45019-001: consultant’s report - asian … bangladesh final report 4 consia list of abbreviations...

Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report

This consultant’s report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents. (For project preparatory technical assistance: All the views expressed herein may not be incorporated into the proposed project’s design.

Project Number: 45019-001 June 2013

Bangladesh: Road Safety Improvement Programs

Prepared by Consia Consultants, Denmark for Roads and Highways Department under Ministry of Communication of People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Consia Ladegaardsvej 8 DK-2770 Kastrup Denmark Tel: +45 72 18 38 00 Fax: +45 72 18 38 01 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.consia.com

CONSIAConsultantsCONSIAConsultants

Consulting Services for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Road Safety Improvement Programs

Final Report

CONTRACT NUMBER: 45019-005

June 2013

RSIP Bangladesh Final Report

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Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................... 8

2 Preface ................................................................................................................................. 12

3 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 13

4 Road Safety Diagnosis ..................................................................................................... 15 Activities .................................................................................................................................. 15 Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................ 16 Outputs .................................................................................................................................... 21

5 Road Safety Policies and Business Procedures ........................................................ 22 Activities .................................................................................................................................. 22 Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................ 22 RHD Road Safety Policy Unclear ......................................................................................... 27 Outputs .................................................................................................................................... 29

6 Road Safety Management Capacity ............................................................................. 30 Activities .................................................................................................................................. 30 Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................ 30 Safe System Approach .......................................................................................................... 39 Results-Oriented Approach to Road Safety Management ............................................. 39 Organization of Road Safety under the Five Pillars of Road Safety ............................ 39 Suggestion for New Road Safety Lead Agency Structure .............................................. 40 Support for Road Safety Management in Bangladesh .................................................... 40 Outputs .................................................................................................................................... 40

7 Funding Framework for Road Safety .......................................................................... 41 Activities .................................................................................................................................. 41 Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................ 41 Establishment of the Road Fund .......................................................................................... 50 Generation of Income for Road Funds ............................................................................... 51 Allocation of Road Funds ...................................................................................................... 51 Other sources of funding ...................................................................................................... 52 Outputs .................................................................................................................................... 55

8 On-the-job Training .......................................................................................................... 56 Activities .................................................................................................................................. 56 Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................ 56 Outputs .................................................................................................................................... 56

9 Specific Training Workshops ........................................................................................ 57 Activities .................................................................................................................................. 57 Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................ 58 Outputs and Results .............................................................................................................. 58

10 Study Tour to Thailand ............................................................................................... 59 Activities .................................................................................................................................. 59 Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................ 61 Outputs .................................................................................................................................... 61

11 Review and Action Plans for 300km High-risk Roads ....................................... 62


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Activities .................................................................................................................................. 62 Findings and Recommendations ........................................................................................ 63 Investment Cost ..................................................................................................................... 65 Outputs .................................................................................................................................... 67

12 Additional Works .......................................................................................................... 68 Activities .................................................................................................................................. 68

13 Design and Monitoring Framework ......................................................................... 69

14 Summary on Findings, Recommendations and Lessons Learned ................... 71

Appendix 1: Road Safety Audit in Road Rehabilitation Contracts .............................. 73

Draft Procedure for .................................................................................................................. 74

Appendix 2: Study Tour Programme ................................................................................... 76

Appendix 3: Job Responsibilities and TNA for RHD ...................................................... 81

Appendix 4: Business Procedure for Data-led Road Safety Works ............................. 87

Appendix 5: Business Procedure for Road Safety Audits.............................................. 90

Appendix 6: Matrix with Issues and Recommendations Identified ............................ 92

Appendix 7: ToR & Cost Estimates for AIS & NRSA ..................................................... 102

Appendix 8: DMF .................................................................................................................... 112

Appendix 9: Problem Tree ................................................................................................... 117


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List of Abbreviations

ACE Additional Chief Engineer

ADB Asian Development Bank

AIS Accident Information System

ARI Accident Research Institute

BRTA Bangladesh Road Transport Authority

BUET Bangladesh University for Engineering and Technology

C&B Communication & Building (fore-runner for RHD)

CNG Compressed Natural Gas

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

DFID Department for International Development

DRSC District Road Safety Council

GOB Government of Bangladesh

GRSF Global Road Safety Facility

GRF Generation Road Fund (1st and 2nd)

iRAP International Road Assessment Programme

LGED Local Government Engineering Department

MOC Ministry of Communication

MRSC Metropolitan Road Safety Committee

NDF Nordic Development Fund

NRSSAP National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan

NRSA National Road Safety Authority

NRSC National Road Safety Council

PWD Public Works Department

RDSC Road Design and Safety Circle

RDSD Road Design & Standards Division

RHD Roads and Highways Department

RSA Road Safety Audit

RSC Road Safety Cell

RSIP Road Safety Improvement Programs

RSD Road Safety Division


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TOR Terms of Reference

TSW Technical Services Wing

VOC Vehicle Operation Costs

WB World Bank


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Project Details

Project Title 01 BAN: Road Safety Improvement Programs Consulting Services Contract No. 45019-005

Client’s Reference TA-7840 BAN: Road Safety Improvement Programs =1 BAN Contract No. 100350-S41883

Client’s Project Manager: Nazrul Islam Senior Project Officer, Transport, ADB

Contact details: ADB Bangladesh Resident Mission, Dha-ka, Bangladesh Tel.: +88 1711566757 E-mail: [email protected]

Client’s Contact Persons: Nazrul Islam Senior Project Officer, Transport, ADB

ADB Bangladesh Resident Mission, Dha-ka, Bangladesh Tel.: +88 1711566757 E-mail: [email protected]

Consultant’s Project Manager: Thomas Fleurine Sorensen

Contact details Consia, Ladegaardsvej 8, 2770 Kastrup, Denmark Tel.: +45 72183800 [email protected]

Consultant’s Team Leader: Vimal Patel

Consia Project Office, RHD, Dhaka, Bang-ladesh Tel.: +88 1770 345396 E-mail: [email protected]

Commencement Date: October 29, 2012

Previous reports: Inception Report Road Safety Policies and Business

Procedures Study Tour Report Road Safety Diagnosis and Funding

Framework for Road Safety Road Safety Management Capacity Study Tour Report 2 300km High Risk Corridors Monthly Progress Reports

Completion Date: June 14, 2013

mailto:[email protected]


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Distribution List

Organization Contact Person/Address/E-mail No. Reports

ADB Nazrul Islam/ [email protected] 3

RHD Mahboob Ul-Alam / [email protected] 4


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1 Executive Summary

The Road Safety Improvement Programs (RSIP) is a result of GoB’s desire to change the problematic road accident situation and pursue the UN Decade of Action, which is aiming at a 50% reduction in fatalities.

The Terms of Reference (ToR) for this Technical Assistance project has been written to cover a wide spectrum of road safety activities and although the objectives are very ambitious for Bangladesh at present, the RSIP is regarded an important step in the right direction, which can review the current road safety situation in Bangladesh and provide positive way forward to addressing road safety and reducing the num-ber of road accidents in Bangladesh.

The main tasks of the ToR are summarized in the following paragraphs.

Road Safety Diagnosis Accident data are the foundation of effective road safety work but data available at the national MAAP5 database are incomplete to a degree that hinders effective road safety analysis and in turn saving of lives and injuries. It is consequently very diffi-cult to document the size of the problem and identify problems with the needed ac-curacy. According to police data, the number of fatalities has remained almost at the same level since 1997. But irregular and significant increases and decreases in data from year to year indicate that data is unreliable and incomplete. In the most recent annual report, 2,397 fatalities are quoted for 2010. A study from 2002 estimated that only 49% of fatal accidents were reported. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated the numbers to be several times higher. Pedestrian accidents represent an overwhelming majority of the fatal accidents. One third of pedestrians involved in accidents are hit by a truck. Buses hit another quar-ter followed by minibuses and motorcycles. To prioritise and plan road safety investments accurately and effectively, on a na-tional scale, effective accident reporting and a common, modern accident infor-mation system accessible to all stakeholders are needed.

Road Safety Programs on Selected High Risk Corridors

A Stage 5 Road Safety Audit was undertaken on 300km of high risk roads selected from iRAP surveys and additional routes obtained from the RSD. This task was in-tended to strengthen the road safety management capacity and assist RSD officers in addressing road safety engineering.

The task involved an initial review of available data; however, the absence of accident data resulted in additional work to derive the high risk corridors. The routes selected (17 in total including 123 sites) comprised of smaller sections throughout Bangladesh as it is perceived that this would provide a more holistic ap-proach in not only addressing road safety at a national level but training local field officers on road safety. In accordance with the ToR it was expected that the RSD would provide drawings of the existing layout, however, it became apparent that the RSD did not have any draw-ings; consequently the consultant prepared outlines of existing conditions which were then developed further to show the proposed layout for countermeasures.


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The study identified common road safety engineering problems that need to be ad-dressed immediately. The predominant and most cost effective road safety measures are road signs and markings and provision of safe pedestrian crossings. The overall findings of the road safety engineering deficiencies on the highway net-work enabled a National Road Safety Program to be developed. The assessment of the high risk roads has also enabled an investment plan to be established, however the absence of accident data for the selected sites does not allow for an assessment of the cost benefit of the investment. Notwithstanding the road safety engineering it is equally important to assess the non-engineering measures for improving road safety in Bangladesh. The following areas were examined by the consultant:

Community Based Training Activities

Safe Crossing Facilities

Post-crash Treatment & First Aid Treatment in Rural Areas

Policing

Education

A review of the road safety improvements identified by iRAP on the 1,300km and the Stage 5 Road Safety Audit undertaken on 300km of high risk roads has been used to identify the future road safety investment program. The table below summarises the costs associated with the engineering and non-engineering measures to address the road safety for the 300km high risk roads.

Proposed Accident countermeasures

Engineering Measures

Non-Engineering Measures

Total Cost

Stage 5 Road Safety Audit

(123 Black spot miti-gation measures)

$2.5 million $1 million $3.5million

iRAP Assessment (Route mitigation

measures)

$52 million $3 million $55 million

Road Safety Management Capacity

A review of Road Safety Management revealed that the capacity in Bangladesh is in-sufficient and fragmented compared to the huge road safety challenge the country is facing.

A new overall road safety management model for Bangladesh was suggested to be evolved around a National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to be established. The presentation put forward two models that could be implemented, the first being a short term model where the NRSA act as secretariat for the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) to form a stronger coherent support with key personnel from the ma-jor road safety stakeholders. The NRSA would provide a strong basis for the NRSC to develop future road safety strategy. The second model presented the long-term aspirations which involves a direct link from the NRSA to the prime minister’s office, it is considered that this would provide a more direct and effective way of address-ing road safety in Bangladesh.


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Road Safety Policies and Business Procedures

The national road safety policy in Bangladesh is embedded in the National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan (NRSSAP) 2011-2013, but the NRSSAP clearly has little impact on implementation level. The major constraint seems to be the lack of priori-ty to road safety on overall political level, resulting in too few experienced road safe-ty specialists to turn policies into action. It is therefore highly recommended to give true political priority to road safety and demand strengthening of road safety efforts on all levels. Existing road safety guidelines, manuals and procedure notes is a major asset for RHD and the Road Safety Audit Guidelines provides the necessary guidelines to inte-grate road safety in the lifecycle of roads. The consultant developed a draft proce-dure for the integration of road safety audit in road construction and rehabilitation projects. RHD needs a separate Road Safety Action Plan, which outlines measurable targets, budgets and sources of funding. Steps are outlined to strengthen RHD’s policies and business procedures, however, it is first of all recommended to focus on strengthening and implementation of the Na-tional Road Safety Strategic Action Plan. It is suggested to develop a Memorandum of Understanding with all road safety key agencies and relevant stakeholders to ensure support and cooperation It is recommended that RSD consists of permanently employed and highly skilled staff with well-defined roles and responsibilities. Guidelines for road safety countermeasures need to be included in the Highway Code and signs and markings need to be fully integrated in design, construction and maintenance. The present MAAP5 database is obsolete and the entire road accident data reporting, database and analysis system need to be modernized. Funding Arrangements for Road Safety

International research projects have concluded that the economic loss due to road accidents in developing countries is at least 1.5% of GDP which in Bangladesh corre-sponds to USD 4.6 Billion. In comparison the budget for maintenance and develop-ment of the national road network was USD 0.86 Billion in the fiscal year 2011-12. Yet, no portion of the budget was allocated to address road safety issues. In a sustainable road transport system, the road transport sector should be able to generate sufficient funds to secure road safety for all road users. Furthermore, the cost of safety interventions will be a sound investment for the society Development partners are fully aware of the dire road safety situation in Bangladesh. Several donor-supported road safety projects have been implemented over the last 15 years but they are lacking sustainability after completion. GoB/MoC seems to be in a position to strengthen its funding for road safety consid-erably within existing RHD budgets, provided that there is sufficient political com-mitment to change existing priorities and practices. Construction of new roads also offers a unique opportunity to improve road safety standards. It is recommended to create a dedicated Bangladesh Road Fund with at least 5% ear-marked for road safety. The income should be generated from taxes, levies and fees


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on petrol, gas, and vehicles and other sources which are directly related to road transport. Nationwide Road Safety Improvement Programs

A Design and Monitoring Framework is suggested for a stand-alone road safety pro-gram for the identified 300km highway. This can be regarded as a comprehensive pilot project that after implementation continues into a grand scale roll-out.

Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF) for a subsequent Investment Project

Design and Monitoring Frameworks (DMF) for the respective areas of road safety im-provement programs for Bangladesh have been prepared for an investment project. The DMF’s have been developed on the key findings and recommendations.


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2 Preface

This Report is the last deliverable of the Consulting Services for the Road Safety Im-provement Programs (RSIP) for Bangladesh funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and carried out by a consortium consisting of Consia Consultants (Denmark, lead consultant), HB Consultants and BETS Consultants (Bangladesh).

The report is the outcome of six months consultants work and summarizes all activi-ties, findings, and recommendations from the studies, analyses and activities under-taken during the project and outlines the way forward.

The Consultant would like to thank the Ministry of Communications (MOC), Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Ac-cident Research Institute (ARI) and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Tech-nology (BUET), Highway Police, Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s) for their cooperation and readiness to provide the information on policies and working practices currently used.

The views expressed in this report are those of the Consultant and they do not nec-essarily reflect the views of neither the Client nor the Donor.


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3 Introduction

This report completes the RSIP in accordance with the requirements in the Terms of Reference (ToR) as follows:

Figure 1: Extract from the Terms of Reference

The remaining part of the report is structured to meet the above requirements. The contents are organized as follows:

Chapter 4: Road safety diagnosis

Chapter 5: Road safety policies and business procedures

Chapter 6: Road safety management capacity

Chapter 7: Funding framework for road safety

Chapter 8: On-the-job training

Chapter 9: Specific training workshops

Chapter 10: Study tour to Thailand

Chapter 11: Review and action plans for 300km high risk roads

Chapter 13: Design and Monitoring Framework.

Each chapter contains a summary of the activities undertaken, findings, recommen-dations and lessons learned, with emphasis on recommendations.

All outputs and tangible results produced during the services are also presented. They include the following:

Submitted reports Concrete suggestions for procedures Lists of documentation and action plans for 300km highway Documentation for training courses, workshops, and study tours.

Reference is made to Appendix 6 where all issues and related recommendations are listed along with a status for their implementation and further actions required. Fi-nally, the following two chapters rounds off the report:

Chapter 12: Additional works

Chapter 14: Summary on Findings, Recommendations and Lessons Learned


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Appendix 6 suggests possible first steps to improve the road safety situation in Bangladesh in the near future. A clear choice has here been made to limit and simpli-fy the contents: Focus will be on the coming two years and address the needs at RHD-RSD and at overall national level, i.e. the National Road Safety Council. At the request of the ADB mission office additional work relating to the ToR’s for an Acci-dent Information System (AIS) and for the establishment of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has been prepared and included in Appendix 9.

It should be noted that some of the findings and recommendations in the Final Re-port have been updated or supplemented compared to previous reports since some of the activities have continued throughout the project.


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4 Road Safety Diagnosis

Activities

The road safety diagnosis started with a search for detailed road accident data from RHD and BRTA. This was necessary to get an overview of the situation and identify road accident problems and contributing accident factors, both in the country as a whole, and for the identification of 300km accident-prone highways in particular.

Data was kindly made available to the Consultant by BRTA Road Safety Cell and the Bangladesh Police Headquarters but data turned out to be incomplete and insuffi-cient for proper road accident analysis and identification of high risk spots. The consultant team also tried to obtain accident data recorded by the local police during the field trips, but even this proved to be difficult and obsolete. (E.g. Kaliakoir Police station)

The Consultant then reviewed available reports from previous road safety studies in Bangladesh to supplement the data, most importantly the report ‘Review of road safety management capacity in the Republic of Bangladesh and recommendations for the management of a Second Generation Road Safety Project’ initiated by Global Road Safety Fund’ (GRSF 2008).

The consultant also interviewed several stakeholders to identify the deficiencies and factors resulting in the absence of reliable data, thus also touching upon the organi-zation of road safety.

The following documents were reviewed although the list is not all encompassing:

i. National Road Safety Action Plan 2011-2013 (MoC 2011)

ii. Statistics of Road Accidents and Injury (Police HQ 2011)

iii. National Road Traffic Accident Report 2010 (BRTA 2011)

iv. AADT 2009 (RHD 2012)

v. Road Safety Initiatives in Bangladesh – A Brief Report (SRNDP Road Safety Component, FinnRoad 2005)

vi. Design advice Note 2, T-Junction, Type C (example of Design Advice Note Col-lection, RHD 1999)

vii. Road Safety Improvement Works Manual (MoC 2005)

viii. Geometric Road Design Standards (MoC 2005)

ix. Guidelines for Road Safety Audit (MoC 2005)

x. Safety Audit Report on Link L-32 (MoC 2004)

xi. Improvement of Road Safety at Black Spots on National Highways (MoC 2012)

xii. Road Traffic Signs Manual (RHD 1999).

xiii. iRAP Survey Tour Schedule

xiv. iRAP Summary Report, Excel (iRAP 2012)

xv. iRAP Road Attribute and Risk Report (iRAP 2012)

xvi. iRAP Safer Roads Investment Plan Report (iRAP 2012)

xvii. Procedure Note 1: Identifying Hazardous Locations in Bangladesh – Site Selec-tion Techniques (MoC, IDC 2000)


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xviii. Procedure Note 2: Treating Accident Blackspots in Bangladesh (MoC, IDC 2000)

xix. Procedure Note 3: Route Studies in Bangladesh (MoC, IDC 2000)

xx. Procedure Note 4: Mass Action Plans in Bangladesh (MoC, IDC 2000)

xxi. Procedure Note 5: Area Wide Road Safety Measures (MoC, IDC 2000)

xxii. Procedure Note 6: Manual for Road Safety Audit in Bangladesh (MoC, IDC 2000)

xxiii. Procedure Note 7: Monitoring and Evaluating Implemented Schemes in Bang-ladesh (MoC, IDC 2000)

xxiv. Procedure Note 8: Accident Studies in Bangladesh (MoC, IDC 2000)

xxv. Procedure Note 9: Special Studies in Bangladesh (MoC, IDC 2000)

Note, only a limited number of documents are available in Bengali, however it will be worthwhile to translate engineering standards and guidelines, such as the Road Safety Improvement Works Manual and Procedure Note 1-9, and ensure that all relevant en-gineers especially sectorial officers at grass root level within the road authorities are familiar with them.

