination efforts               indigenous development of software for
between road infrastructures and transport                accident data analysis. However, no progress
management. This Authority should be assisted             has taken place regarding these studies.
by the Traffic Police for enforcement of traffic          In the area of heavy vehicle management,
and safety rules.                                         though the Government endorsed Heavy
                                                          Vehicle Management Policy 2008 developed by

      15    Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                         2013

the DoR, it has not been implemented. This                   referencing of the accident locations more
important document expands the existing 10.2                 precisely if the system is integrated to the
metric tonnes legal limits for axle-loads to cover           accident reporting and the police database.
for single to tandem axle of heavy vehicles in
the country.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan Traffic Police
Division is currently installing GPS devises in its
patrol vehicles to improve accident response
within the Kathmandu Valley. Such GPS units
can be further utilized to improve the

Action Matrix for Pillar 1: Road Safety Management
             Activity                    Target        Core Agency   Coordinating       Budget Estimate (NRs
                                       Completion       Concerned      Agency                 Million)
                                          Date                                       Short-   Medium-      Long-
                                                                                     Term       Term       Term
                                                                                    (2013 ~    (2013~     (2013~
                                                                                     2014)      2016)      2020)
Revive the existing National Road     Establish: Dec   DoR, TP,      NRSC             7.66    12.44       25.23
Safety Council with necessary acts,   ’13 + cont.      MoHP, MoL,
higher authority and resume work.                      MPPWTM,
                                                       DoTM,
                                                       FNNTE,
                                                       MoL, NADA,
                                                       MoLD, civil
                                                       groups.
Develop the national road-safety                       All           DoR RTU         1.14
                                      April, ‘13
action plan
Conduct training on road-safety &                      All           DoR RTU &       1.88       3.47      9.05
                                      Cont.
traffic rules.                                                       TP
Develop and implement a               March,’14        DoTM,         MoLD            12.04
pedestrianisation planning                             MoLD,
guideline and regulation.                              MPPWTM,
                                                       NRSC, DoR,
                                                       TP,
                                                       DoLIDAR,
                                                       DUDBC,
                                                       MoLJ, fed.
                                                       (DDCs,
                                                       VDCs,
                                                       muni.).
Review and update vehicle             Jan.,’14         DoTM,         DoTM            0.79
insurance policy regarding                             MPPWTM,
 vehicle                                              NRSC,
 passengers                                           FNNTE,
 crew                                                 NTLA,
 transport labourers                                  Insurance
                                                       Board,
                                                       Insurance
                                                       agencies.

     16    Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                                          2013

                Activity                       Target           Core Agency        Coordinating           Budget Estimate (NRs
                                             Completion          Concerned           Agency                     Million)
                                                Date                                                   Short-   Medium-      Long-
                                                                                                       Term       Term       Term
                                                                                                      (2013 ~    (2013~     (2013~
                                                                                                       2014)      2016)      2020)
Identify amendments required in             Jan.’ 14            DoTM,             DoTM                  0.39
VTMA 1993, VTMR 1994, LSGA                                      NRSC,
1999 and LSGR 1999 to                                           MPPWTM,
accommodate the following.                                      MoLJ, TP,
 Harmonization with the UN                                     MoF,
    conventions, international                                  FNNTE,
                 5              6
    agreements on road-safety                                   NTLA,
 Harmonise with pedestrian                                     Insurance
    regulation.                                                 Board,
 Appropriate insurance cover                                   insurance
    and policy as per the previous                              agencies
    review.
 Expanded power delegated to
    Traffic Police.
 Increase the traffic fine rates
                                            Feb. ’14            DoR, DoTM,        DoTM                  2.90
Conduct workshops on required
                                                                NRSC, TP,
amendments in VTMA1993, VTMR
                                                                MoLJ,
1994, LSGA 1999 and LSGR 1999 to
                                                                FNNTE,
promote road-safety for all users.
                                                                NTLA
Amend VTMR 1994 and LSGR 1999               Jan. , ‘14          DoTM,             MPPWTM                0.26
to harmonise with UN/int’l                                      MoLJ,
conventions, pedestrian                                         MPPWTM,
regulation, prescribed third-party                              NRSC, DoR,
insurance cover and the previous                                TP, MoH,
workshop recommendations.                                       MoLD
Establish sound coordination                Aug., ‘13           All               NRSC                admin.
mechanisms on managing road-                                                                           costs
safety including:
 Demarcate clear roles of the
    stakeholders
 Regular information sharing
 Integrated planning
 Ensuring transport
    management committees at
    the district and central levels

