Safety Research Foundation undertook “Road Safety Audit” of Katraj – Navale Section of NH 48. The study was executed under the approval of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Pune city and the report was submitted on 24th March 2021 after thorough study for a period of one month. This particular section under study is a high crash prone stretch, specifically involving heavy vehicles, motorized 2 Wheelers & pedestrians resulting in fatal/serious injuries. Scientific and Evidence based approach was adopted involving observational site study, analysing traffic patterns, human behavioural aspects, analysis of police records and crash reports/data. Team of experts including Road safety Engineers, Analytics team and Subject Matter experts were deployed and stakeholders including traffic police and local authorities were consulted.
The study analysed historic crash trends based on FIRs compiled, traffic composition and geometrics of vulnerable section of the stretch were studied through strategic site visits and appropriate data recording, road user interviews were conducted to capture the user experience.
Based on a detailed assessment of the prevailing condition in conjunction with crash and traffic data, four critical zones were identified; Navale bridge, Katraj tunnel, Selfie point, and Swami Narayan Mandir to Katraj tunnel stretch. Each zone had its specific safety concern leading at least 3 fatal crashes in the last three years. Recommendations included repositioning bus stops, dedicated merging lanes, more visible lane markings, removing hazardous objects, remapping traffic signal cycle timings etc. Comprehensive report suggesting short & long term measures has been submitted to the concerned authorities. SRF is committed to extend support during implementation phase.