Findings and Recommendations

Accident data are the foundation of effective road safety work but the present data available at the national MAAP5 database is incomplete to a scale that makes analy-sis, benchmarking and evaluation literally impossible. The present diagnosis is there-fore very superficial since the Consultancy services were limited to utilize existing and readily available data.

According to police data, the number of fatalities has remained almost at the same level since 1997, with a falling trend in recent years. At the same time, irregular and significant increases and decreases in data from year to year indicate that data is un-reliable and incomplete. In the most recent annual report1, 2,397 fatalities are quoted for 2010. Police data2 quotes 2,646 for the same year. The discrepancies and a con-siderable unknown degree of underreporting (as identified by previous studies) con-tribute to the confusion. Reliable data remains a major problem that needs urgent attention.

It is consequently very difficult to document the size of the problem and identify problems with the needed accuracy. The fatality rate is estimated around 85.6 fatali-ties per 10,000 vehicles according to BRTA and BUET, notwithstanding the uncertain-ty in data. For comparison, the fatality rates for highly developed countries are around 1 fatality per 10,000 vehicles.

The quality and detail of the recorded data are also insufficient. The Consultant was only provided with overall data and there was no access to data for the 300km of highways selected for analysis based on iRAP data. The localization of accidents is too uncertain to be used for targeted interventions. The existing links and nodes sys-tem used in the MAPP5 system contradicts data obtained from other sources (ARI accident data) which uses landmarks as a reference for accident locations. In general the accident data is outdated and not suitable for future effective road safety work.

1 RTA Annual Report 2010 (BRTA)

2 Police Headquarters FIR Report (Bangladesh Police)


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Figure 2: Annual Police recorded road fatalities (Police HQ 2011)

Only represent part of the fatalities occurring in Bangladesh

A study from 2002 estimated that only 49% of fatal accidents were reported3. World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated the numbers to be several times higher. This lack of a major part of the serious accidents in the statistics is well known and frustrating for road safety professionals in Bangladesh. A review of the available accident data has identified that trucks and buses are involved in the majority of ac-cidents (See Figure 3).

Figure 3: Vehicles involved in accidents with casualties 2010

Fatal accidents represent everything else equal the most reliable type of road acci-dent data, given the severity and high priority they generally have. The figure below shows the distribution of fatal accidents on types. Pedestrian accidents represent an overwhelming majority of the fatal accidents.

3 IDC-3/Road Safety Improvements Works Manual

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800


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Figure 4: Distribution of fatal accidents on accident types (BRTA 2011)

Figure 5: Distribution of vehicles hitting pedestrians, 2010

One third of pedestrians involved in accidents are hit by a truck. Buses hit another quarter followed by minibuses and motorcycles. The nature of accidents with other types of vulnerable road users, such as rickshaws, is difficult to analyse in detail but they are typically found under rear-end collisions and side swipes in the figure above. Furthermore, accidents with overturned vehicles and head on collisions with buses and trucks kill hundreds of road users travelling on a low-cost budget.

It is therefore the vulnerable road users and low income groups like garment work-ers that are most affected by road accidents. Unfortunately, children are also at risk, as demonstrated in Figure 6.

A closer look at the distribution of pedestrian fatalities on age reveals that children are much more exposed to fatalities than adults. This is a problem that deserves se-rious attention.

Rickshaw

1% CNG

5%

Car

9%

Motorcycle

12%

Minibus

16%

Bus

26%

Truck

31%


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It is also no surprise that people in their most active age contributes to the statistics. When they are killed, a family is often left behind with serious socio-economic impli-cations.

Figure 6: Distribution of 1079 pedestrian fatalities by age (BRTA 2011)

Planners and designers have a major responsibility to accommodate the presence of children and vulnerable road users during the planning and design stage. This can be done by providing appropriate and safe infrastructure for them, for example safe crossing facilities and self-enforcing traffic calming measures near schools and in villages and built-up areas where vulnerable road users and children often cross the road. Safe-system countermeasures like these will also lower the risk for other age groups and accidents with other types of road users. Road safety design guidelines are already available at RHD, however they just need to be implemented in practice.

The type of solutions to reduce the problems will of course depend on the type of road, traffic volumes and composition, and road environment. In cities and densely populated areas, over-bridges and strict separation of vehicles and non-motorized road users may be necessary to provide sufficient traffic flow.

To prioritise and plan such investments accurately and effectively, on a national and sustainable scale, proper road accident data is needed.

A present, absence of reliable road accident reporting procedures and database management is a direct hindrance for effective road safety, which in turn is a hindrance to save lives and injuries. This is unac-ceptable and steps must be taken to implement a more efficient accident reporting and analysis system.

Basically, the road accident reporting and data management system at MOHA and BRTA is the involvement of dual administration, which the Consultant had access to, was obsolete. The same counts for reporting procedures, which hinders fast transfer of data to a central database accessible to all road safety stakeholders. The BRTA management is not ignorant of these problems at all, and they are expressing sincere interest in a modernization project.

The existing MAAP5 database is old (1990’s) and DOS based it is currently operated by one person at BRTA and relies on the information provided by police. In simple terms there is not enough staff to run an accident database system.


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The procedure for the transfer of data from the Police also appears blurred. The source of the data (police) runs a separate database for recording accident data, however it became clear during the Consultancy services that data for the last three years have not been fully exported to the BRTA database. Furthermore, ARI also seems to be in the possession of a database, or collection of data, which are used for research. Moreover, LGED is planning to implement a new road accident database for LGED roads only.

Road accident data compilation and management are in other words deeply fragmented and handled in an uncoordinated manner. This is al-so symptomatic for other road safety efforts in general in Bangladesh: Road safety is lacking overall leadership, which results in fragmented and uncoordinated efforts.

This is not to say that all isolated efforts are not feasible – some actually seems to be quite worthwhile – but they are not supported, coordinated and rolled out on a na-tional level. Experience is not communicated and replicated as part of a targeted, na-tional plan. This approach makes it difficult for Bangladesh to reach its national tar-gets in line with Decade of Action. Furthermore, once data reporting is improved, a steep increase in recorded fatalities can be expected and the identification of acci-dent black spots can be determined and addressed accordingly.

The current procedure is that the accident data is recorded by local police (MoHA) and after necessary correction the record is sent to BRTA (MoC) via Police headquar-ters. It is the duty of the BRTA to record the accident onto the MAPP5 database, however the combination of different ministries as well poor internal organizational setup results in the potential of accidents not being recorded, thus resulting in poor unreliable data. The initial step would be to remove the existing back-log of accident data, before addressing the organizational set up.

The poor accident data situation has serious implications for all road safety activi-ties. First of all, it becomes impossible to identify accident problems with the needed accuracy. This means interventions cannot be targeted effectively, which in turn means that investments may be targeted with a great deal of uncertainty – maybe even aiming at the wrong problems and locations, wasting scarce resource in vain. Or, they may be used for random or opportune activities that appear relevant but cannot be justified and documented. Furthermore, since benchmarks and analyses cannot be conducted properly, evaluation of impacts also becomes difficult.

The need for an effective accident reporting and a common, modern ac-cident information system accessible to all stakeholders is fundamental and cannot be emphasized enough.

The Road Safety Diagnosis for Bangladesh assessed by the Consultant has identified a number of issues that need to be addressed, Table 1summarizes the main areas of concerns and provides a recommendation that can improve road safety in Bangla-desh.


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Table 1: Recommendations on road accident data and diagnosis

Note, some of the above conclusions will be carried forward to the next subject: Road Safety Policies and Business Procedures.

Outputs

The Consultant submitted the Road Safety Diagnosis as part of the following report:

o Road Safety Diagnosis & Funding Framework for Road Safety (Consia. February 2013)

ROAD SAFETY DIAGNOSIS

Subject Recommendation

Accident data are incomplete

Lack of reliable data makes it impos-

sible to obtain overview and address

problems effectively. Underreport-

ing and un reported is considered a

major problem.

The prevailing underreporting and non-reporting of a major

part of even the most serious road accidents urgently needs

to be addressed by MoC, MoHA and other key agencies be-

cause it prevents the creation of overview and a foundation

for cost-effective road safety work in the country.

The Police reporting procedures needs to be modernized

and strengthened. This may require strict emphasis on the

importance of reporting, training, and new equipment.

Again, placing the development of a new national database

within the police is recommended to create the needed

ownership.

Vulnerable road users most at risk

Vulnerable road users, the poor

segment of the population, and chil-

dren are most at risk, including low

income workers

The following safe-system approach should be implemented

on roads with high risk for vulnerable road users:

A. Separation of vulnerable road users and vehicle traffic, or

B. Effective reduction of vehicle speeds where there is a risk

of conflict between vehicles and vulnerable road users.

Obsolete Accident Information Sys-

tem

The existing MAAP5 database is ob-

solete and accident locations are

registered inaccurately using land-

marks that have been changed or no

longer exist. (This was pointed out

in previous NRC meetings, but no

actions have been taken to address

this issue).

A modern database system needs to be implemented, cover-

ing all roads/road authorities and with accurate localization

of accidents by GPS. The database and analysis tools should

be accessible on-line for all relevant agencies and stakehold-

ers who need data to perform effectively.

It is recommended that the Police are in charge of a project

for the development of a road accident information system.

This is to create ownership in the agency that is most im-

portant for good accident data.

Lack of data management capacity

Data management is fragmented

and uncoordinated at different lev-

els of organizational setup.

Database management and analysis capacity needs to be

strengthened and attached to the suggested new National

Road Safety Authority (NRSA), which can ensure that rele-

vant data are available for the organizations that need them


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5 Road Safety Policies and Business Procedures

Activities

The Consultant liaised with all relevant government authorities in order to determine the worthiness of the current road safety policies and practices in Bangladesh and understand how new road safety policies can be established, if necessary.

The Consultant carried out an independent review of pertinent policies. It was acknowledged that road safety policies involves multiple sectors and as such relate to different disciplines and many different government departments. It would reach outside the scope of the RSIP to attempt to encompass all relevant sector policies (health, education, Local government, home affairs, etc.) within the scope of this pro-ject. For this reason the Consultant focused on the main existing road safety policies that are used by the RHD in executing their day to day duties.

The Consultant reviewed the national policies embedded in the National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan (NRSSAP) 2011-2013 and the United Nations Decade of Action 2011-20.

A detailed review of current practices and business procedures adopted by RSD of-ficers was undertaken to establish if there were any shortfalls in the way that RSD deliver road safety activities in practice. It is appreciated that even if all policies are in place, the overall execution of the services offered by the RSD may be restricted due to poor management and the lack of adherence to implementation procedures. These issues were treated in the previous chapter about road safety management but also relates to the present.


The national road safety policy in Bangladesh is embedded in the National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan (NRSSAP) 2011-2013 but the NRSSAP clearly has little impact on implementation level. Lack of capacity, funding, action - even implementa-tion of the simplest types of low-cost interventions - remains a major problem, in spite of the passing of more than 15 years of consecutive action plans.

The major constraint seems to be the lack of priority to road safety on overall political level, and thus policy and agency management level.

Unless this crucial overall weakness is addressed, progress will be difficult in all agencies, including RHD.

The substantial lack of political will and support on management level is likely to stall the implementation of any new policy and action plan, in spite of the existence of road safety units in the key road safety agencies. Furthermore, and as a result of lack of priority, there are too few experienced road safety specialists to turn policies into action. RHD road safety engineers basically have no hands-on experience and are unable to follow systematic procedures because they are charged with too many non-road safety obligations like environmental issues. The importance and need to address road safety has been neglected and low priority has been placed by top management within the concerned departments. This is not sustainable and at the root of the problem with lack of progress.

It is therefore highly recommended to give true political priority to road safety and demand strengthening of road safety efforts on all levels, starting with the strength-ening of mandate and activities in existing road safety units, and then build hands-on training through implementation of high-impact interventions.

Some of the most important recommendations are the following:


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CONSIACONSIA

1. Current RHD Road Safety Policies and Business Procedures

RHD Road Safety Policies: The existence of road safety guidelines, manuals

and procedure notes is a major asset for RHD and there is no obvious need to

‘reinvent the wheel’. Focus should instead be on applying the procedures in practice. The guide and manuals should be disseminated to all the zones and

field circles for practical applications in practice at field level.

The existing Road Safety Audit Guidelines (2005) provides the necessary

guidelines to integrate road safety in the lifecycle of roads but it needs to be

incorporated effectively in planning and design stages. The field engineers

should adapt the checklist as stated in the guide.

A draft procedure for the integration of road safety audit in road construc-

tion and rehabilitation projects is attached to the report.

RHD needs a separate Road Safety Action Plan, which outlines measurable

targets, budgets and sources of funding, and responsible persons for the

tasks. RHD should take a short term task oriented program for reduction of

fatalities and elimination of common hazards on zone wise.

2. Formulation of New Policies

The report outlines principles for road safety policies; however, it is first of

all recommended to focus on strengthening and implementation of the Na-

tional Road Safety Strategic Action Plan, in line with the recommendations in

the United Nations Decade of Action 2011-2020.

The Road Safety Division (RSD) at RHD is burdened by lack of authority, in-

sufficient resources and job assignments that are not strictly road safety re-

lated. The RSD should solely concentrate on road safety issues and needs

support to fulfill this purpose on all levels and by all departments. 6 steps

are outlined to achieve this.

Nine steps are furthermore outlined to strengthen RHD’s policies and busi-

ness procedures in general to support of the RSD’s functions. Expansion of

road safety division to circle is required with sufficient manning and staffing

to cope with the volume of work

It is suggested to develop a Memorandum of Understanding with all road

safety key agencies and relevant stakeholders to ensure support and cooper-

ation for the implementation of the Decade of Action, starting with the prep-

aration of a new, powerful National Road Safety Strategic Plan for 2014-2016

and beyond.

RHD should also hold bi-monthly, quarterly meeting with key stakeholders

like police, BRTA, LGED and explain the initiatives made and up to date pro-

gress along within the constraints to fulfill the target.

RHD should hold zone-wise internal road safety training workshop for prac-

tical demonstration need of road safety issues, to take appropriate measures

for reduction of accidents, fatalities and hazards.

To take crush programs for identifying black spots on priority basis.


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3. Formulation of New Business Procedures

It is recommended that RSD consists of permanently employed and highly

skilled staff with well-defined roles and responsibilities. The specialists

should be contracted for long-term periods and career opportunities offered

to make the RSD an attractive work place, and as an incentive for experienced

staff to stay within the sector. Training provided as part of development

partner programs would thus be retained and the RHD’s corporate memory strengthened.

Signs and markings need to be fully integrated in design, construction and

maintenance. In order to do this, the existing signs and markings manual

needs to be known by all RHD engineers working within these areas. Also, the

RHD management must support the implementation of the requirements in

terms of funding and follow-up on their implementation.

It is recommended that the management structure is changed in order to for

RSD to report directly to the Additional Chief Engineer while the role of the

Superintending Engineers should be more focused on design issues and over-

seeing scheme proposals submitted by the RSD. This will strengthen the

RSD’s ability to implement effective road safety measures.

RSD officers should be given full support to develop their skills through

hands-on training. Furthermore, RSD officers should conduct seminars and

workshops to disseminate information and knowledge to co-workers based

on their own hands-on experience.

RHD urgently needs to modernise the management of IT, data and documen-

tation procedures through the introduction of a common server, modern IT

systems with backup procedures and data protection.

The present MAAP5 database is obsolete and the entire road accident data

reporting, database and analysis system needs to be modernized to enable

targeted road safety work in Bangladesh.

There is no official Highway Code, guidelines for speed humps/ breakers or

methodology to treat Y-Junctions in Bangladesh, these needs to be developed

in conjunction with relevant road safety stakeholders.

The following appendices contain diagrams for some of the most important business procedures for the RHD Road Safety Division:

Appendix 1: Road Safety Audit in Road Rehabilitation Contracts Appendix 4: Business Procedure for Data-led Road Safety Works Appendix 5: Business Procedure for Road Safety Audits

It should however be acknowledged that the RHD needs access to reliable road acci-dent data to perform the outlined activities. This is not possible at the moment.

The Road Safety Policies and Business procedures assessed by the Consultant have identified a number of issues that need to be addressed, Tables 2, 3 and 4 summa-rizes the main areas of concern and provides recommendations that can improve road safety in Bangladesh.


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CURRENT RHD ROAD SAFETY POLICIES AND BUSINESS PROCEDURES

Subject/Issue Recommendation

Transfer of Staff

The regular rotation of staff

within RSD results in loss of

corporate (road safety)

memory

RSD specialists should be contracted for long-term periods and ca-

reer opportunities offered to make RSD an attractive work place.

Training provided as part of development partner programs would

thus e etai ed a d the ‘HD s o po ate e o st e gthe ed.

RHD’s Policies for road safety

Existing guidelines are not

applied in practice and capaci-

ty to conduct audits is very

limited. The Road Safety Audit

procedure is not commonly

known or recognized.

The existence of basic road safety guidelines, manuals and proce-

dures is a major asset for RHD. However, they need be applied in

practice.

Procedure Note 1-9 (2000) are still valid, however, they should be

translated to Bengali and revised based on local experience.

Guidelines for Road Safety Audit and Road Safety Improvements

(2005) should be added to the list on the RHD Intranet and inte-

grated in RHD procedures. Smaller adjustments can be done but

there is no need yet to develop new standards from scratch as sug-

gested in the NRSSAP.

RHD needs to monitor policies, guidelines and standards and keep

up with good practices. There also needs to be a feedback loop to

ensure lessons learned in the field can be applied appropriately in

future updates of the documents. Setting and updating road safety

standards, and ensuring consistency between them should be the

responsibility of the RSD.

RHD needs to identify exactly which standards any given design

team should follow BEFORE design is initiated. This is also stipulat-

ed in Appendix 1: RSA in Road Rehabilitation Contracts.

Guidelines for Road Safety

Audit

Existing guidelines are not

applied in practice and capaci-

ty to conduct audits is very

limited. The RSA procedure is

not commonly known or rec-

ognized.

The existing Road Safety Audit manual provides the necessary

guidelines to integrate road safety in the lifecycle of roads but RSA

needs to be incorporated in job descriptions of road planners and

designers to ensure that they adhere to them.

RSA should be integrated effectively in RHD road rehabilitation

projects and audits should be transparent and independent. RHD

management should adopt a policy to adhere to the already man-

datory RSA procedure to ensure audits are done and formal deci-

sions made on each audit recommendation.

Training, examination and certification of road safety auditors need

to be developed and institutionalized to ensure development of

sufficient capacity and competence.


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Table 2: Recommendations on current road safety policies and procedures

Existing Road Safety Stand-

ards are not implemented

The Road Safety Improvement

Works Manual is not applied

in practice and most RHD en-

gineers are hardly aware of its

contents.

Road safety – particularly RS Audit requirements - should be incor-

porated in job descriptions for all relevant RSD officers to adhere to

standards outlined in existing standards. RHD should furthermore

adopt a policy to adhere to the existing standards and guidelines

outlined in the above.

In-service training of engineers needs to be institutionalized to de-

velop sufficient capacity and competency in road design, building

on already existing manuals and guidelines.

Prioritizing/Identifying Acci-

dent black spots

Road safety in Bangladesh is

not commonly identified in a

particular segment of road

unless a severe accident has

taken place resulting one or

more important people being

killed.

It is necessary to record and monitor road accidents upon RHD

roads. The field Executive Engineers may be asked for vulnerable

sites of their jurisdiction with probable countermeasures/remedial

measures. Based upon facts, a workshop/seminar may be arranged

which eventually give follow up actions.