5
   Special emphasis on the subject of helmet use, child restraints
6
  Convention on Road Traffic 1968, European agreement concerning the work of the crews of vehicles engaged in international road
transport (AETR 1970)

      17     Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                        2013

              Activity                   Target      Core Agency    Coordinating       Budget Estimate (NRs
                                       Completion     Concerned       Agency                 Million)
                                          Date                                      Short-   Medium-      Long-
                                                                                    Term       Term       Term
                                                                                   (2013 ~    (2013~     (2013~
                                                                                    2014)      2016)      2020)
Develop a national road-safety        July ‘13       All            NRSC           0.83
strategy incorporating the
following measures and process
for the government endorsement
at the cabinet or ministerial level
 Confirm long-term investment
     priorities
 Promote ISO traffic safety
     management standard -ISO
     39001
 Establish improved system for
     data collection for baseline
     and monitoring.
 Establish realistic and long-
     term national targets for
     improving road-safety. E.g.
     o 2015: 35% RTA fatality
          reduction
     o 2020: 50% RTA fatality
          reductions.
Investigate the following funding     Cont.          DoR,           NRSC           admin      admin     admin
means for the road-safety                            DoLIDAR,                      costs.    costs.     costs.
activities:                                          MoLD, fed.
 Adopt FYIRR for funding                            (muni., DDC,
     decision                                        VDC), valley
 Assign 10% of the road                             muni., NPC,
     infrastructure cost                             MoF, RBN,
 Use the Road Board funds.                          NRSC,
 Adopt PPP schemes with                             NADA,
     o NADA                                          FNNTE,
     o FNNTE                                         insurance
     o Insurance agencies                            agencies.
Develop mechanism to measure          Nov. ‘13       All            NRSC           admin
outcomes of various interventions.                                                 costs
                                                     DoTM, DoR,                    10.63     10.63      43.43
                                      system :Jun
Improve the data collection and                      TP, MoHP,      TP & DoR
                                      ‘14 + update
analysis of road traffic accidents                   NRSC
Conduct research on counter-          Cont.                                        63.76     120.59     156.72
                                                     All            NRSC
measures on all roads.
Conduct research on pedestrian        Cont.          MoLD,          DUDBC           16.59      24.65    27.90
safety                                               DoLIDAR,
                                                     TP, DUDBC,
                                                     .Fed. (DDCs,
                                                     VDCs &
                                                     muni.),
                                                     NRSC

     18     Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                                                           2013

                Activity                              Target               Core Agency            Coordinating            Budget Estimate (NRs
                                                    Completion              Concerned               Agency                      Million)
                                                       Date                                                            Short-   Medium-      Long-
                                                                                                                       Term       Term       Term
                                                                                                                      (2013 ~    (2013~     (2013~
                                                                                                                       2014)      2016)      2020)
Conduct pilot project to evaluate                 ‘15                     DoR, RBN,              NRSC                           43.25
traffic calming measures in Nepal                                         fed. (muni.,
                                                                          DDC, VDC),
                                                                          valley muni.,
                                                                          NRSC
Training to stakeholders.                         Cont.                   All                    DoTM                 1.88     4.27        12.68
Training for traffic enforcement                  Cont.                   TP, DoTM               TP                   1.88     4.27        12.68
                                                  ‘13                     DoR,                                        17.09
Institutional strengthen DoR RTU                                          MPPWTM,                DoR
                                                                          NPC, MoF
Gradually appoint transport                        End ‘15                DoTM, TP,              DoTM                  11.79     44.77     155.22
inspectors at all Transport                                               MoH,
                       7
Management Offices.                                                       MPPWTM,
                                                                          DoR,
                                                                          DoLIDAR,
                                                                          MoLD
         Note: VTMA = Vehicle Transport Management Act 1999