National Road Safety Strate-

gic Action Plan

Previous action plans have

not achieved the needed re-

sults.

The Action Plan is not suffi-

ciently results-oriented.

Stakeholders are not held

responsible for lack of per-

formance.

RHD needs a separate RHD Road Safety Action Plan, which outlines

measurable targets, budgets and sources of funding, and responsi-

ble persons for their implementation. Each action defined in the

Action Plan needs to be specific, measurable, and achievable within

the set time.

Priorities and relevance of the activities should be reviewed.

The RHD management must be prepared to support the RSD and

other implementing branches of RHD to achieve the set targets -

and to hold them responsible.


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Table 3: Recommendations on new road safety policies

RHD should within their framework make a scheme in line with the Decade of Action Plan, this should include periodic meeting with other stakeholders to disseminate their activities and provide direction for solving of safety issues.

FORMULATION OF NEW POLICIES


Overall Road Safety Policies

The requirements to achieve real

road safety improvement are not

fully understood and recognized

among key stakeholders in Bang-

ladesh.

The report outlines principles for the development of road

safety policies on national level and within ministries with a

bearing on road safety. However, all policy guidelines need to

be followed up by action on implementation level. It is there-

fore recommended to focus on strengthening of the NRSSAP

and ensure that it is pursued vigorously.

Current mandate of RSD

RSD lacks authority over the Oper-

ational Units and Project Imple-

mentation Offices of RHD, which

makes it extremely difficult for the

RSD to ensure implementation of

road safety improvements

It is suggested that the Road Safety Division should solely con-

centrate on road safety issues and needs to be supported to

fulfill this purpose on all levels and by all departments. 6 steps

are outlined:

1. Strengthen and expand the ‘SD s organization

2. Establish Procedures for addressing road safety issues

3. Define Road Safety Practices, Procedures & Guidelines

4. Define Objectives and basic requirements of road safety

issues

5. Define Structure of Reports and Assessments

6. Define Proper Document Management and Filing

7. Ensure long-term employment of trained staff

8. Follow up the actions made

RHD Road Safety Policy Unclear

At present it is unclear how road

safety issues are supported and

prioritized.

Suggested Policy to Support Road Safety

Ni e steps a e outli ed to st e gthe ‘HD s poli ies to suppo t road safety:

1. Apply Mandatory Road Safety Audit Procedures

2. Establish Safety Improvement Works with Fixed Budget Line

3. Roll out a National Road Signs and Markings Program

4. Allocate Sufficient Funds for Road Safety

5. Include Road Safety in All RHD Contracts

6. Document Results of Road Safety Audits

7. Strengthen Road Safety Research

8. Promote Road Safety within RHD

9. Publish accident reports on RHD roads on six months basis

and give analysis of accidents to other stakeholders.

The UN Decade of Action not Ad-

dressed in Practice

GoB does not address the United

Nations Decade of Action in a ded-

icated manner.

Increased Focus on Commitment to Decade of Action

Establish a competent and sufficiently manned National Road

Safety Authority (NRSA) with mandate to adequately manage

road safet o a atio al le el a d i ple e t N‘SC s espon-

sibilities and prepare for the international follow up on the UN

Decade of Action in 2015. Develop a Memorandum of Under-

standing with all road safety key agencies and relevant stake-

holders to ensure support and cooperation for the implemen-

tation of the Decade of Action, starting with the preparation of

a new, powerful National Road Safety Strategic Plan for 2014-

2016 and beyond.


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FORMULATION OF NEW BUSINESS PROCEDURES


Organizational Set Up

Observations of the current pro-

cedures identify that the man-

agement system adopted is convo-

luted and diminishes the responsi-

bility of the RSD in the central RHD

offices in Dhaka.

In order to improve the business procedures it is recommended

that the management structure is reviewed such that the RSD is

more responsible for delivering road safety on National, Local

and Zilla roads, this would require a change in the management

structure that provides direct reporting. The proposals would be

for the RSD to report directly to the Additional Chief Engineer,

the role of the superintending engineers should be more focused

on design issues and overseeing scheme proposals submitted by

the RSD. There should be more setup strength to meet up the

demands of works of safety issues.

Training and Development

RSD Officers are young and alt-

hough knowledgeable the diversi-

ty of work they currently perform

means that their knowledge in

road safety is weakened.

Ensure that road safety officers within the RSD are given full sup-

port in developing their skills by given formal training. The need-

ed business procedure should include allocated budgets and a

formal record kept by the officer and on the central database. As

a part of improving road safety in Bangladesh RSD officers should

conduct seminars and workshops to disseminate information and

knowledge to co-workers, and to gain confidence and experience

with road safety promotion and argumentation.

Document Management Proce-

dures

RHD have no anti-virus software

and all documents are saved un-

der on a central computer, not on

a server

RHD urgently needs to modernize the management of IT, data

and documentation procedures through the introduction of a

common server, modern IT systems with backup procedures and

data protection.

Integration of Road Safety in the

Life Cycle of Roads

The Terms of Reference suggest

that the Consultant prepares a

number of methodologies and

procedures that can used as input

fo To‘ s, fo iddi g documents,

and as guidelines for processes

and methodologies.

Preliminary versions of the following procedures are included in

the report: (Appendix 3: Integration of Road Safety in Road Re-

habilitation Contracts)

The following will be elaborated during the project in coopera-

tion with RHD RSD, as deemed relevant:

- Procedures for Work Zone Safety

- Geometric Design Standards

- Procedures for RSA on Existing Roads

- Road Safety Action Plan Procedure

- Basic Road Safety Audit Training

The drafts can be adopted and revised by RHD as deemed neces-

sary.

Accident Information System

The present MAAP5 database,

data reporting procedures are

obsolete and the lack of access to

data is unacceptable

A modern Accident Information System with GPS registration of

coordinates and on-line access to data for all relevant road safety

agencies and stakeholders should be introduced. The system

should be able to give different types of stakeholde s access to

the data relevant for them, and only that, thus restricting access

to confident and personal information.

National Road Safety Council

The National Road Safety Council

(NRSC) is presently not functional

Meetings should be planned in advance with set criteria and

agenda. All delegated agencies should follow same protocol with

the emphasis based on goal setting and achievement. All meet-


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CONSIACONSIA

Table 4: Recommendations on new road safety procedures

The following section on the subject Road Safety Management Capacity suggests how some of the above shortcomings could be addressed.

Outputs

Road Safety Policies and Business Procedures (Consia. February 2013)

4 General deterrence model: The police are present on the road with sufficient intensity and determina-

tion to deter drivers from attempting to commit traffic offences.

ings should be recorded and circulated to all agencies so that all

members of the NRSC are fully aware of the status of road safety

in Bangladesh.

New National Road Safety Au-

thority (NRSA)

No national entity with manpower

and resources to implement action

plans exists

A new NRSA needs to be established and attached to the highest

possible level to give it sufficient powers and mandate to act. There must be appropriate measures for manning schedules and

specific job description.

National Road Safety Strategic

Action Plan

The NRSSAP is not results-oriented

and does not achieve documented

results. The function is not task-

oriented and action –based. Only

proposal for solution does not

mean any activities.

A new National Road Safety Action Plan is needed. It needs to be

results-oriented, data-led to the extent possible, and clearly set

out targets for each key agency. Consequently, the key agencies

involved should be held accountable for their achievement to

attain measurable targets. Moreover, the NRSA needs to control

and allocate funding resources and avoid iterations of ineffective

action plans. One of the activities the NRSA needs to cover, which

is presently not covered, is targeted road safety awareness cam-

paigns coordinated with police enforcement.

Interaction between RSD and

other stakeholders

Road safety improvement

schemes does not involve liaison

with local schools or communities.

It is recommended that RSD sets up a database of contacts perti-

nent to the delivery of road safety including regional RHD officers

as well as relevant contacts in the Police, education, health and

government and non-government officers. This database should

be regularly updated and used to inform relevant parties of the

schemes that are to be implemented by the RSD.

Establishment of Highway Code in

Bangladesh

There is no official Highway Code

in Bangladesh and nobody knows

the general speed limits and other

basic rules of the road. Speed

management and control device

like speed hump, speed reducer,

railway crossing and legal aspects

like ROW including encroachment

etc.

A highway code should be developed and introduced to all pri-

vate and commercial drivers, driving schools, transport sector

unions, etc. The Police should follow up with presence on the

road and work towards the establishment of a general deter-

rence enforcement model4.

Development of procedures to address specific features like Y-

junction, side road grade management, road side bazaar man-

agement.


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CONSIACONSIA

6 Road Safety Management Capacity

Activities

The Road Safety Management Capacity is aimed at reviewing present road safety management structures and performance and making recommendations that can strengthen the road safety management capacity in Bangladesh, on national level as well stakeholders and key agency level.

The initial part of the review revealed that the road safety management capacity in Bangladesh is insufficient and too fragmented to address the enormous road safety challenge the country is facing. This counts for all levels, from national planning to implementation by the responsible agencies and other stakeholders.

The Consultant has reviewed the Road Safety Management Capacity Review (RSMCR) funded by the Global Road Safety Facility in 2007-08 to compare the recommenda-tions of the report with present progress. The findings from the review were then used as benchmarks against which the present situation could be evaluated.

The road safety situation in Bangladesh is becoming complex day by day due to im-port of sophisticated vehicles, construction of high quality with modern features like flyover, grade separated and elevated expressways.

The Consultant have suggested a new overall road safety management model for Bangladesh that takes previous lack of performance and lessons learned into consid-eration. The model was presented and discussed at a workshop with the Ministry of Communication on 14th March 2013. The presentation provided an explanation of the current road safety issues in Bangladesh and focused on the re-organization of the National Road Safety Council. It is acknowledged that due to the enactment of law it would be impossible to abolish the NRSC. It is therefore considered that the main changes in management capacity would evolve around a new National Road Safety Authority (NRSA). The presentation put forward two models that could be imple-mented, the first being a short term model where the NRSA act as secretariat to form a stronger coherent support to the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) with key personnel from the major road safety stakeholders. National Road Safety Authority would provide a strong basis for the NRSC to develop future road safety strategy. The second model presented the long-term aspirations which involves a direct link from the NRSA to the prime minister’s office, it is considered that this would provide a more direct and effective way of addressing road safety in Bangladesh.

Finally, the Consultant prepared a framework for a Training Needs Assessment for key-profiles within the RDSC and RSD.


This section is more elaborate than similar sections in the report. This is due to the urgent importance of progress in the field of road safety management.

Basically, very limited progress has been achieved since the Road Safety Management Capacity Review 2007-08. There is first of all a lack of results-oriented efforts from central level. The road safety lead agency – the NRSC - has a very low meeting fre-quency and is running a National Road Safety Action Plan, which formally has a good structure and statements, but effectively is dysfunctional.

Secondly, the lack of capacity and results-orientation at the implementing agencies is a problem that needs to be addressed. This counts first of all for RHD and BRTA. Both institutions have key roles as responsible for road safety on highways (RHD), where the large majority of serious accidents occur, as responsible for the safety of


31

CONSIACONSIA

the vehicle fleet and driver examination and licensing (BRTA), for support to the Na-tional Road Safety Council (Chairman from BRTA and the Road Safety Cell), and for national road accident data (BRTA Road Safety Cell). The manning is limited to a few people with little practical road safety experience, a limited mandate, no dedicated budget, and limited career opportunities if they stay within road safety. They are provided with few opportunities, resources and incentives to set and achieve any targets for road safety. Prior emphasis should be given to Road Safety Division of RHD by top management and must fulfil the basic needs of Road Safety Division of RHD. The situation also seems to have deteriorated in recent years compared to the situation a decade ago where RHD had more in-house road safety capacity.

Road safety therefore seems to be given a lower priority than other elements of road maintenance and construction. The RHD planning wings are not integrating road safety proactively by incorporating international standards. The absence of integrat-ing road safety on major schemes may result in accident black spots in the future when projects are completed and operational. Consequently, this will require addi-tional funding of for reactive road safety measures later on, thus adding further burden on funding.

Another example of is the N2 rehabilitation, which was completed seven years ago without basic road safety features, a project funded by World Bank. It has recently been declared as one of the world’s deadliest highways. But it is extremely difficult and expensive to mitigate the problems once the road is constructed. In the mean-time – before the problem is recognized and measures planned, funded and carried out - thousands of people will be injured and killed.

Thus, new roads with lifetimes of 15-20 years are lacking proper attention and facili-ties to improve road safety.

This approach is cementing the accident problems on RHD’s road net-work for decades ahead.

RHD has started to register and prioritize accident black spots with support from the Accident Research Institute (ARI) at BUET. But the procedures to alleviate the black spots are cumbersome due to lack of data, knowledge and experience, and funding to implement the required solutions.

LGED presently seems to be more focused on organizing road safety and actively seeks international support to do it but there is very little cooperation, if any, be-tween implementing agencies and road safety professionals, who tend to work inde-pendently of each other.

These findings clearly indicate that overall road safety management needs strength-ening.

Previously there have been sincere attempts to strengthen management and coopera-tion, but they have apparently failed. A joint national Road Safety Workshop was held in November 2007 organized by the ARI at BUET and RHD, with support from the World Bank. It was a major landmark because all important key road safety agencies were represented and agreed to a common resolution under the headline ‘Road Safety in Bangladesh: Constraints and Way Forward’. Solutions on the way forward emerged from the workshop, all aimed at recognizing road accidents as a national issue and creating renewed efforts to combat road accidents more effective-ly. Today, most of the points in the resolutions are still to be resolved and the prob-lems and challenges remain more or less the same. Lack of institutional initiatives and government efforts have made the existing road safety situation in lowering trend.


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The issues that most urgently need be addressed in road safety management are the following:

Stronger overall commitment:

Ministry of Communications/Government of Bangladesh is suggested to show stronger commitment to road safety and adopt the following policy statement: Road accident fatalities and serious injuries are unacceptable and avoidable. The policy should also stress the need for change and results-oriented action within ministries and implementing agencies. The main stakeholders both need to be urged to take action - and supported to do it. There should be clear understanding between the line organizations and stakeholders. Road safety activities should be integrated un-der an umbrella concept.

Results-Oriented Approach to Road Safety Management:

At present road safety situation in Bangladesh in rudimentary stage. Management of road safety activities in Bangladesh needs to be more results-oriented. The Logical Framework Approach could be introduced as a general tool in road safety project planning to enhance project management of objectives, outputs and activities, per-formance monitoring, and resources with indicators.

Fiver Pillars Approach:

To create overview and better alignment with present international good practice it is recommended that management of road safety activities in Bangladesh is orga-nized under the ‘Five Pillars of Road Safety’. A decision on this was also taken and endorsed by GoB in 2011 and further outlined in the ‘UN-ESCAP Road Safety Work-shop on Developing National Goals, Targets and Indicators for Road Safety’. It now needs to be implemented in practice through an integrated and coordinated method.

Phasing and Sequencing:

A realistic, phased approach should be applied to road safety management. It needs to consider the time needed to implement interventions in an appropriate sequence, and the need for sustained, long-term efforts.

Institutional Management Functions:

The seven road safety functions outlined in this report should be mandatory curricu-lum for policy makers, planners, managers and decision-makers in charge of road safety interventions. Each theme needs to be integrated properly in future road safe-ty management.

New Structure of Road Safety Lead Agency:

Reorganization of the national road safety lead agency is urgently required. A new setup is suggested in the report, stipulating the need for an empowered NRSA with a short/medium term setup and a specific mission to address road safety challenges, and a long term setup to address the overall reduction in road safety casualties in Bangladesh.

Support for Road Safety Management:

Development partner investments in road safety in Bangladesh should aim at longer lasting and sustained support. The process should facilitate ‘learning by doing’ for national specialists and GoB needs to ensure that trained staff – which represents considerable investments is maintained in key positions for longer periods.

Based on the above findings and recommendations it is suggested to adopt a differ-ent approach with regards to overall national management of road safety in the


33

CONSIACONSIA

short and medium term, where action is urgently needed based upon integrated and coordinated approach.

The Road Safety Stakeholder Hierarchy There are three levels of stakeholders responsible for road safety in Bangladesh. The two upper levels – the government bodies - have a major, formal responsibility for road safety whereas the lower level forming a supporting role.

The current levels and stakeholders are poorly coordinated, both vertically and hori-zontally, in spite of the existence of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC).

Figure 7: The hierarchy of road safety stakeholders in Bangladesh and their formal responsibilities.

It is extremely important not only to set direction and take action on level 1 and 2, but also involve and communicate well with level 3, which includes some of the most crucial and powerful beneficiaries: The transport unions. If for example it is decided to introduce new legislation, increase enforcement or other potentially controversial countermeasures, then these target groups needs to be involved as early as possible. If not, and new requirements and enforcement is imposed without involvement, the results may be strikes and public criticism.

Recommendations for the National Road Safety Council

The existing NRSC in charge of overall planning, monitoring and coordination, is more or less dysfunctional. The organizations present performance is presently characterized by the following, according to the Consultants assessment:

Irregular meetings

No results-orientation and specific targets

Level 1: Responsible for decision-making on objectives, key-agency targets,

funding, and legislation (overall framework for road safety)

Level 3: Responsible for implementation and achievement of specific

targets with in the given framework

Level 2: Responsible for adhering to rules and frameworks outlined

by the two upper levels

Parliament

NRSC

1

2

3

MoC

RHD BRTA LGED

Mo-

HA

Police

MOF MoE

BUET,

ARI

MoH

Hospitals

& HWards

Transport

Unions

NGO s Private

Business

Civil

Society

Development

Partners


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CONSIACONSIA

Absence of results (documented road fatality reductions)

Lack of performance monitoring

Poor coordination/communication

Limited capability

Good decision making platform but informal outcome

Its composition, support from BRTA Road Safety Cell, and present performance, is illustrated below.

Figure 8: The present setup and performance assessment for the NRSC and its sup-port from the BRTA Road Safety Cell.

The main problem is that the NRSC has neither the manpower nor resources to fulfil its obligations. It is a political entity with capability of setting goals and approving strategies and action plans. Its composition of members is all in all sound and corre-sponds to international good practice. It covers all three levels outlined on the previ-ous page and may only need a few minor updates.

It needs to be supplemented with a strong Authority with a mandate to coordinate and oversee the implementation of road safety actions. In the short-term perspective the NRSA should refer to the NRSC giving it sufficient formal decision power in terms of funding, human resources and legislation

NRSA should, with reference to the existing establishment act, undertake the follow-ing responsibilities actively and effectively:

NRSC Representatives (according to NRSSAP):

The Cabinet Division (ministers)

Prime Minister’s Office

Ministry of Communication Road Division

Ministry of Home Affairs

Ministry of Environment and Forestry

Ministry of Information

Bangladesh Police

RHD

LGED

BRTA, Chairman, member secretary

LGI

CEO of DCC

Road Transport Owners Association

Road Transport Workers Union

6-7 respected professionals outside gov-

ernment agencies

Supported by the BRTA

Road Safety Cell (NRSC

Secretariat)

Employees:

1 accident data specialist

(in practice)


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Formulate national visions and set clear objectives for NTSC’s approval

Establish national action plans

Facilitate coordination, new legislation and funding

Review agency performance regularly

Hold agencies responsible for lack of performance.

Formulation of national road safety policies and strategies

Collection and Supervision of data system

Analysis and recording of accident data

Monitoring and evaluation of progress of actions

As mentioned above the NRSA should also act as the secretariat for the NRSC. The meaning of the word ‘Secretariat’ in this connection is the professional capaci-ty/staff/unit that prepares agendas and presents highly qualified suggestions for objectives, strategies and legislation to the NRSC for discussion and decision, and follows up on decisions. Without such a capacity, the agenda at the NRSC meetings can easily slide into random discussion with little or no tangible action afterwards.

The absence of a proper Secretariat to support the NRSC seems to be a major prob-lem at the moment, and one of the main reasons for its poor outcome. The BRTA’s Road Safety Cell, which acts as the NRSC Secretariat, consists of one (1) person with limited resources and experience. This is the only professional support that is avail-able to assist the NRSC to perform the function it was created for.

The secretarial function for NRSC needs to be strengthened drastically to support the NRSC’s performance, in line with successful, similar or-ganizational setups in other developing countries.

An NRSA that masters the above disciplines will be able to guide the NRSC and make the key agencies accountable and much more results-oriented. The NRSA should also be able to cover all ‘Five Pillars of Road Safety’ in the short and medium term, unlike the present Road Safety Cell at BRTA which has limited scope and expertise, due to its origin and focus on accident data (which is obsolete) and vehicle inspection. A multi-sector representation in the NRSA is also recommended to create much needed coordination between agencies, at least until all agencies have integrated road safety properly in all routines and procedures.

The NRSC already has the mandate to hold key road safety agencies responsible for performance. The NRSA can thus be created as an independent entity outside any of the government bodies - but with participants from all relevant implementing agen-cies. It does not need to be placed within BRTA, RHD, or as a separate agency under MoC. Later, in the long term, it could be placed as an Authority directly under the Prime Minister’s Office5 to give it better mandate. In any case it will require time for establishment.

In the short and medium term an NRSA could be created as a temporary solution to generate action. The setup would reduce bureaucracy and bypass cumbersome pro-cesses and cultures presently hampering action within the government bodies. Fund-ing of the NRSA needs to be secured at the outset. While different long-term models are considered and negotiated, the NRSA could be established with support from de-velopment partners - for instance ADB - and provided with experienced national and

5 This this has been successful in e.g. Nigeria although it may/may not be appropriate in Bangladesh


36

CONSIACONSIA

international specialists. The international resource persons could boost much need-ed expertise, professionalism, effectiveness, drive the effort, and coach national spe-cialist employed in the Authority on-the-job. The NRSA may also assist and tap fi-nancially onto stand-alone road safety projects, major infrastructure improvements with road safety elements, awareness campaigns and education, and enforcement. This would secure coordination of hitherto fragmented projects.

Funding from sustainable national sources could perhaps be provided by a new Road Fund 5-10 years ahead, as described under ‘Funding Framework’ elsewhere in this report, when national staff has gained experience and the NRSA, if appropriate and possible, has fallen into place as a legally established authority under the highest possible level of government administration or MoC. The main purpose of the Road Fund would be to generate income for road maintenance but at least 5% could be re-served for road safety purposes and NRSA operational costs. The suggested short/medium and long term organizations are illustrated below.

Figure 9: Suggested Short and Medium Term Core-Organizational Setup.

1 specialist from each key agency

Technical

support

MoC

RHD BRTA LGED

MoH

Police

MoE

BUET,

ARI

NRSC

NRSA

Development partners

Resource persons and

specialists


37

CONSIACONSIA

Figure 10: Suggested Long Term Core-Organizational Setup.

Figure 11: Detailed composition of the proposed short and medium term NRSA

Proposed NRSA

Status, short and medium term: A separate authority resourced by development partners, with nation-

al specialists from RHD, LGED, BRTA, Police, MoH, MoE, BUET to ensure effective human capacity build-

ing.

Status, long term: Established as an Authority under the presidency and acting as Secretariat to the

NRSC, once human capacity is adequate and a funding mechanism established.

Employees:

-Respected and competent executive director ‘oad Safet Cha pio

-Experienced road accident data analysis and research specialist (from BUET)

-Experienced road safety engineering specialist (from RHD/LGED)

-Experienced communication specialist

-Experienced education specialist (from MoE)

-Experienced vehicle safety specialist (from BRTA)

-Experienced police enforcement specialist (from Bangladesh Police)

-Experienced public liaison officer (local consultant Bangladesh)

-Experienced international road safety specialists and resource persons for each of the above specialist,

as deemed necessary, and fully financed by development partners

-Accountant

-Secretary

MoC

RHD BRTA LGED

Mo-

HA

Police

MoE

BUET,

ARI

NRSC

Specialists from key agencies as appropriate

NRSA

The Presidency /

Prime Minister

As Above


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CONSIACONSIA

Figure 12: Responsibilities of the proposed short and medium term NRSA

Organization of Road Safety Unit in RHD

The RSD is as previously mentioned not found sufficiently effective to have any im-pact on the road safety situation on the RHD highway network. Capacity, experience, funding and mandate are lacking. Reorganization has been discussed as a means to enhance the RSD’s performance. The present organizational setup for the RSD is shown in the figure below.

Figure 13: Present organizational setup for the RSD & Road Design & Standard Division (RHD Management Plan Volume 4 December 2003).

No matter if the Road Safety Division in RHD is reorganized or not, the most im-portant element remains its staff resources, experience, mandate and ability of the staff to guide and manage road safety professionally and effectively.

Proposed NRSA

Responsibilities2:

-Preparation, monitoring and evaluation of national road safety objectives, policies, strategies and ac-

tion plans

-Regular reporting and information about road accident problems and solutions to the NRSC and the

general public

-Initiation of research (at e.g. BUET)

-Communication with the media on road safety issues and promotion of road safety

-Initiation of targeted road safety campaigns coordinated with police enforcement

-Development of new initiatives, legislation, programs

-Close olla o atio ith de elop e t pa t e s a d NGO s o t i uti g to oad safet

-Participation in international forums for road safety

-Administration of funding for road safety programs

-Suppo t to ‘HD, LGED, B‘TA a d othe ke age ies oad safet u its

2 The responsibilities may be wider as long as the authority has resource persons provided by develop-

ment partners


39

CONSIACONSIA

The present senior RSD personnel, effectively 3 young engineers, already have job descriptions that cover most of the above functions – even more - but they are not able to undertake their functions effectively.

It might be conducive to the RSD’s performance and impact if it was lifted to a more overall position in the RHD organization; however, the process may be time-consuming and can create friction within the organization, sparked by sudden changes in hierarchies. It will also not change the actual output from the RSD since there is limited expertise and high turnover of staff due to rotation procedures. These problems must be overcome first before organizational changes become fea-sible.

It is therefore recommended to maintain the present setup in the short term but boost the RSD’s skills, capacity, funding and management support.

The ToR emphasizes that the RHD Road Safety Division needs to be strengthened for an increasingly important role in road safety management. A brief Training Needs Assessment (TNA) has therefore been undertaken to identify the needs and gaps in their technical capacity which has been used to provide suitable preliminary training within the present project.

The present job descriptions for Road Design and Safety Circle (RDSC) and RSD per-sonnel have been reviewed, and it was concluded that they do not need major changes but simply need to be implemented.

The TNA is therefore based on a review and assessment of the personnel’s present job descriptions and the corresponding performance and observation of current skills and experience of officers. The supporting forms are presented in the Appen-dix 3 is for reference for a future capacity building program for RSD, and as starting point for training within the present project. The personnel did, however, not submit the forms, but the contents are still useful for them as a guide to define their job re-sponsibilities.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONSFOR OVERALL ROAD SAFETY MANAGEMENT


Safe System Approach

MoC/GoB to show stronger commitment to road safety and

adopt the following policy statement: road accident fatalities

and serious injuries are unacceptable and avoidable. Also,

stress need for results-oriented action within ministries and im-

plementing agencies. Stakeholders need to be urged to take ac-

tion - and supported to do it.

Results-Oriented Approach to

Road Safety Management

Management of road safety needs to be more results-oriented.

Logical Framework Approach could be introduced as a general

tool in road safety project planning to ensure proper attention

and commitment to objectives, outputs and activities, perfor-

mance monitoring, and funding and resources, and to enhance

adaptability to development partner programs and enable prop-

er evaluations. There should be one stop service to solve any

problems arising to implement safety issues.

Organization of Road Safety under

the Five Pillars of Road Safety

Management of road safety activities in Bangladesh should be

organized under the Five Pillars of Road Safety as decided and

e do sed GoB i , a d fu the outli ed i the UN-ESCAP

Road Safety Workshop on Developing National Goals, Targets

a d I di ato s fo ‘oad Safet . Line organizations should have

independent target and goals, must inform the council in period-

ic meetings and also express the overall achievements.


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CONSIACONSIA

Table 5: Recommendations on road safety management A prerequisite for any type of action is resources. The following chapter therefore explores opportunities for establishing a sustainable, national framework for road safety, which supports the previous recommendations in this report.

Outputs

The Consultant documented the activities in the following report:

Road Safety Management Capacity (Consia. March 2013)

Phasing and Sequencing A realistic, phased approach should be applied to road safety

management, considering the time needed to implement inter-

ventions and the need for sustained, long-term efforts. Targeted

short-term action plans should be monitored and evaluated.

Commitment should be secured at least ten years ahead, i.e.

past the deadline for Decade of Action in 2020.

Institutional Management Func-

tions

The seven road safety functions outlined in this report should be

mandatory curriculum for policy makers, planners, managers and

decision-makers in charge of road safety interventions. Each

theme needs to be integrated properly in future road safety

management.

Suggestion for New Road Safety

Lead Agency Structure

Reorganization of the national road safety lead agency is urgent-

ly required. A new setup is suggested in the report, stipulating

the need for an empowered National Road Safety Authority.

Support for Road Safety Man-

agement in Bangladesh

Development partner investments in road safety in Bangladesh

should be shifted from the previously small, fragmented, one-off

projects, to larger and longer-lasting multi-sector projects. The

p o ess should fa ilitate lea i g doi g fo atio al spe ial-

ists and GoB needs to ensure that trained staff – which repre-

sents considerable investments - is maintained in key positions

for longer periods.


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CONSIACONSIA

7 Funding Framework for Road Safety

Activities

The obvious need for resources and funding quickly led the Consultant to explore ways to create sustainable funding for road safety in Bangladesh. First of all, the Consultant considered a range of options for the generation of funds through inno-vative initiatives, some of them applied in other Asian regional countries.

Secondly, the Consultant considered how the funding could be managed and chan-neled through a national Bangladesh Road Fund, which would be transparent and effective in balancing allocation of resources for both feasible, high-impact interven-tions as well as long-term investments that can contribute to long-term objectives.


Costs of road accidents in Bangladesh Bangladesh has many needs to address other than road accidents but road accidents cause enormous and very direct losses to victims, their families and relatives, and the Bangladeshi economy in general. The losses are grouped in:

Material damage to vehicles, property and road furniture

Hospitalization, treatment, rehabilitation

Lost ability to work and earn an income

Pain and suffering & burden on society

The total cost of a fatality is estimated at 100 x GDP/capita6 for the society, which in the case of Bangladesh corresponds to around 70,000 USD. Bangladeshi sources7 suggest that the cost is around 20,000 USD, but not including all the above cost ele-ments. Road accidents are in any case catastrophic for individuals and relatives. The death or disability of a breadwinner can easily push an entire family into poverty and debt, which can start an evil spiral for the affected family members.

Results from numerous international research projects have concluded that the eco-nomic loss due to road accidents in developing countries is at least 1.5% of GDP (WHO has previously estimated the losses to be 2% - see the Inception Report). Since GDP (2012) in Bangladesh was USD 305.5 Billion, this gives an updated approximate total loss due to road accidents around USD 4.6 Billion. To put things in perspective, the combined budget for maintenance and development of the entire national road network under RHD was USD 0.86 Billion8 in the fiscal year 2011-12. Yet, no portion of the budget was allocated to address road safety issues, with reference to shortage of funding.

Road safety should therefore be seen as part of the development agenda in Bangladesh since it impacts directly and severely on the economy and welfare of the population.

6 McMahon, K. and Dahdah, S. (2008) The True Cost of Road Crashes: Valuing life and the cost of a

serious injury 7 According to BUET and BRTA representatives at RSIP Road Safety Training Course the 25-30

th May

2013 8 Roads and Highways Department


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CONSIACONSIA

Funding for road safety in Bangladesh

The road transport sector represents a good share of the country’s economy. It should therefore also be able to generate sufficient funds to run road safety activi-ties, and the potential positive impact on the socio-economy will by far outweigh the investment.

In a sustainable road transport system, the road transport sector should be able to generate sufficient funds to secure road safety for all road users. Furthermore, the cost of safety interventions will be a good investment for the society - not a passive cost. This is a fact that needs to be fully understood and appreciated at the highest political level.

The Consultants review did not identify any substantial funding for road safety oth-er than on the part of certain NGOs, private sector initiatives, and occasional donor support that are either stand-alone road safety projects or form a small attribute to major road construction projects.

Road safety is not integrated in road planning and budgeting. It is rather considered a separate element that can be added – or omitted if funds are short. This is not acceptable.

The present NRSSAP is an updated and revised version of previous versions, now the 6th since 1997. Although nine individual sectors have been identified and attempted aligned with relevant ministries, implementing agencies and other stakeholders, the consecutive NRSSAPs has failed to institutionalize funding sources and arrange-ments. The line organizations on their part have failed to fulfill their parts of the NRSSAP, most often with lack of funding as the main argument. There are no regular evaluations of progress – or why progress and funding requirements fail – and no consequences of failure to comply.

A continuation of this path is not fruitful. Change is needed, and the change should be seen in context with the overall management of road safety at the National Road Safety Council.

Development partners are fully aware of the dire road safety situation in Bangladesh. Several donor-supported road safety projects have been implemented over the last 15 years but they are lacking sustainability after completion. The national ownership is limited and not viable in the long term. Developed procedures, methods and standards produced have been tailored for Bangladesh, but not applied in practice, and there is no sustainable national funding.


43

CONSIACONSIA

NATIONAL SOURCES OF FUNDING STATUS

i) General Tax Revenues

General tax revenues from treasury are presently the

only source of sustainable, national funding for road

safety. Funding from treasury is channelized to the basic

operations of the road safety units at RHD, BRTA, and

the police, through their respective ministries. However,

it is largely insufficient.

(ii) Specific Taxes No specific taxes to fund road safety.

(iii) Road Safety Levies

No earmarked charges or levies on road users in support

of road safety (such as driver licensing and vehicle in-

spection fees, and levies on petrol and compressed nat-

ural gas, etc.).

iv) Road Fund

GoB has considered the establishment of a Road Fund

but a draft suggestion has been taken off the table

again. The suggested Road Fund was to be administered

by the Ministry of Finance and not under an independ-

ent board. This would be a less desirable option: Estab-

lishing the Road Fund under a ministry in Bangladesh

hampers the effectiveness of it due to cumbersome

procedures and bureaucracy. This approach is not rec-

ommended.

(v) Fees Paid by Insurance

Insurance companies do not contribute significantly to

road safety even though they will benefit from lower

accident rates through reduced pay-outs.

Most vehicle owners have a mandatory, third party

comprehensive liability insurance, but in reality com-

pensation is not being paid to the victims. This appears

to be common practice. A small percentage contribu-

tion from insurance premiums should be retained for

utilization of road safety funding.

(vi) Private Sponsorships and other inno-

vative schemes

Se e al p i ate usi esses a d NGO s a e suppo ti g road safety, but not in a coordinated manner. Examples

are:

- Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC),

- Centre for Injury Prevention and Research in Bang-

ladesh (CIPRB)

- Centre for Rehabilitation of Paralyzed (CRP), sup-

ported by Valarie E Taylors.

- Safe Crossings (Dutch initiative)

- Nirapad Sark Chai.

Table 6: Status of present sources of funding for road safety


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RHD’s Budget

The RHD’s approximate annual budget for the fiscal year 2011-12 is shown in the table below:

RHD Budget 2011-12 Fiscal Year BDT USD

Maintenance 6.9 Billion 86 Million

Development 61.9 Billion 774 Million

Total 68.8 Billion 860 Million

Table 7: RHD’s budget for maintenance and construction/development of the road network

The above budgets are according to RHD insufficient to cover the needs for mainte-nance and demand for development of the road network. Due to the continuous shortage of funding, no specific or earmarked funding arrangements to cater for de-velopment of road safety are available - not even on new road projects.

An example is the on-going upgrading of Highway N1 from Dhaka to Chittagong from 2 to 4 lanes, financed by GoB. The RSD is not part of the organization and the application of road safety audits is unclear, most probably not carried out, and the application of existing road safety standards has been compromised with reference to shortage of funding. Again, the Consultant finds that this is not a question of shortage of funding but rather a question of prioritization and decision making is-sues.

Furthermore, interviews with various road authority employees indicated that signs, markings and road safety features in road projects are taken out during the approval process in the Ministry to reduce costs. This – if confirmed – indicates a major lack of understanding of road safety amongst decision-makers in the Ministry. The issue should be investigated and steps taken to inform decision-makers in MoC.

According to international recommendations, the share of funding for road safety should be around 5% of the maintenance budget and 10% of the development budget to provide the needed resources for road safety measures.

This is illustrated in the table below in the case of RHD.

RHD Budget

2011-12

USD International

recommendations for

road safety

Ideal provision

for road safety

USD

Maintenance 86 Million 5% 4.3 Million

Development 774 Million 10% 77.4 Million

Total 860 Million 81.7 Million

Table 8: Ideal shares for road safety in present RHD budget in accordance with inter-national recommendations (World Bank)

It has not been possible within the timeframe of the present consultancy services to establish how much RHD actually use for implementation of road safety measures in maintenance and design. Also, it may sometimes be difficult to establish exactly what a road safety measure is. An example is signs and markings, which often are - but should not be – considered a road safety measure. Safety should rather be ex-pected to form a necessary and integrated part of any project - like bitumen, drain-


45

CONSIACONSIA

age and pavements which could result in 300-400% return. A systematic approach should be established and assessed; this can then be applied on future schemes to assess the actual funding requirement.

The funding for road safety measures need to be further explored to establish benchmarks for performance monitoring at RHD. The present list of 161 road acci-dent black spots identified by ARI/BUET, which RSD intend to mitigate, will count as part of the funding for road safety and should be relatively easy to conduct perfor-mance monitoring on.

While the current spending on implementation of road safety measures is unknown, good records are available for the RSD’s operational budget. It appears that budget for the operations of the Road Safety Division9 of RHD is 5,162,000 BDT, which cor-responds to approximately 65,000 USD to cover all salaries, fuel, technical assis-tance, office, maintenance, equipment, etc.

RHD RSD Budget 2012-13 Fiscal Year BDT USD

Total 5,162,000 65,000

Table 9: RSD’s budget for basic operations

The budget for RSD is purely for its basic operations, salaries, office and logistics whereas the implementation of road safety measures is managed by other RHD units. A direct comparison between budgets for implementation of maintenance and the actual funds spent on road safety measures could not be derived. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the problem with comparison of different types of cost, one conclusion is very clear though: The current budget available for the RSD corresponds to 0.007% of RHD’s total budget for maintenance and operations. If this budget was increased even ten-fold, to secure sufficient staff, logistics and ca-pacity building to facilitate better performance, it would still be insignificant com-pared to the available overall budget for RHD. The suggested lack of funding there-fore seems to be a question of priority rather than lack of funding. A demonstration of commitment from GoB, MoC and RHD to improve road safety is also likely to generate further support from development partners who are in favor of true commitment from government side. Therefore, GoB/MoC seems to be in a position to strengthen its funding for road

safety considerably within existing RHD budgets, provided that there is sufficient

political commitment to change existing priorities and practices.