7        Resulting administrative costs for inspectors are incorporated in activities under Pillar 2: Safe Vehicles

     19      Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                     2013

7.2     Activity for Pillar 2: Safer Roads and           Figure 3     DoR Road-Safety Audit
        Mobility                                         Manual, 1997

Objectives:
The objective of this pillar is to improve the
inherent safety of the road networks for all
road-users, especially the most vulnerable
groups (e.g. pedestrians, bicyclists and motor-
cyclists). This will be achieved through:
     Adoption of UN and international
         standards for the design of safe roads.
     Road safety audits and assessment
     Incorporating safe design practice
         during design, construction and
         operation of roads.

Background:
Since 1995, road-safety audits are mandatory
for all new constructions, major maintenance
and rehabilitation projects involving the                Source: GoN DoR
national highways and feeder roads (strategic
road network of Nepal). A road-safety audit              In addition to the audit requirement, there is no
manual is available to guide concerned                   formal procedure for the DoR and the design
engineers and experts about conducting road-             team of a road project to commit or respond to
safety audits. Though safety audits are                  the audit recommendations. For example, there
prescribed at all stages of the project                  is no formal requirement for DoR to issue an
(feasibility, detail design, construction                exemption letter explaining why certain audit
completion and prior to opening to traffic), DoR         recommendations cannot be met. Safety audits
has not strictly enforced this requirement along         are often conducted at the advanced stage of
the strategic road network of Nepal.                     the road project when there is limited option
                                                         for any countermeasures and coordination
                                                         between the project and the DoR RTU (which is
                                                         responsible for road-safety) is often very poor.

                                                         There is no system of safety audits for the local
                                                         road network, which, lie under the Department
                                                         of Local Infrastructure and Agricultural Roads
                                                         (DoLIDAR) or local bodies
                                                         .
                                                         There is no performance targets assigned
                                                         during the project cycle of the road projects in
                                                         the absence of national safety targets.
                                                         A number of DoR manuals covering drainage,
                                                         safety barriers, delineation, traffic signs,
                                                         remedial measures at accident sites, etc., are
                                                         also available for safe designs. These manuals
                                                         are taken as basis for evaluating the safety
                                                         worthiness of road structures in Nepal.

      20   Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                            2013