Construction of new roads also offers a unique opportunity to improve road safe-ty standards – but this is rarely done in Bangladesh. Instead, to reduce construction costs, new highway projects are implemented without proper concerns for road safety resulting in some of the most accident-prone roads in the world. The country cannot afford to continue this current prac-tice and omit road safety investments to save money in the short term. It is a ra-ther short-sighted financial solution that in the long term will impose socio-economic costs and human suffering that will exceed any initial saving.

9 RHD Road Safety Division budget 2012-13


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Other Stakeholder’s Budget

The National Road Safety Council (NRSC) has no budget as such since it purely con-sists of meetings covered by MoC. The NRSC is therefore not implementing any activ-ities or interventions, unlike lead agencies in other countries which are often respon-sible for general promotion of road safety and contracting of consultants to assist road safety in a number of areas. The Road Safety Cell (RSC) at BRTA is responsible for compilation of national road accident data in cooperation with the Police – which is the source of data. It also has a supporting role for the NRSC but as mentioned above it is not able to cover this function effectively. Other road safety activities at BRTA concerns driver and vehicle registration, route permit, fitness of vehicles, examination and licensing, which could also be strength-ened with earmarked funding from charges. The Police claim that most enforcement equipment is obsolete and that there are no funds for renewal, in addition the institutional strengthening of the highway Police force needs to be addressed. In Dhaka, a Road Safety Unit in Dhaka City Corporation is responsible for road safe-ty activities in the capital. It is headed by one superintending engineer in charge of around 8 engineers. Other major cities are not known to have similar departments. The review of the funding situation resulted in a number of findings and recommen-dations, which are briefly summarized in the tables below.

Table 10: Summary of recommendations regarding existing budgets

EXISTING ROAD SAFETY KEY AGENCY BUDGETS

Subject Recommendation

Lack of funding

Lack of funding is the common ex-

planation for lack of investments in

road safety in Bangladesh

GoB is in a position to strengthen its funding for reduction of

road accidents, injuries and fatalities considerably within exist-

ing RHD budgets, provided that there is sufficient political

commitment to change existing priorities and practices.

Integration of road safety in new

projects

Short-sighted financial priorities

prevent implementation of safer

long-term designs

New highway projects are implemented without proper con-

cerns for road safety to reduce costs. This is short-sighted

planning that will impose socio-economic costs and human

suffering that exceeds the initial savings tremendously. Con-

struction and rehabilitation should rather be seen as a unique

opportunity to set new road safety standards in Bangladesh.

Conduct road safety audit on newly completed project and

assess need for funding as per benefit cost ratio.

Prepare plans for road safety features upon low cost/ inter-

mediate cost and high cost measures and preparation of De-

velopment Project Performa.


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CONSIACONSIA

Recommendations for Bangladesh Road Fund

RHD is one of the biggest asset owners in Bangladesh and comparable to big busi-ness organizations in terms of asset management. RHD is responsible for road as-sets corresponding to USD 6.5 Billion10 (BDT 46,000 Crore). But lack of funding for maintenance causes deterioration and can result in sudden premature failure of a road pavement, and lack of safety measures causes heavy socio-economic costs on the society. It is therefore both short-sighted and unsustainable to omit maintenance and road safety interventions. There is therefore an urgent need to create an effec-tive and sustainable funding mechanism, based on national sources in balance with the traffic development, and separated from budgets for development and construc-tion of new roads. Both developed and developing countries have devised financial instruments to fill the gap between maintenance needs and funding, including the majority of Sub-Saharan Africa countries. Some countries are even establishing dedicated Road Safe-ty Funds, parallel to a road fund dedicated for regular maintenance. Or, 5% of the maintenance budget can be earmarked for road safety, thus providing a sustainable basis for the implementation of road safety programs irrespective of foreign aid and donor support, which grows proportional to growing vehicle traffic. This ensures a suitable and proportional flow of funding.

It is recommended to create a dedicated Bangladesh Road Fund with at least 5% earmarked for road safety annually. The income should be gen-erated from taxes, levies and fees on petrol, gas, and vehicle and other sources which are directly relate to road construction and traffic industry, driver examination and licensing.

The funds should be administered by a Road Fund Board and Executive Secretariat and allocated to RHD, LGED and City Authorities based on cost-effectiveness as-sessments and ranking of project proposals. The provision of funding for road safety requires that the mentioned authorities have the capacity to analyze road accidents, identify and prioritize black spots/sections, and develop cost-effective solutions. This may take several years and require support on-the-job from experienced road safety specialist and re-organization of dedicated road safety units in the key agencies. The road users charging system should derive revenues only from road user charges - not from other sectors. The revenues should be separated from consolidated funds and dedicated to maintenance and safety. In comparison, allocations from consoli-dated funds do not have a clear link between revenues and expenditures. Thus, a Road Fund can make road agencies more accountable and transparent. Lessons learned from other countries emphasize that it is important to:

(1) Ensure management by a separate road fund administration

(2) Ensure strong oversight by a representative board like National Board of

Revenue (NBR).

(3) Provider day-to-day management by a small competent secretariat

(4) Charge revenues from road usage only

(5) Set up clear procedures for setting and adjusting charges

10

: CIDC 3 Report (Consolidated Institutional Development Component)


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CONSIACONSIA

(6) Establish clear priorities for expenditures

(7) From vehicle spare parts industries like manufacturing of springs,

batteries, maintenance related spares etc.

(8) Urban tax - for improved facilities and mobility in urban areas

(9) Set up clear procedures for managing funds and auditing results

(10) Secure a sound long-term legal basis for the Road Funds operations.

The present financing arrangement, depicted in Figure 11 below, has a number of flaws. The existing system cannot address the exact financing needs of the road agencies. Under-funding and delayed funding increase road costs while over-funding increases the public tax burden (although this is not the case in Bangladesh at pre-sent). This balance is difficult to manage.

EXISTING FUNDING THROUGH TREASURY

Figure 14: Existing funding mechanism through treasury alone

The funding from a new Road Fund, as shown in Figure 12, can provide a more ade-quate and stable flow of funds for road safety maintenance. It will also be possible to provide adequate funds for a more powerful NRSA with resources to conduct nec-essary research, awareness creation, sensitization, coordination, etc. The Road Fund should be an independent public institution with complete financial, administrative and technical autonomy and with active road user participation. The Terms of Reference for the Road Fund Board should include administering and man-aging the Road Fund, proposing the level of road maintenance tariffs, allocating funds to road agencies, financial and technical auditing, and periodic public apprais-al of the effectiveness and efficiency of the spending together with sustainable allo-cation system for rolling the road fund.

LGED

Ministry of

Communica-

tions

Ministry of

Local

Government

Ministry of Finance

Ministry of

Home

Affairs

Ministry of Educa-

tion

Ministry

of Health

BRTA RHD Police Hospitals BUET NRSC

Taxes


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CONSIACONSIA

PROPOSED FUNDING THROUGH ROAD FUND AND TREASURY

Figure 15: Suggested funding mechanism for maintenance and road safety through a

new Road Fund, with a dedicated and well-resourced NRSA.

Legal Basis

The road funds in different countries were established under different legal settings. These include the following basic options for establishment of the fund:

i) Under existing legislation ii) Under ministerial or presidential decree iii) Under new legislation.

The Road Fund Board in Bangladesh needs to be formed under new legislation. Alt-hough introducing such a Board under a new legislation can take time, it needs to gain parliamentary approval and wider acceptance in the public to achieve long term sustainability. A suggestion for Bill, subsequent Act and Regulation will be key ele-ments of the process.

Structure

The Road Fund Board should consist of representatives from selected public and private organizations. The Road Fund Board in Bangladesh should comprise mem-bers with strong interest in a well-managed road network and members from gov-ernment owned financial body like NBR.

These would include representatives from the following organizations:

i) Ministry of Finance, Planning, Communications, and Local Government ii) Representatives from the business community and transport industry iii) Members from Institute of Engineers, Institute of Chartered Accountants,

Bangladesh Economic Association iv) Members from MoC Local Government, City Corporations, and District coun-

cils v) Selected experts.

Road User

Charges Taxes

LGED

Ministry of

Communica-

tions

Ministry of Finance

Ministry

of Home

Affairs

Ministry

of Educa-

tion

Ministry

of Health

BRTA (income

generating)

RHD Police (Income

generating)

Hospitals BUET

Road Fund Board

+ Special Account

NRSC

NRSA


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CONSIACONSIA

The number of Board members should not exceed more than 15 with a strong back-ground in funding mechanism. The board should have a secretariat to manage day-to-day operations, staffed with a small number of highly skilled and reliable profes-sionals. The board should have adequate executive and financial autonomy to keep the sector transparent and independent.

However, experience shows that lack of executing capability is the most serious ele-ment in poor road maintenance11. For the Road Fund to be successful, the imple-menting road agencies therefore need to increase their performance and reliability too.

Distribution of Funds

Funds to the road agencies can be distributed in three ways:

i) By disbursements directly to the road authority (and new NRSA) ii) Reimbursing funds after the work has been completed iii) Paying contractors directly.

Re. i: Direct disbursement can work well when activities of the road agencies are sub-ject to regular technical and financial auditing to ensure proper spending routines. For many people, the funds available to an organization are often a measure of the organization’s strength. The long standing culture of disbursing funds to executing agencies could therefore be one of the major stumbling blocks in the way of any al-ternative disbursements concept. The disbursement of funds should therefore be based on performance appraisal of the executing agency.

Re. ii: This option allows road agencies to pay the contractor once an item of work has been completed, through the Road Fund with e.g. a voucher system. This method may be administratively cumbersome due to processing of vouchers, although future systems will be fully IT-based.

Re. iii: The last option factors out financial management issues at the road authority and the method was used a few years back in bridge replacement projects funded by DFID (UK). But the method of payment gives the contractor a wrong signal in the sense that it might undermine the role and mandate of the road agency (i.e. the one with money has the power).

Establishment of the Road Fund

The creation of a Road Fund in Bangladesh should of course follow a comprehensive study of the impacts of the new levies, fees and taxes imposed on road users as well as benefits deriving from better road maintenance and safety together with savings of road maintenance cost (RMC) and Vehicle Operation Cost (VOC).

The Road Fund and its Board can be created by a Government regulation and an act of parliament.

The Road Fund Board should consist of representatives from public as well as pri-vate organizations, which are contributing to and benefiting from the Road Fund. The Road Fund should be independent and financially autonomous.

The Secretariat of the Board should consist of highly experienced and professional staff. The Board and its Secretariat should follow the best practices of comparable private enterprises to ensure efficiency and transparency. Regular financial and technical audits should be instituted to reduce irregularities. The road fund should not extract money from other sources of the Bangladeshi economy. However, the

11

Janapath Journal 2005, Road Fund: ‘A Conceptual Framework for Bangladesh’


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CONSIACONSIA

Road Fund could also be used as a proper mechanism for allocation of funding de-velopment aid, even earmarked funding for road safety, whereas construction of new roads will be funded separately.

A reform of the organization of road safety may also be needed to increase the effi-ciency of the road agencies capacity and performance in this field, as mentioned above.

Generation of Income for Road Funds

A road fund is not in itself a source of funding – it is a mechanism for the collection

and distribution of funding. Thus, actual sources of funding to generate income for

the Road Fund need to be identified.

The following sources might be taken into consideration:

Levies on vehicle gas and petrol and DP (Diesel Petrol) oil and lubricants

Incomes from electronic road toll systems

Levies on spare parts and manufacturers of local spares for vehicles and import-

ed vehicles

Levies on third party liability insurances

Levies on license renewal and fitness of vehicles.

Levies on change of ownership and change of colour of vehicles.

The main instruments to generate income for the Road Fund are levies on transport fuel, and international transit fees and other road tolls, all of which are directly linked to the wear and tear on the road network.

A discussion based on proper data and information about good practices in other countries needs to be initiated with the aim to identify the most fair and reliable method to source the Road Fund. The decision may eventually be unpopular - but necessary - and it will bear the potential to turn the dire road accident situation in the country sustainably.

Allocation of Road Funds

The funds raised from road user levies should go directly to a special Road Fund ac-count.

Subsequently, the annual distribution of the funds among different road agencies should ideally be based on cost-effectiveness assessments, both with regards to maintenance and fast-tracking of high-impact road safety interventions.

Most importantly, the Road Fund can create a sustainable funding mechanism for a new and strengthened National Road Safety Authority, which is required to improve the performance of a revamped version of the National Road Safety Council. The Au-thority should be supported financially with an earmarked percentage from the Road Fund, bypassing ministerial bottlenecks and bureaucracy that presently hampers the allocation of resources to road safety.

The allocation of funds among the road agencies needs to ensure that each road agency gets a fair share of the revenues from the outset. The share should be adjust-ed as modern pavement management systems and road accident information system


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provide a more accurate and valid basis for needs assessment and cost-benefit calcu-lations.

Other sources of funding

Apart from levies on fuel consumption and road usage administered by a Road Fund, other sources and mechanisms can be considered. These will be presented briefly.

SOURCE OF FUNDING RECOMMENDATION

(i) Driver and Vehicle Licensing Fees

BRTA is presently collecting driver and vehicle licensing fees,

which are channelized to treasury. A portion of the fees,

which can be raised, could be channelized back to BRTA to

improve driver education, drive and vehicle examination, and

capacity building for staff, and general quality assurance of

examination procedures. It can also be channelized for

awareness creation in general.

(ii) Tax on imported vehicles A tax on import of cars, many of which are luxury cars of high

value, bought by relatively wealthy people, should be consid-

ered.

(iii) Fee on change of vehicle owner-

ship

Part of the charges on change of vehicle ownership could also

be applied.

(iv) Fines for traffic offences Fines for traffic offences can be earmarked for road safety

purposes, e.g. from

Speed violations

Hazardous overtaking

Illegal parking

Intoxicated driving

Non-compliance with priority rules at pedestrian

crossings

Defective and road unworthy vehicles

Overloading of buses and trucks.

(v) 3rd Party Vehicle Liability Insur-

ance

The insurance companies seem to have secured incomes from

mandatory 3rd party liability insurances, at the same time

paying out very little to victims due for compensation. The

insurance companies should be obliged to contribute to road

safety prevention through GoB legislation.

(vi) Small Companies Companies who are profiting from the road transport sector

may be interested in providing smaller contributions for road

safety. Examples are car and spare part manufacturers.

(vii) Private Sector, Major and Inter-

national Companies

Major companies can contribute with bigger amounts as part

of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Examples are

B‘AC a d the Dut h Safe C ossi gs i itiati e.

(vii) Other private contributions For example through:

Lotteries and schemes promoted at post offices, banks,

etc.

Levies on Bangladesh financial bonds through the treas-


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SOURCE OF FUNDING RECOMMENDATION

ury

Establishment of a road safety fund.

(iix) Roadside Advertisement RHD already manage roadside advertisement through a set

draft executive rules and regulations12

. A certain percentage

of the income could be kept and channelized directly for road

safety awareness campaign purposes.

(ix) Leasing of Government Land There is also a set of rules for temporary leasing unused gov-

ernment land along the roadside. A percentage could be

channelized to road safety.

(x) Development partners The international development partners are receptive to re-

quests for support for road safety. Several development part-

ners have attempted to provide support over the last 15

years, such as IDC, NDF, WB and ADB. However, they expect

true commitment from GoB to engage. The efforts must be

demand driven and based on real ownership as many previ-

ous attempts to strengthen road safety in Bangladesh have

petered out after technical assistance and foreign funding

dries out.

(xi) Other innovative opportunities Although it may only generate small funds, the following op-

tions for raising funding for road safety could be considered:

Sale of road side trees and other unserviceable

goods/materials

Revenues collected from hire charge of equipment

Taxes collected from bills of contractors

Earnings from the sale of contract documents and manu-

als

Income from utilities companies using existing roads

alignments

After completion of larger bridge and road projects, the

infrastructure (office, equipment etc.) may be leased out

Funds collected from the fines of default contractors

Route permits for transport providers

Income collected from advertising on buses and vehicles

Funding from fairs and conferences

Table 11: Potential future sources of funding for road safety

A Bangladesh Road Fund could manage all or some of the resources suggested above.

12

r&r l-44/94-168 dt 31-03-2009


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Funding of the ‘Five Pillars of Road Safety’

The National Road Safety Strategy follows the UN Decade of Action and the Five Pil-lars of Road Safety, which are:

1. Road Safety Management 2. Safer Roads 3. Safer Vehicles 4. Safer Road Users 5. Post-crash Response.

The below matrix summarize the present situation in relation to the Pillars although the actual amount spent for road safety purposes in Bangladesh remains unknown.

Sources already supporting road safety - but insufficiently Sources already supporting road safety sufficiently

SOURCE:

General

tax reve-

nue

Driver &

vehicle

licensing

fees

Levies on

gas and

petrol

Levies on

vehicles

and spare

parts

Fines for

traffic

offences

Levy on

3rd

Party

Vehicle

Insurance

Devel-

opment

partners

Ngo’s and private

business

MECHANISM:

Through

MoF to

agencies

Goes to

treasury

None for

road

safety

None for

road

safety

Goes to

treasury

None for

road

safety

Develop-

ment aid

and loans

Sponsor-

ships &

innova-

tion

1.RS management and

coordination

(Lead Agency)

1.Data management

(Police, BRTA)

1.Analysis and research

(Lead Agency, BUET)

1.Capacity building

(all key agencies)

2.Standards in planning and

design (MoC)

2.RS infrastructure im-

provements

(RHD, LGED, City Corps.)

3.Vehicle licensing

(BRTA)

4.Driver training/licensing

(BRTA)

4.Enforcement

(Police)

4.Campaigns, information

and education

Lead Age , MoE, NGO s

5.Emergency response

(MoH)

Table 12: Road Safety Activities and present sources of funding


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Suggested Future Funding Framework

The matrix below is a preliminary suggestion for possible opportunities for new sources of funding in Bangladesh.

Sources already supporting road safety, which can be further explored. New sources of funding.

SOURCE:

General tax

revenue

Driver &

vehicle

licensing

fee

Levy on

gas and

petrol

Levy on

vehicles

and road

use (toll)

Fines for

traffic

offences

Levy on

3rd

Party

Vehicle

Insurance

Devel-

opment

partners

NGO’s and private

business

MECHANISM: To agencies

via MoF

To BRTA

via MoC

To agen-

cies via

Road

Fund

To agen-

cies via

Road

Fund

To the

Police via

MoHA

To agen-

cies via

Insurance

Fund

Develop-

ment aid

and loans

Sponsor-

ship/

innovation

1.RS management, coor-

dination, promotion and

legislation (Lead Agency)

TA only

1.Accident Information

System (Police, BRTA)

1.Analysis and research

(Lead Agency, BUET)

1.Capacity building (all

key agencies)

2.Standards in planning

and design (MoC)

2. Road safety infrastruc-

ture improvements

(RHD, LGED, City Corps.)

3.Vehicle licensing

(BRTA) TA only

4.Driver train-

ing/licensing

(BRTA)

4.Enforcement (Police)

TA only

4.Campaigns, infor-

mation and education

(Lead Agency, MoE,

NGO s

5.Emergency response

(MoH) TA only

Table 13: Road Opportunities for future funding for road safety in Bangladesh

Outputs

Road Safety Diagnosis & Funding Framework for Road Safety (Consia. February 2013)


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8 On-the-job Training

Activities

During the course of the assignment the Consultant Team acknowledged that one of the most important tasks involved the on-the-job training. It was clearly evident that the Road Safety Division officers (forming the executing agency) are relatively young professionals with little or no experience in Road Safety.

The main activity involved regular meetings with the RSD officers on both technical and non-technical issues. In addition the Team Leader made a point to visit the RSD offices each morning to discuss the project and any schemes that the RSD officers need help with. Although, this was beyond the scope of the project it was disap-pointing that RSD officers did not fully engage with the consultant team.


It is clearly evident that the RSD officers are young professionals who have recently joined/promoted or moved into the RSD. In any event the operation of the RSD de-partment needs to be streamlined and focused on delivering their duties effectively and efficiently.

A number of examples can be provided on the dedication that RSD officers have shown in delivering this project; unfortunately these examples reflect the hindrance to the project as well as non-cooperation. The main findings reflect the lack of knowledge and dedication by officers, in certain cases the officers are not aware of their duties or the relevant documentation to be used to perform their duties. As mentioned RSD forms part of the Road Design and Safety Circle and the Superin-tending Engineer responsible for this department is actively involved with other du-ties. It is therefore recommended that the Road Safety Division be separated from the Road Design to form an independent Circle. This should then be formalized with a separate Superintending Engineer responsible solely for the delivery of road safety on National, Regional and Zilla roads.

Equipment purchased and handed over to the RSD as a part of this contract will as-sist the RSD officers performing their duties, however, it is recommended that be-spoke offices with up to date IT equipment and software is provided. RSD officers need to be focused on the duties they are assigned and there needs to be improved communication with relevant road safety stakeholders to ensure that road safety schemes are implemented. Furthermore, it is understood that the current Quality Assurance adopted by the RHD needs to be updated to ensure that road safety forms an integral part of the design of new roads.

The main recommendation resulting from the on-the job training resulted in a be-spoke training programed organized for officers which was duly undertaken by the consultant team as outlined in the following chapter.

Outputs

Daily/weekly meetings held with the RSD officers during the term of the assignment Meetings with RHD regional/district officers during field visits


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9 Specific Training Workshops

Activities

During the course of the assignment the Consultant Team acknowledged that the on-the-job training afforded by this assignment will require additional specific training to supplement the basic skills that the Road Safety Division officers currently pos-sess.

A specific 4-day training workshop in Low-cost Road Safety Engineering was orga-nized and carried out at Institute of Engineers Bangladesh building adjacent to Roads and Highways Department, Dhaka on 25th to 30th April 2013.

The Consultant team requested Mr Roger Legassick specifically conduct the road safety training as his previous experience (1997 to 1999) relating to road safety training in Bangladesh provided added value to this project.

The objective of the course was to provide a comprehensive Road Safety Engineering training program for selected engineers in RHD and other government agencies. The course started with an introduction to the road safety problem in the world and its relevance for Bangladesh. The dynamics of accidents were covered which led to presentation and discussions of possible countermeasures. This was followed by methods for analysis of accidents in order to identify hazardous locations and iden-tify common factors in order to suggest efficient countermeasures. A special con-sideration for the vulnerable road users was presented which is pertinent to the cur-rent road safety issues in Bangladesh.

Course participants were given hard copies of all presentations and a CD containing road safety engineering technical documents, publications and manuals both nation-al and international. The full list of participants that attended the course is provided in the Training Program Report and is summarized Table 14.

Table 14: List of participant’s organization attending training course

Organization No. of

participants

Roads and Highways Department (RHD) 12

Bangladesh Highway Police (BHP) 1

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) 1

Accident Research Institute at Bangladesh University for Engineering and Technology (BUET) 1

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) 1

Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) 1

Photographs taken during training workshop


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During the training course the participants produced solutions for two common road safety problems experienced in Bangladesh, this included a bend and a section of national highway through a village/bazaar. The outcome of the solutions identified by the participant groups independently highlighted the need for having reliable and accurate data on accidents. The final session of the training program invited dele-gates to suggest what they consider is required to improve road safety engineering in Bangladesh. Their response is summarized below:

1. Access to reliable data 2. Better communication between the highway authorities 3. A realistic budget 4. Additional engineers 5. To engage local communities

It was noted that the series of nine manuals ‘Bangladesh Procedure Notes’ that were prepared for Roads and Highways in 1998 are not being used. These are based on ‘best practice’ and have been successfully adopted in several countries. Each of the delegates was given a hard and soft copy of the procedure notes.

This course was well attended. The majority of the participants have enthusiastically joined into the exercises, discussions and debates. It is quite clear that they see the relevance and need for this work in Bangladesh. The participants were asked to complete a comprehensive evaluation questionnaire of the course. The course was evaluated by the participants with the course exceeding their expectation. All partic-ipants suggested that future detailed training course should be developed which in-volves site visits.

It is clear that engineers here are capable of carrying out this work. However, the RHD needs to urgently consider increasing the number of engineers in the Road Safety Unit to a more realistic level. Working in road safety engineering should be considered to be a long term involvement. In most developed countries road safety engineers have 20, 30 or even 40 years road safety engineering experience. The prac-tice of rotation should be stopped to allow specialists to grow and develop.

Outputs and Results

Road Safety Engineering Training Course (Consia, May 2013)


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10 Study Tour to Thailand

Activities

The main objective of the study tour to Thailand was to inspire the participants and create an opportunity for integrated knowledge sharing of road safety practices that can be developed by GoB in delivering more sustainable and effective road safety practices.

The study tour covered both technical and managerial issues relating to road safety. To this end the consultant engaged with the Thai government authorities in close collaboration with the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP), utilizing AIP’s extended network of contacts and experience to achieve the required contacts and agreements.

A detailed assessment of the training needs for the RSD officers was first undertak-en by the consultant team executing this project prior to selecting the preferred lo-cation and content of the study tour.

A review of job descriptions and responsibilities concluded that road safety activities are mainly performed by the following three officers within RHD central office in Dhaka:

Deputy Project Manager - Executive Engineer, Road Safety Division

Sub Divisional Engineer, Road Safety Engineer

Assistant Engineer, Road Safety Division

It was therefore essential that the RSD officers were selected together with other rel-evant candidates, namely 2 personnel from the Roads Division in Ministry of Com-munication (MOC), 1 from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), 1 from the Planning Com-mission, 1 form the IMED and 1 from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) for the study tour:

Table 15: Selected RSD Delegates for Study Tour

Organization Name Title

RHD

Md Mahboob Ul Alam Additional Chief Engineer (RHD)

Mohammad Shaheen Sarker Executive Engineer

Shamima Yasmin Sub-Divisional Engineer

Md. Zia Uddin Assistant Engineer

Roads Division Md Abdul Malek Deputy Secretary

Muhammad Yousuf Senior Assistant Secretary

Finance Division Arfin Ara Begum Joint Secretary

Planning Com-

mission

Hamida Idris

Deputy Chief

IMED Maliha Nargis Director, IMED

BRTA Md Hamidur Rahman Deputy Director (Road Safety)

Total 10

The Consultant’s Team Leader also attended the study tour and provided additional training seminars and capacity building during the course of the study tour.

Prior to selecting Thailand, the consultant’s team considered China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Thailand and how the visit potentially could be paired with on-going


60

CONSIACONSIA

activities of interest. A study tour was initially planned for Intertraffic international road conference and exhibition in China, however due to constant delays and inter-nal GoB issues regarding delegates and funding resulted in this study tour being aborted and an alternative study tour organized to Thailand.

The choice fell on Thailand, because it is struggling with high accident rates but is now intensifying the organization of road safety with a new Strategic Map towards 2020, and a Road Safety Master Plan for 2013-2016. The consultant team therefore found that Thailand could host a very interesting and inspiring study tour and took contact to relevant stakeholders.

The consultant team liaised with the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) in Bangkok to pre-pare an intensive program for the study tour participants that will give them access to stakeholders and authorities in charge of road safety, among other Department of Highways and the Police. The AIP was able to facilitate access to the authorities and prepare a technical and a non-technical program that suited the participants’ inter-ests and needs. A full list of the Study Tour Program is provided in Table 16 below.

The study tour comprised the following elements:

Meetings and presentations by overseeing Road Safety Agencies (Government

departments, and major stakeholders)

Meetings with major NGOs working with road safety

Field trip providing examples of road safety improvement schemes

Field trips and presentations to demonstrate future mass transportation sys-

tems that can influence road safety positively.

Day Time

Group

Organization Activity Technical

Non-

Technical

10

Jun

10.30-12.00 Department of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation Meeting

14.00-15.00 Department of Highway Meeting

16.00-18.00

Suggested Construction Site Field Trip

Trauma Care Centre Field Trip

11

Jun

09.00-10.00 Department of Land Transport Meeting

11.00-12.00 Car Balance Testing Centre Field Trip

14.00-18.00 Suggested Black spot 1 & Black Spot 2 Field Trip

Honda Training Centre Field Trip

12

Jun

9.00-10.00 Bangkok Mass Transit System PLC. (Sky Train) Meeting

11.00-12.00 Road Accident Victim Protection Co Meeting

14.00-18.00 Big Car Driving School Field Trip

13

Jun

09.00-11.00 Bangkok Metro PLC. (Subway) Field Trip

11.30-12.30 Embassy of Bangladesh Meeting

14.00-18.00 National Institute for Emergency Medicine Meeting

Table 16: RSIP Thailand Study Tour Program

The program of events, meetings and field trips was carefully designed to ensure that both technical and non-technical areas associated with road safety are covered.


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The final meeting forming part of the study tour was with the Bangladesh Ambassa-dor in Thailand, this was designed to encourage all delegates to attend all activities and present their initial findings to the Ambassador.

The consultant team received encouraging feedback from all the delegates during the study tour confirming that the programmed meetings and field trips exceeded their expectation.


The participants were asked to take notes and collect relevant information during the trip and subsequently prepare study tour report to capture the most important ideas, experience and information obtained, and how they will apply it in practice as part of their work, or in the future within their organizations.

Although not formally recorded, it became evident from non-RHD delegates that funding for road safety is available from central government, however the current organizational setup and activities of the road safety division within the RHD needs to be strengthened and needs to be proactive.

All participants have been informed that they will need to collate information from the study tour and present their findings at a workshop/meeting. Although the con-tract is coming to a conclusion the consultant team would recommend that the presentation is forwarded to the team leader to review.

Outputs

Study Tour Report 1 to China (Consia, January 2013)

Study Tour Report 2 to Thailand (Consia, April 26, 2013)

All GoB delegates attending the study tour are requested to present their findings of the study tour to the GoB and ADB on their return to Bangladesh.


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11 Review and Action Plans for 300km High-risk Roads

Activities

The objective of this task is to undertake Stage 5 Road Safety Audits on 300km of high risk roads which have been selected from the iRAP surveys and additional routes obtained from the RSD. It is intended that this task will strengthen the road safety management capacity and assist RSD officers in addressing road safety engi-neering in Bangladesh, on national level as well as key agency level.

The task involved an initial review of all available data, however the absence of acci-dent data resulted in additional work to derive the high risk corridors. A detailed analysis for selecting the high risk roads was undertaken and presented at a work-shop/seminar held at the RHD on 30th January 2013. The route selection was then refined to take into account local knowledge obtained from the RHD field officers.

Following site selection a detailed methodology statement was prepared, this ena-bled to schedule site visits and inform the relevant RHD field officers of the routes selected. The absence of accident data meant that additional time was spent during the site visits to identify perceived accident black spots, a number of attempts were made to obtain accident data (visiting RHD district offices, Local Police stations and talking to local communities along routes). However each attempt yielded very little information. It was intentionally agreed that the routes selected (17 in total) com-prised of smaller sections throughout Bangladesh as it is perceived that this would provide a more holistic approach in not only addressing road safety at a national level but training local field officers on road safety. Each site visit where feasible included a visit to the local RHD office, where the consultant team explained the pro-ject and provided additional road safety training and requested assistance in identi-fying road safety black spots.

In accordance with the ToR it was expected that the GoB (RSD) would provide draw-ings of the existing layout, however it became apparent that the RSD did not have any drawings, consequently the consultant team had to prepare outlines of existing conditions which could then be developed further to show the proposed layout con-taining the low cost countermeasures. The overall task culminated in a detailed re-port which contained the following:

Methodology for selecting up to 300km of high risk roads

Non Engineering measures to be adopted for implementing road safety schemes

Independent Stage 5 Road Safety Audits on perceived accident black spots and typical sections along selected routes

Drawings showing existing layout and proposed layout

Cost estimates of proposed accident countermeasures

Summary of key road safety problems on National Highway Network

Development of National Road Safety Program

The absence/lack of accident data, drawings and surveys together with the political situation has delayed the delivery of this task. A review of the Stage 5 Road Safety Audits for perceived accident black spots has identified a total of 123 sites on 17 sections of roads throughout Bangladesh. The findings of the Stage 5 Road Safety


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Audits have been used to derive the National Road Safety Program for Bangladesh as well as identifying non-engineering measures.


In broad terms the road safety on National and Regional highway networks needs to be addressed, the current engineering deficiencies have highlighted that there are common road safety engineering problems that need to be addressed immediately.

The predominant and most cost effective road safety measures are road signs and markings, provision of safe pedestrian crossing and addressing the degradation of the shoulder drop off. The overall findings of the current road safety engineering deficiencies on the highway network have enabled a National Road Safety Program to be developed. The National Road Safety Program has used the cost estimates for the individual schemes (123 sites) and iRAP estimates for road safety countermeasures for the respective routes to set out a blueprint for future investment.

The assessment of the high risk roads has also enabled an investment plan for road safety engineering to be established, however the absence of accident data for the selected sites makes it impossible to work out the cost benefit of the investment and it is therefore recommended that accident data is collated on control sites to deter-mine the cost benefit of the investment.

Although the National Road Safety Program is subject to government approval it provides a basis for the RHD to develop and implement road safety engineering schemes on a local and national level. The National Road Safety Program should be developed over a short, medium and long term aspiration in order to provide a common goal of reducing road accidents in Bangladesh. For the purpose of the fu-ture investment it is considered that the following timescales should be used:

Short Term - Present day to 5 years

Medium Term - 5 years to 10 years

Long Term - 10 years onwards

The National Road Safety Program has identified three streams of road safety engi-neering that can be implemented by the RHD, this includes accident black spot treatment, mass action and route studies. Cost estimates derived from iRAP assess-ment have been used to estimate the cost of delivering the National Safety Program, based on the assumption that each accident black spot comprises of 200m, a mass action site consist of 50m and the cost of delivering the route study will be the same as identified by iRAP (combination of high and low cost measures). Table 17 summa-rizes the cost estimate of delivering the National Safety Program based on iRAP high and low cost measures.

Table 17: Approximate Investment required in Road Safety Engineering to deliver Na-tional Road Safety Program using iRAP cost estimate for selected corridors Notwithstanding the road safety engineering it is equally important to assess the non-engineering measures for improving road safety in Bangladesh. In broad terms non-engineering measures play a major role in reducing the number of road acci-


64

CONSIACONSIA

dents in developing countries, however the approach adopted in Bangladesh is frag-mented and needs to be reorganized to formulate a more cohesive approach. A number of areas have been examined by the consultant team as a part of this pro-ject, this includes the following:

Community Based Training Activities

The government of Bangladesh should take appropriate steps to increase social awareness through community based activities and to integrate local community in-volvement in road safety. In this respect local community leaders should be moti-vated for participating in community based actions for improving road safety. This should include measures such as:

How to cross a road safely

Proper care for the school children’s while they use road to attend school

Basic knowledge for signage & marking

Protect the road from unusual activities like drying of paddy, hay, etc.

Not to cut embankment slopes

How to get on and off public transport

Pedestrian basic behaviour and norms

Road encroachment and congestion

First aid treatment basic idea & other activities

The implementation of the above measures can be conducted through an approved Non-Governmental Organization. It is estimated that 3.75core funding via GoB and private funders will be required to implement this program for 250km over a 2 year period.

Safe Crossing Facilities

It is evident from the accident data that is available that the major casualties in road accidents are vulnerable road users mainly pedestrians, it is therefore essential that an investment program to reduce pedestrian fatalities is developed. During the term of the project it is understood that an NGO (Safe Crossings) has signed a memoran-dum of understanding with the GoB to establish safe pedestrian crossings on the Na-tional Highways.

An assessment by the consultant team has identified that the establishment of raised pedestrian crossings or gateway features at locations where there is greater road side activity or near educational institutions will assist in reducing pedestrian fatalities. It is estimated that 2.25core funding via GoB and private funders will be required to implement this program for 250km over a 2 year period, although it must be stated that discussions between the donor agency and the GoB must be held to establish actual costs and coordination of schemes implemented by NGO’s.

Post-crash Treatment & First Aid Treatment in Rural Areas

From the assessment of high risk roads it was noted that the national highways pass through busy bazaars and urban areas. Although rural doctors, medical centers, hospitals and village doctors are located in close proximity to the national highways it is noted that appropriate paramedic training for health workers may be required to assist road accident causalities prior to transportation to a nearby hospital, trau-ma centre or district hospital. Additional funding will also be required to provide additional ambulances for transportation of road accident causalities. Discussions


65

CONSIACONSIA

with Ministry of Health has identified that funding in the region of 6 core would be required to improve health services for road accident victims.

Policing

Discussions with the Highway and Local police have identified that major funding is required to improve the enforcement of traffic violations and reduce potential road accident fatalities in Bangladesh. The main requirements include strengthening ca-pacity and manpower of constables and officers, provision of improved equipment and logistics, provide training and re-organize duties to discharge administration duties. Although an initial estimate of 12 core has been suggested for the invest-ment required to improve policing of the national highways it is recommended that further discussions are held with the Ministry of Home Affairs to establish the true cost, it is anticipated that a separate TA is undertaken to establish improvements in the operation of the highway and local policing in Bangladesh.

Education

Education forms a pivotal role in improving road safety, however through the course of the project a number of meetings with the education department have been held to understand the true extend of funding required. The discussions have identified that additional staff are required to provide a holistic approach to addressing road safety education. This will require new offices and a comprehensive database of school children in order to target key schools. Additional funding in terms of train-ing school teachers at district and Thana level is required as well as logistic support (computers, software) in addition it has been identified that the education depart-ment would be eager to obtain necessary audio visual equipment to promote road safety via road shows at local schools. An estimated funding of 5.00 cores is re-quired to establish a package of measures to improve road safety for school chil-dren.

BRTA

The BRTA is responsible for the recording and storage road accident data, however the current system MAPP5 is outdated and cumbersome. The quality of data is very poor and is effectively obsolete. The absence of an accident database will make the analysis of road accidents impossible as experienced through this project and con-sequently restrict addressing the current and future road safety in Bangladesh. Dis-cussions with the BRTA have identified the following requirements although no fi-nancial estimate on funding requirement has been provided:

1. Manpower especially for enforcement & other legal magistrate, task force members, etc.

2. Give priority for a smart, efficient accident data system. Also engage more technical persons for accident database. Create at least 3 extra posts for ac-cident data analyst.

3. Strengthen activities of district level & communication should be made with zonal metropolitan headquarters.

4. Data processing & transfer system should be efficient and accurate. 5. Provide equipment and vehicles to enable a modern and efficient system. 6. Arrange for more training for increasing awareness to the drivers. 7. Provide refreshers course to the new drivers.