      Action Matrix for Pillar 2: Safer Roads and Mobility
                 Activity                        Target        Core Agency    Coordinating     Budget Estimate (NRs Million)
                                               Completion       Concerned       Agency          Short-   Medium-     Long-
                                                  Date                                          Term       Term      Term
                                                                                               (2013 ~    (2013~    (2013~
                                                                                                2014)      2016)     2020)
Pilot the road-safety audits (construction    Const.-stage:                       DoR                       3.85      5.75
to opening stage) in the DoR RSDP roads..     as applicable;
                                              Opening-         DoR, World
                                              stage: within      Bank
                                              6 mo. of
                                              opening
                                                               Donors, DoR,       DoR                     Admin.
Enforce road-safety audits in all the donor   June 2014.        MPPWTM,                                    costs
aided DoR projects.                                              NPC, MoF
Introduce mandatory procedures                                   DoR, RBN,        DoR           0.41
(compliance, exemption) of safety audit       June ‘13          MoF, NPC,
recommendations for strategic roads.                             MPPWTM
Implement road-safety audits in all the       From ‘15         DoR, MoF,          DoR                    admin
DoR projects.                                                  NPC                                       costs
Develop safety audit manual for non-          From ‘15         DoR, MoLD,        MoLD                    2.24
strategic roads.                                               DoLIDAR,
                                                               donors, fed.
                                                               (muni, DDC,
                                                               VDC), NRSC,
                                                               NPC, RBN
Introduce procedures (compliance,             From ‘15         DoLIDAR,          MoLD                    1.50
exemption) for safety audit                                    DoR, MoLD,
recommendations at non-strategic roads.                        MoF, fed.
                                                               (muni., DDC,
                                                               VDC), NRSC
Conduct road-safety audits in non-            By ‘16           DoLIDAR,          MoLD                               16.11
strategic roads.                                               MoLD,
                                                               donors, fed.
                                                               (muni, DDC,
                                                               VDC), NRSC,
                                                               NPC, RBN
Update existing safety manuals; develop       By ‘16           DUDBC, DoR,       NRSC            9.7       16.9
guidelines on safe-road design and                             DoLIDAR,
sustainable transport infrastructures for:                     MoLD, fed.
 urban communities                                            (muni.,
    rural communities                                         DDC,VDC),
 Vulnerable road-users                                        NPC, NRSC
Introduce road-safety impact assessment                             All         DUDBC                                 4.55
                                              By ‘16
and controls in all land developments
Conduct blackspot analysis on strategic                          DoR, TP          DoR           7.32      15.82      45.66
                                              Cont.
roads.
Construct countermeasures at the                                 DoR, TP          DoR          23.90      87.39      179.42
blackspots and hazard locations of the        Cont.
strategic roads.

           21     Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
Nepal Road Safety Action Plan (2013 - 2020)                                                                        2013

                     Activity                                       Target                Core Agency     Coordinating     Budget Estimate (NRs Million)
                                                                  Completion               Concerned        Agency          Short-   Medium-      Long-
                                                                     Date                                                   Term       Term       Term
                                                                                                                           (2013 ~    (2013~     (2013~
                                                                                                                            2014)      2016)      2020)
Install the following mass action                                                         DoR, donors         DoR          199.08     623.59    1769.69
countermeasures at blackspots, where
                                       8
appropriate, along the strategic roads :
      safety-barriers
      steel guard-rails                                        16 July, 2013
                                                                onwards
      road-humps
      rumble strips
      Signals
      NJ barriers
Install following mass action                                                             DoR, donors         DoR          74.50      242.56     742.95
countermeasures at appropriate
blackspots and hazardous locations of the
strategic roads:
 Footpaths
                                                                16 July ‘13
 signs
                                                                onwards
 Reflective road-markings
 Bus-laybys
 junction modifications including
     roundabout
 hand-rails
Prioritise providing adequate delineation                                                     DoR,            DoR,         Admin      admin      Admin
(signs, road-markings, reflective dividers)                                                 DoLIDAR,        DoLIDAR,
                                                                Cont.
on all roads                                                                              MoLD, local      local body
                                                                                              body
Identify sustainable operation for signals                                                DoR, NEA,           DoR          25.32      44.83      83.81
(solar-power) and start their                                                             MoF, TP,
uninterrupted operation.                                        March ‘14                 concerned
                                                                onwards                   municipality,
                                                                                          signal
                                                                                          suppliers
Construct pedestrian crossings                                                             Concerned       Concerned       10.11      22.34      58.42
(overheads, underpasses).                                       14 April 2013             municipalitie   municipality
                                                                onwards                      s, DoR,
                                                                                             DUDBC
Install pelican signal-crossing at the                                                      DoR, MoF,        DoR,          71.30
recommended locations in:                                                                       TP,        concerned
 Kathmandu                                                                                concerned      municipality
                                                                End ‘13
 Pokhara                                                                                 municipalitie
 Nepalgunj                                                                                      s
 Biratnagar.

      8 Include sections   of the national highw ay that are part of the Asian Highw ay if possible.

             22       Government of Nepal, Ministry of Physical Planning, Works & Transport Management
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