Investment Cost

It is acknowledged that one of the purposes of this assignment is to provide a future investment plan for road safety in Bangladesh. It should be acknowledged that the


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assessment undertaken by Consia has specifically addressed perceived accident black spots along route assessments undertaken by iRAP. However for the purpose of assisting the GoB and ADB additional assessments have been undertaken. The investment in road safety identified by iRAP for the routes selected by Consia has been summarised in Table 19 below:

Table 19: Cost estimate of 300km high risk roads (iRAP January 2013) The total cost of implementing road safety measures using iRAP for the 17 routes would equate to 4,214,801,641 Bdt ($52,685,021), or an average cost of 15,904,912 Bdt ($198,811) per kilometre. The costs estimate of road safety countermeasures for the perceived accident black spots for the respective routes is summarised in the table below:

Table 20: Cost estimate of 300km high risk roads 123 sites (Consia June 2013) The total cost of implementing road safety measures for the 123 perceived black spots on the 17 selected routes would equate to 225,538,794 Bdt ($2,477,545), or an average cost of 1,818,861 Bdt ($19,980) per site (assuming each site covers approxi-mately 200m). However, it should be noted that each site varies in length and com-plexity of accident mitigation measures, therefore by simply multiplying the costs for accident safety measures by 5 (equating to a cost per km) will not provide a di-

BDT (Taka) USA ($) BDT (Taka) USA ($)

N1-40 TO N1-43 1 10.1 279,805,186 3,497,565 27,703,484 43,720

N1-72 - LINK ROAD-MARICHA 2 16.2 249,811,061 3,122,638 15,420,436 39,033

N2-17 - SARAIL (INT.WITH R220)-JAGADISHPUR 3 30.1 258,581,968 3,232,275 8,590,763 40,403

N2-18 - JAGADISHPUR-SHAISTAGANJ (PETROL PUMP) 4 25.0 189,845,633 2,373,070 7,593,825 29,663

N2-25 - RASHIDPUR-INT.WITH Z2013 5 11.0 139,864,773 1,748,310 12,714,979 21,854

N4-6 - MIRZAPUR-PAKULLAH 6 8.0 300,912,002 3,761,400 37,614,000 47,018

N4-9 - NAGARJALPAI (INT.WITH N404)-BAILA (INT.WITH N404) 7 6.2 283,300,735 3,541,259 45,693,667 44,266

N4-10 - TANGAIL-ELENGA 8 6.4 164,694,335 2,058,679 25,733,490 25,733

N5-7 - NABINAGAR-DULIVITA 9 6.1 172,696,223 2,158,703 28,310,856 26,984

N7-15 TO N7-19 10 27.3 338,826,130 4,235,327 12,411,214 52,942

N7-26 - RAJAHAT(JESSORE)-PREMBAG(INT.WITHZ7049) 11 14 327,174,440 4,089,681 23,369,603 51,121

N704-4 - SHEKHPARA-BOTTOLIMORE(KUSHTIA) 12 19.9 270,141,782 3,376,772 13,574,964 42,210

N704-7 - TRIMOHONI(KUSHTIA)-INT.WITHZ7411(BHERAMARA) 13 13.8 288,713,075 3,608,913 20,921,237 45,111

N8-25 TO N8-27 14 10.1 271,121,308 3,389,016 26,843,694 42,363

R880-5 TO END 15 40 432,769,425 5,409,618 10,819,236 67,620

N5-30 - CHANDAIKONA-SHERPUR (INT.WITH Z5049) 16 14 108,393,969 1,354,925 7,742,426 16,937

N6-23 - SHAHEBBAZAR-RAJSHAHI (COURTBAZAR)-DUALCARRIAGEWAYRIGHT(LEFT) 17 6.8 138,149,596 1,726,870 20,316,117 21,586

Cost of iRAP Counter

measures

Average Cost Estimate per

Km iRAP Corridor Route

Number

Length

(Km)

BDT (Taka) USA ($) BDT (Taka) USA ($)

N1-40 TO N1-43 1 10.1 7 10,191,970 127,400 1,455,996 18,199.95

N1-72 - LINK ROAD-MARICHA 2 16.2 10 19,410,425 242,630 1,941,043 24,263.03

N2-17 - SARAIL (INT.WITH R220)-JAGADISHPUR 3 30.1 21 36,933,050 461,663 1,758,717 21,983.96

N2-18 - JAGADISHPUR-SHAISTAGANJ (PETROL PUMP) 4 25.0 6 11,497,185 143,715 1,916,198 23,952.47

N2-25 - RASHIDPUR-INT.WITH Z2013 5 11.0 9 16,743,885 209,299 1,860,432 23,255.40

N4-6 - MIRZAPUR-PAKULLAH 6 8.0 4 8,719,570 108,995 2,179,893 27,248.66

N4-9 - NAGARJALPAI (INT.WITH N404)-BAILA (INT.WITH N404) 7 6.2 3 5,861,715 73,271 1,953,905 24,423.81

N4-10 - TANGAIL-ELENGA 8 6.4 3 6,489,205 81,115 2,163,068 27,038.35

N5-7 - NABINAGAR-DULIVITA 9 6.1 5 8,414,490 105,181 1,682,898 21,036.23

N7-15 TO N7-19 10 27.3 9 17,718,714 221,484 1,968,746 24,609.33

N7-26 - RAJAHAT(JESSORE)-PREMBAG(INT.WITHZ7049) 11 14 8 12,811,145 160,139 1,601,393 20,017.41

N704-4 - SHEKHPARA-BOTTOLIMORE(KUSHTIA) 12 19.9 4 6,602,245 82,528 1,650,561 20,632.02

N704-7 - TRIMOHONI(KUSHTIA)-INT.WITHZ7411(BHERAMARA) 13 13.8 5 9,261,290 115,766 1,852,258 23,153.23

N8-25 TO N8-27 14 10.1 5 9,091,535 113,644 1,818,307 22,728.84

R880-5 TO END 15 40 8 11,963,190 149,540 1,495,399 18,692.48

N5-30 - CHANDAIKONA-SHERPUR (INT.WITH Z5049) 16 14 3 11,963,190 64,415 3,987,730 49,846.63

N6-23 - SHAHEBBAZAR-RAJSHAHI (COURTBAZAR)-DUALCARRIAGEWAYRIGHT(LEFT) 17 6.8 14 21,865,990 16,760 1,561,856 19,523.21

iRAP Corridor Route

Number

Length

(Km)

Average Cost Estimate per

SiteNumber of

sites

Total Cost Estimate for sites

identifed within Routes


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rect comparison between iRAP and the detailed cost estimates for the respective in-dividual site. Notwithstanding the above and in order to assist the ADB an invest-ment plan based on the combination of assessments can be derived albeit additional work will be required, however the following phasing is suggested. Phase I: Investment cost for 123 high risk sites would equate to approximately 225,538,794 Bdt ($2,477,545). Phase Ia: Investment cost for delivery of 300km would equate to approximately 4,214,801,641 Bdt ($52,685,021), however this should be reduced by the investment costs associated with Phase I. For Phase II, Investment cost for delivery of 1,372 km of National Highway based on the assessment undertaken by iRAP equates to $$71,906,316 (table 22 of iRAP Re-port) Phase III: The draft Investment Cost for remaining sections of national/regional roads under RHD could be factored using the iRAP analysis, however it is recom-mended that the actual cost estimates for delivering Phase Ia is used to derive more accurate investment.

Outputs

o Road Safety Programs on Selected High-risk Corridors (Consia, May

2013)

o Volume 2 Road Safety Programs on Selected High-risk Corridors';

o Volume 3 Drawings showing 123 existing and proposed layouts of

low/high cost road safety engineering measures


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12 Additional Works

Activities

The consultant team is committed to improving road safety in Bangladesh as a part of this project and have wherever possible assisted the GoB and various stakeholders in providing additional assistance above and beyond the scope of the TA. The con-sultant provided the following services free of charge, i.e. within the agreed contract amounts, although they were not directly part of the ToR:

Four day intensive, basic road safety course for 15 participants from RHD,

Advice on project design of the sub-regional road project relating to highway

safety associated with safety fencing along steep slopes

Advice and assistance to ADB national consultant working on the Sustainable

Regional Development Program

Road Safety advice relating to the Dhaka – Chittagong 4-laning route

Attendance and participation at various road safety seminars held during the

term of the contract

Assisting RSD officers on site visits and project work

Attending recent accident black spots and providing road safety advice

Meetings with regional RHD officers regarding road safety issues in districts

As a part of the delivery of the project the consultant team met with the ADB mis-sion officers to understand the future investment of road safety in Bangladesh fol-lowing the completion of this project. Whilst the current road safety issues are acknowledged through the commissioning of this project, it equally important to set out the future investment, to this avail the consultant team have prepared a draft Terms of Reference for the 2 most critical areas that will need to addressed these include the following:

Accident Information System (AIS)

The establishment of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA)

Appendix 7 provides a draft ToR and initial cost estimates for the respective the measures identified above, however it should be noted that the GoB have recently strengthened the existing National Road Safety Council by appointing additional ministers to the organizational set up. Unfortunately the appointment of the minis-ters to the NRSC was implemented following the completion of this assignment and it has therefore not been possible to assess the impact that his would have on the formulation of the NRSA, in any event the information contained in Appendix 7 will provide further assistance to donor agencies for future investments in road safety in Bangladesh.


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13 Design and Monitoring Framework

Design and Monitoring Frameworks (DMF) for the respective areas of road safety im-provement programs for Bangladesh have been prepared for an investment project. The DMF’s have been developed on the key findings and recommendations from the Non-Engineering and Safety Engineering related from the 300km high-risk road.

The DMF includes the following:

Task 1 and 2: Establishment of a new and effective road accident reporting,

database and analysis tool, rolled out on the 300km highway identified as

part of the RSIP

Task 3, 4, 5 and 6: Planning and implementation of an intensive road safety

pilot program for the identified 300km highway and evaluation of all inter-

ventions, including:

-Engineering measures

-Information campaigns

-Education campaigns

-Police enforcement campaigns

-Training

-Procurement of equipment

Task 7: Preparation of a results-oriented strategy for the remaining part of

the road network, developed on basis of experience from the 300km pilot

program. The strategy will tie in with a future version of the National Road

Safety Strategic Plan

This grand-scale pilot program can in practice be initiated relatively quickly although it needs elaboration during the Inception Phase to suit the situation when the pro-gram is started. It will take around 4 years to implement the Pilot Program, gradually building up the Bangladeshi capacity as follows:

Role Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Leading International

experts

International

experts

Bangladeshi

experts

Bangladeshi

experts

Assisting Bangladeshi

experts

Bangladeshi

experts

International

experts

Bangladeshi

experts

Table 21: Implementation of Pilot Program

The program will need to involve existing road safety specialists in Bangladesh to ensure that existing experience is consolidated and utilized to kick-start the pro-gram.

The program can then continue into nationwide implementation of best practices developed during the program, entirely managed by Bangladeshi experts.

Moreover, the Consultant also suggests that the following initiatives are initiated when there is sufficient commitment to implement them:

A results-oriented National Road Safety Strategy and Action Plans for all

stakeholders are prepared for the Five Pillars of Road Safety, endorsed in Par-


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liament, fully financed, and the involved public agencies held fully responsi-

ble for the implementation of urgent high-impact interventions.

Establishment of an NRSA with initial funding from development partners,

later from the Bangladesh Road Fund.

Bangladesh Road Fund is established to secure sustainable long-term fund-

ing for road safety.

A highway code and intensified presence and enforcement by the Police

should be instituted to deter road users from committing offences.

The above four suggestions are not included in the DMF because they require a pro-cess with key-agencies outside the domain of the MoC (namely the Police), and not least the highest political level.

In order to improve the layout of the DMF additional DMF’s for the establishment of the National Road Safety Authority and the development of an Accident Information System have also been developed and enclosed in Appendix 8.

These processes may not be straight forward. Any delay will hamper the realization of the UN Decade of Action objective for 2020.


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14 Summary on Findings, Recommendations and Lessons Learned

All issues and recommendations identified during the RSIP have been reviewed, up-dated, streamlined to avoid repetition. The results are presented in Appendix 6: Ma-trix with Issues and Recommendations Identified.

The matrix is not all-encompassing but it points some of the most important steps GoB, MoC, MoHA and their agencies need to take to progress in road safety.

In order to address road safety in Bangladesh it is imperative that a proper road ac-cident database is set up, without this in place it is impossible to assess and address road safety in the country.

It is with regret that the executing agency RHD have not fulfilled all their contractual obligations as set out in the ToR, the absence of data and drawings has resulted in additional work and time spent by the consultant team to address the ToR. Whilst every effort has been made by the international consultants to engage with the RSD its officers did not reciprocate this offer.

The major issues regarding road safety within the RHD is that the continuous rota-tion of staff means that any capacity building that has been developed will be lost, the new staff in place are well educated but lack basic understanding of road safety, as a result the future of road safety is diminished. This could result from the fact that the current office environment is poor and that there is no set budget for road safety instead road safety is funded via projects. The RHD has not integrated road safety in design, construction and maintenance and it appears that it does not have the capacity to carry out these activities in a systematic approach.

The Consultant Team has learned that LGED with support from the World Bank is in the process of preparing a project for a road accident database system for LGED roads, as well as an action plan for road safety. It is highly recommended that the involved agencies in future WB and LGED supported road safety projects try to coor-dinate the good initiatives to ensure that they are efficient and targeted at relevant issues. Isolated projects may have an impact but it may not address the severe road safety situation effectively on a national scale. A results-oriented national road safe-ty action plan is needed and a modern national road accident information system is needed.

In any event it has been observed that the lack of communication between road safe-ty stakeholders means that a number of duplicated projects relating to road safety are implemented, for example three separate organizations are implementing driver awareness courses. Yet all courses if delivered through one delivery mechanism and distributed through individual organisations would result in a more holistic and cost effective way.


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List of Appendices

Appendix 1: Road Safety Audit in Road Rehabilitation Contracts

Appendix 2: Study Tour Program

Appendix 3: Integration of Road Safety in Road Rehabilitation Contracts

Appendix 4: Business Procedure for Data-led Road Safety Works

Appendix 5: Business Procedure for Road Safety Audits

Appendix 6: Matrix with Issues and Recommendations Identified

Appendix 7: Terms of Reference & Cost Estimate for AIS and NRSA

Appendix 8: DMF

Appendix 9: Problem Tree


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Appendix 1: Road Safety Audit in Road Rehabilita-tion Contracts


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Draft Procedure for

INTEGRATION OF ROAD SAFETY IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION & REHABILITATION CONTRACTS

1. Initial Accident Data Review by RSD

The RHD Road Safety Division (RSD) conducts an initial road accident data review and inspec-

tion on the road section due for rehabilitation. The data should include police registered ac-

cidents for the latest three years. The review should as a minimum identify and present the

most accident-prone locations, the most frequent types of accidents, road users most at risk,

major contributory accident factors, and a map or diagram of the section with all fatal acci-

dents marked as accurately as possible. This will provide basic information for the consult-

ants/contractors and create the necessary baseline for performance monitoring of road ac-

cidents after the project is completed.

2. Design Standards

The review should include preliminary suggestions for solutions to reduce fatal accidents

(ideally by 50% from 2010 to 2020 in line with the National Road Safety Strategic Action

Plan), which can be included in the tender documents as a guide to the bidders. The review

should furthermore provide bidders with sufficient information to design the needed types

of interventions and related costs by including references to the following standards, which

the consultants/contractors need to adhere to:

Geometric Road Design Standards (MoC 2005)

Road Safety improvement Works Manual (MoC 2005)

Guidelines for Road Safety Audit (MoC 2005)

Road Traffic Signs Manual (RHD 1999)

The bidders can also suggest other solutions in line with international best practices, or from

specific countries which have effectively reduced the number of road fatalities under condi-

tions similar to Bangladeshi conditions, and with due considerations to vulnerable road us-

ers.

3. Road Safety Design Engineer

The bidders are obliged to employ a road safety engineer with at least 3 years proven expe-

rience with road safety. The engineer will work as part of the design team and be responsi-

ble for road safety in design and during construction, and maintenance in case of a build-

construct-operate contract.

4. Road Safety Auditor

The bidders are obliged to contract an independent, certified, international road safety audi-

tor with at least 3 years proven experience, including experience with audits of major high-

way projects. The auditor will be responsible for road safety audits in design and during con-

struction.


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5. Road Safety Audit Procedure

The road safety auditor will be provided with the RHD-RSD accident review and preliminary

recommendations, the prescribed design standards, and design drawings at the below speci-

fied project stages:

Stage 1: Initial design, if relevant

Stage 2: Draft design

Stage 3: Detailed design.

Furthermore, the auditor will carry out inspections

Shortly before finalization

After finalization.

The auditor will carry out an inspection on the road before construction starts, shortly be-

fore finalization, and shortly after finalization to ensure that the implementation of audit

recommendations is carried out as prescribed.

The auditor will be provided with design drawings and other relevant information at each of

the stages 1-3. The auditor will then identify potential problems in the design, which may

increase the risk of serious accidents, and suggest one or more solutions for each identified

problem. The suggested solutions should be realistic and implementable at the given project

stage. The auditor signs and sends the report to the design team for action, and to RHD for

information. The design team reviews the recommendations, prepares a reply for each iden-

tified problem explaining how it will be addressed, and discuss and agrees on the decisions

with RHD. RHD signs the reply document, which is forwarded to the auditor.

In case the Client is a development partner, a copy of the design teams decisions will be for-

warded for information to the relevant organization and final approval. The recommenda-

tions will subsequently be implemented in the design and checked by the road safety auditor

during the audit on next stage.

6. Performance Monitoring

RHD produces an annual update of the initial review of road accidents for the entire con-

struction and operation period. The objective is, in line with the National Road Safety Strate-

gic Action Plan, to reduce road fatalities by 50% from 2010 to 2020. This will generally be

very difficult to achieve but lesser will impact negatively on the achievement of the national

objective.

The road safety auditor or RHD-RSD will carry out a road accident assessment after 3 years

with conclusions on accident trends and recommendations for remedial measures, if need-

ed, which can be implemented as part of road maintenance. Suggestions for information and

enforcement activities may also be included and forwarded to the Police and the National

Road Safety Council.


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Appendix 2: Study Tour Programme


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Day Time Schedule Description

1 PM Flying from Dhaka to Bangkok Depart: 13:35 Arrive: 17: 00

2

AM

Going to Ministry of Transport and

Department of Highways (DOH)

1. The Ministry of Transport (the former Ministry of Communications) have overall responsibility for

transportation, transportation – related business, traffic planning, and transport infrastructure development.

At present, the Ministry of Transport is composed of the government administrations and the state enterpris-

es as follows:

A. Government Administrations State Enterprises: (1)Office of the minister; (2)Office of the Permanent

Secretary; (3)Marine Department; (4)Department of Land Transport; (5)Department of Civil Aviation;

(6)Department of Highways; (7)Department of Rural Roads; (8)Office of Transport Policy and Traffic

B. State Enterprises: (1)State Railway of Thailand; (2)Port Authority of Thailand; (3)Mass Rapid Transit

Authority of Thailand; (4)Expressway & Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand; (5)Bangkok Mass Transit

Authority; (6)Civil Aviation Training Centre; (7)Thai Airways international Public Company Limited;

(8)The Transport Company Limited Traffic; (9)Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited; (10)Thai

Maritime Navigation Company Limited; (11)Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Limited; (12) Suvarnabhumi

Airport Hotel Company Limited; (13)THAI-AMADEUS Southeast Asia Company Limited

2. DOH:

2.1. Development of highway infrastructure in terms of integration in response to a national agenda.

2.2. Maintain the standards to provide the highway network to the satisfaction of highway users.

2.3. Excel in academically engineering work and supervise the administration of highways. To ensure an

efficient transport system. And takes into account social and environmental factors.

2.4. Develop the organization to effectively manage change in attitudes and culture so that organizations can

respond appropriately to these dynamic changes.

3. The Department of Land Transport is responsible for the systematization and regulation of land

transport by conducting the monitoring and inspection to ensure the smooth running and the conformity with

land transport relevant rules and regulations. The DLT’s role also consists in implementing plans to foster

links with other modes of transport so that the land transport becomes well- run, convenient, nationwide and

secure.

Meeting with representatives from the

Ministry of Transport and the Depart-

ment of Highways

Lunch break

PM

Gather at the meeting point

Go to The Department of Land

Transport

Meeting with the representatives of

The Department of Land Transport

Meeting at the meeting point to go

back to the hotel

Relax

Meeting at the meeting point to go to

dinner

Dinner


back to hotel


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CONSIACONSIA


3

AM

Going to Department of Disaster

Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM)

DDPM is the central agency in Thailand responsible for coordinating disaster response and disaster risk

reduction. It is a dependent department of The Ministry of Interior. It acts as secretariat of the National Road

Safety Directing Centre

Thai Roads Foundation is funded by Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Ministry of Public Health to

watch and reflex real situation on road safety under the nickname of MIS Node. The mission is 1) to develop

and manage data of traffic crashes in holistic way and real time as well as to analyze knowledge and present

the information / report to related parties with a purpose to reflex the real problems to all level in consisten-

cy and 2) to promote the advantage of information and knowledge base consistently for strategic planning

and solution measurement of traffic accidents including monitoring and evaluation in national, regional and

provincial level effectively and tangibly.

Research Centre for Road Safety: it has been one of the key partners of National Road Safety Directing

Centre (NRSDC). NRSDC is responsible for road safety in Thailand. More information could be forwarded

if needed.

Meeting with representatives from

RSDC

Gather at the meeting point to go for

lunch

Lunch break

PM

Gather at the meeting point to Thai

Roads Foundation/ or Research

Center for Road Safety

Meeting with representatives from

Thai Roads Foundation

Go back to the hotel and relax

Gather at the meeting point to go to

dinner

Dinner


back to the hotel


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4

AM

Going to Honda training centre (out-

side of BKK city)/ or Trauma Centre Trauma Centre: The National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM) is the institution, established un-

der the Emergency Medical Act B.E.2551 (2008). The organization is responsible for the administrative

management and coordination between relevant agencies, both public and private sectors, including the

promotion of local governments to play a role in the management of emergency medical services.

This organization is considered as the juristic person of the state, an entity under the supervision of the Min-

ister of Public Health in order to have efficient administration and policy management of medical emergen-

cies and to meet the policy of the Committee of the Emergency Medicine effectively. As a result, the emer-

gency patients have guaranteed and protected rights to access to emergency medical systems; same rights,

equal and quality standards.

Honda is a private sector and has their own driving range and track for motorbikes trainers. It is also an

example of involvement of private sectors in road safety in Thailand.

The Thai police are subdivided into several regions and services, each enjoying their own powers. Central

Investigation Bureau - national coordinating headquarters which assist provincial and metropolitan compo-

nents in preventing and suppressing criminal activity and in minimizing threats to national security. Special-

ized units of the bureau, including the railroad, marine, highway, and forestry police, employed up-to-date

technical equipment, law enforcement techniques, and training. Unlike in many other countries, the Royal

Thai Police extensively utilize pickup trucks and SUVs which are known for their capabilities to move

around in any sort of terrain. Especially in the provincial forces. For traffic regulation and patrolling in cit-

ies, sedans and motorcycles are also used. Highway Police vehicles generally also have equipment like

speed radars, breath analysers and emergency first aid kits. They also use tuktuks, minivans, bicycles, all-

terrain vehicles, boats and helicopters.

Training for road safety

measures/programs


lunch

Lunch break

PM

Going to The Royal Thai Police

Going back to the city

Dinner


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5

AM

Going to the Road Accident Victims

Protection Company

Road Accident Victims Protection Company Limited has been established according to the Protection for

Motor Vehicle Accident Victims Act B.E. 2535 (A.D. 1992), amendment (volume 3) B.E. 2540 (2003) in

order to set up service branches, providing services for motor vehicle victims in every province throughout

the country . In the case of the motor vehicle victim insuring with the insurance company that has no

branches or representative office for providing services in that accident scene. The motor vehicle victim

shall request for compensation from the Road Accident Victims Protection Co., Ltd.

BTS Sky train is an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by Bangkok Mass

Transit System Public Company Limited (BTSC) under a concession granted by the Bangkok Metropolitan

Administration (BMA). Besides the BTS, Bangkok's metro system also comprises the underground railway

line MRT, and the elevated Suvarnabhumi Airport Link (SARL), serving several stations in the city before

reaching the airport.

Meeting with the representatives of

The Royal Automobile Association of

Thailand

Training


lunch

Lunch break

PM

Visit BTS/ MRT systems

Dinner

Gather at the meeting point to go back

to the hotel

6 AM Flying from Bangkok to Dhaka Depart: 10:35

Arrive: 12:10


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Appendix 3: Job Responsibilities and TNA for RHD


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JOB RESPONSIBILITIES AND TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR ROAD SAFETY ENGINEERS

AT RHD

1. Training needs assessment for RSDC Superintending Engineer

Superintending Engineer(RDSC)

Present Performance and Op-

portunities

1. Manage design of new and upgraded RHD roads whilst ensuring that all

roads on the existing and proposed RHD road network conform to accepta-

ble standards of road geometry and safety.

2. Review the updating of Standard (Design) Manuals and Technical Stand-

ards and develop New RHD Manuals where appropriate.

3. Ensure all necessary surveys, including traffic, hydrological and soil sur-

veys, in order to carry out road designs and to be carried out departmentally

or out-sourced.

4. Ensure Road Design for national, regional and major feeder road projects

in accordance with RHD standards and to be carried out departmentally or

out-sourced.

5. Ensure Road Safety Audit Reports on national, regional, and major feeder

road and bridge projects and to be carried out departmentally or out-

sourced.

6. Ensure collection of road accident data on RHD roads from BRTA, Road

Safety Cell, Police Head Quarters and also RHD field office and utilize these in

developing accident measures

7. Recommend Road Safety Countermeasure at identified high prone Road

Accident areas to minimize hazards.

8. Review and approve road design carried out by consultants (including

those on foreign aided projects).

9. Provide technical advice to Road Safety component of Foreign Aided and

GOB Projects.

10. Promote road safety awareness throughout RHD by arranging meet-

ings/seminars/workshops.

The Superintending Engineer at RSD needs strengthening in the following areas:


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2. Training needs assessment for RSD Executive Engineer

Executive Engineer (RSD)

Present

Performance

1. Lease with BRTA, Road Safety Cell ,the police and also RHD field offices for collec-

tion of accident data for RHD roads & process the collected data.

2. Develop and update Road Safety Manuals for RHD.

3.Carry out Road Safety Audits for existing RHD roads(national, regional and other

RHD road/bridge projects)and those included in a TAPP as well as in PCP in case of

GOB projects.

4. Provide inputs to road safety component of foreign aided project s promote new

road safety projects.

5. Improve understanding of road safety issues by providing officers to RHD Training

Centre to train RHD Training Centre to train RHD officers & other in road safety en-

gineering.

6. Undertake annual road safety improvement demonstration projects.

7. Design in house and through consultants, countermeasure to mitigate road acci-

dent hazards including process of road marking and road signs.

8. Prepare Annual Road Safety Engineering Report.

The Executive Engineer at RSD needs strengthening in the following areas:


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3. Training needs assessment for RSD Sub-Division Engineer

Sub-Division Engineer (RSD)

Present

performance

1. Managing collection of accident data and other related data such as traffic data,

speed data, pedestrian crossing data etc.

2. Interact with BRTA Road Safety Cell and the Police for collection of accident data.

3. Checking analysis of identification of black spot and design of remedial measures

for accident prevention.

4. Prepare plan for Road Safety Audits of RHD roads by using RHD standards and

guidelines for inclusion in TAPP/PCP.

5. Checking of Road Safety Manuals, Annual Road Safety Engineering reports etc,

including proposal for its updating as required.

6. Provide training to the RHD officers on Road Safety issues and Engineering mat-

ters in conjunction with RHDTC.

7. Assist to design of Annual Road Safety Improvement demonstration projects.

8. Assist Executive Engineer –Road Safety Division in the following:

a. In procuring consulting services on road safety issues of the circle.

b. In developing database in the division.

9. Checking reports on progress of work in the Road Safety Division and appraises EE.

10. Arrange seminars/workshops on Road Safety engineering and safety awareness.

The Sub-Division Engineer at RSD needs strengthening in the following areas:


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4. Training needs assessment for RSD Assistant Engineers

2 Assistant Engineers (RSD)

Present

performance

1. Collate accident data, traffic data, conflict data, pedestrian crossing data, road

inventory data etc.

2. Co-operate eighth the Road safety Cell (BRTA),the police and zone offices for col-

lection of accident data.

3. Preparation of Road Accident Engineering reports with identifying of common

accident factors.

4. Analysis of accident data (factual parameters) ,identification of black spot loca-

tions with investigation and design of remedial measures for accident prevention.

5. Assist in the preparation of plans for Road Safety Audits of RHD roads and the au-

dit of projects included in TAPPs and PCPs,using RHD standards and guidelines.

6. Assist preparing/updating of Road Safety Manuals, Annual Road Safety Engineer-

ing Reports etc.

7. Assist the EE/SDE in procuring consulting services as needed for road safety tasks

within the circle.

8. Assist the EE/SDE in developing database in the Division.

9. Preparing reports on progress of works in the Road safety Division.

10. Preparing estimates, tender documents etc. for road safety works.



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5. Training needs assessment for Sub-Assistant Engineers

3 Sub-Assistant Engineers (RSD)

Present

performance

1. Collect accident data, traffic data, conflict data, speed flow data, pedestri-

an crossing data, road inventory data, etc.

2. Collect further accident data from related Thanas for updating/improving

the accident records, as per site visits.

3. Preparing sketches of accident locations, stick diagrams, accident reports

and history, for the identification of the common accident factors and black

spot locations.

4. Completion of route surveys for the identification of hazardous locations

and visibility problem locations.

5. Assist the SDE/AE to identify the location of black spots and to prepare

plans for road safety audit.

6. Topographical and plane-table surveying of sites, including taking photo-

graphs.

7. Collect data for updating Road safety Manuals, Annual Road Safety Engi-

neering reports.

8. Assist the SDE,AE-Road Safety Division in the following:

(a) In preparing and publishing road accident, annual road safety and other

reports.

(b) Keeping in safe custody of all records/reports of the Division.

(c) Preparing estimates, tender documents etc.

d P epa i g Co t a to s ills easu e e t a d ua tit su e .



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Appendix 4: Business Procedure for Data-led Road Safety Works


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Excerpt from Procedure Note 6: Manual for Road Safety Audit in Bangladesh (MoC, IDC 2000)


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Steps for preparing a road safety audit from Procedure Note 6: Manual for Road Safety Audit in Bangladesh

(MoC, IDC 2000)


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Appendix 5: Business Procedure for Road Safety Audits


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Business Procedure for Road Safety Audits

Procedure Note 6: Manual for Road Safety Audit in Bangladesh

(MoC, IDC 2000)


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Appendix 6: Matrix with Issues and Recommenda-tions Identified


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Road Accident Data

ISSUES IDENTIFIED RECOMMENDATIONS STATUS

Accident data is incomplete

Lack of reliable road accident data

makes it impossible to obtain over-

view and address problems effec-

tively.

Improve Accident Reporting Procedures

The prevailing underreporting of road accidents urgently needs to be addressed by MoC

and MoHA. Strict emphasis on the importance of reporting, training, and new equip-

ment is needed. Best practice shows that the process must be rooted within and man-

aged by the Police to create the needed ownership and progress.

Not started

Obsolete Accident Information

System

The database is not providing suffi-

cient accuracy and lacks analysis

tools. It is license-based and diffi-

cult to access.

Modern On-line Database and Analysis Tool

The existing database system should be revamped immediately while a modern data

information system is introduced, covering all roads/ authorities and GPS-localization.

The tool should be accessible on-line for all relevant agencies and stakeholders who

need data to perform effectively. Best practice from other countries suggests that the

Police should be in charge of the project to create ownership and improve sustainability.

Not started

Lack of Data Management Capaci-

ty

Data management capacity is

scarce, fragmented and uncoordi-

nated

Better Database Management

Database management and analysis capacity needs to be strengthened. In the short

term BRTA and the Police HQ needs to be in charge. Later, the responsibility can be

passed to the suggested new NRSC Secretariat, which is above all stakeholders and thus

can ensure that data is available for the organizations that need them, anytime they

need them.

Not started

Vulnerable road users at risk

Vulnerable road users, children and

breadwinners are most at risk, ac-

cording to existing data and anal-

yses.

Adopt Safe System Approach

The safe-system approach should applied on roads with high risk for vulnerable road

users:

A. Separation of vulnerable road users and vehicle traffic, or

B. Effective reduction of vehicle speeds where there is a risk of conflict between vehicles

and vulnerable road users.

Pedestrian footbridges

and traffic calming are

constructed but insuffi-

cient to curb accident

problems effectively.


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Road Safety Policies and Business Procedures

ISSUES IDENTIFIED RECOMMENDATIONS STATUS FOR IMPLE-

MENTATION

Frequent Transfer of Staff

The continuous rotation and trans-

fer of staff within RSD results in

loss of corporate road safety

memory

Better Career Opportunities for RSD Staff

RSD specialists should be contracted for long-term periods and career opportunities of-

fered to make RSD an attractive work place. Training provided as part of development

partner progra s ould thus e etai ed a d the ‘HD s o po ate e o st e gthe ed.

Not started

Existing Standards, Procedures

and Guidelines are not Applied in

Practice

The existence of basic road safety

guidelines, manuals and proce-

dures is a major asset for RHD.

However, they are note applied in

practice.

RHD Policy to Adhere to Existing Standards, Procedures and Guidelines

Procedure Note 1-9 (2000) are still valid and should be translated to Bengali and revised

based on local experience. Guidelines for Road Safety Audit and Road Safety Improvement

Works (2005) should be added to the list on the RHD Intranet and integrated in RHD pro-

cedures.

A feedback loop needs to be established to ensure lessons learned in the field can be ap-

plied appropriately in future updates of the documents. Setting and updating road safety

standards, and ensuring consistency between them should be the responsibility of the

RSD.

RHD needs to identify exactly which standards any given design team should follow BE-

FORE design is initiated as stipulated in Appendix 1: RSA in Road Rehabilitation Contracts.

Existing procedures

highlighted during

RSIP training sessions

but follow-up not

likely to occur in the

near future.


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Road Safety Audit is not Imple-

mented

Existing guidelines are not applied

in practice and capacity to conduct

audits is very limited. The RSA pro-

cedure is not commonly known or

recognized.

Adhere to Existing Road Safety Audit Procedure

The existing Road Safety Audit manual provides the necessary guidelines to integrate road

safety in the lifecycle of roads but RSA needs to be incorporated in job descriptions of road

planners and designers to ensure that they adhere to them.

RHD need to adopt a policy to adhere to the already mandatory RSA procedure to ensure

audits are done and transparent decisions made on each audit recommendation.

Training, examination and certification of road safety auditors need to be developed and

institutionalized to ensure development of sufficient capacity and competence.

Not started. Existing

procedures high-

lighted during RSIP

training sessions.

National Road Safety Strategic

Action Plan not Effective

Previous action plans have not

produced the needed results and

progress is unclear. The Action

Plan is not sufficiently results-

oriented. Stakeholders are not held

responsible for lack of perfor-

mance.

Results-Oriented National Road Safety Strategy and RHD Road Safety Action Plan

RHD needs a specific RHD Road Safety Action Plan, which outlines measurable targets,

budgets and sources of funding, and responsible persons for their implementation. Each

action defined in the Action Plan needs to be specific, measurable, achievable and realistic

within the set time (SMART). The Plan would feed into a National Strategy with similar ac-

tion plans for other agencies.

Priorities and relevance of the activities should be reviewed. The 161 blackspot projects in

pipeline should be included.

The RHD management must be prepared to support the RSD and other implementing

branches of RHD to achieve the set targets and hold them responsible.

Not started but sug-

gestions for the most

urgent activities for

the RHD Action Plan

have been given as

part of the RSIP

Overall Action on Road Safety is

Insufficient

The present national goal (50%

reduction in fatalities by 2020) is

not realistic and the requirements

to achieve it not fully understood

and recognized by GoB and key

agencies.

Prepare Results-Oriented National Road Safety Strategy

This report outlines principles for the development of road safety on national level, first of

all strengthening of the NRSC/Secretariat/NRSSAP to ensure that policies are realistic and

pursued vigorously. A Memoire of Understanding with all road safety key agencies and

relevant stakeholders could be prepared to ensure support and cooperation for the im-

plementation of the Decade of Action, starting with the preparation of a new, powerful

National Road Safety Strategy and specific Action Plans for each key agency for 2014-2016

and beyond.

Not started.


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Mandate of RSD is Insufficient

RSD lacks authority over Opera-

tional Units and Project Implemen-

tation Offices, which makes it diffi-

cult for the RSD to ensure imple-

mentation of road safety im-

provements

Strengthen the RSD

It is suggested that the Road Safety Division should be strengthened with more engineers

and solely concentrate on road safety issues. The RSD needs to be supported strongly by

the management to fulfil this purpose, and to carry out their responsibilities on all levels. It

is also important to make long-term employment attractive to trained, competent staff to

avoid loss of expertise.

Not started.

RHD Road Safety Policy Unclear

It is unclear how road safety issues

are supported and prioritized with-

in RHD.

Suggested Policy to Support Road Safety

Steps to st e gthe ‘HD s poli ies to suppo t oad safet : Apply mandatory Road Safety Audit Procedure in all RHD road projects

Built capacity to undertake road safety works and audits

Establish continuous black spot programme with fixed budget line

Roll out a national road signs and markings program and engage local communities

Document results of road safety projects for increased transparency and performance

monitoring

Strengthen road safety research and evaluations

Promote road safety within RHD to increase awareness

Not started.

Remark: The recent

identification of 161

accident spots by

RSD is a good step in

the right direction.

Ineffective Management System

The current management system is

convoluted and diminishes the re-

sponsibility of the RSD in the cen-

tral RHD offices in Dhaka.

New Management Structure

It is recommended that the management structure is reviewed such that the RSD is more

responsible for delivering road safety on national, local and zilla roads. This requires a

change in the management structure that provides direct reporting. The proposals would

be for the RSD to report directly to the Additional Chief Engineer. The role of the superin-

tending should be more focused on design issues and overseeing scheme proposals sub-

mitted by the RSD.

Not started.


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CONSIACONSIA

RSD Officers are not able to Focus

on Road Safety

RSD officers have a diversity of

work which hinders their develop-

ment of knowledge and experi-

ence.

Train and Develop RSD Staff to Perform Effectively

Ensure that RSD officers are given full support to develop their skills through formal train-

ing paired with hands-on road safety work. As a part of improving road safety in Bangla-

desh RSD officers should conduct seminars and workshops to disseminate information and

knowledge to co-workers, also to gain confidence and experience with road safety aware-

ness creation.

Awareness increased

during RSIP training.

Local experts identi-

fied and available for

further training.

Poor IT Management

RHD have no anti-virus software

and all documents are saved on a

central computer, not on a server.

Better Document Management Procedures

RHD urgently needs to modernize the management of IT, data and documentation proce-

dures through the introduction of a common server, modern IT systems with backup pro-

cedures and data protection.

Not started.

An RHD Intranet ex-

ists but is very vul-

nerable.

Road Safety not Well Integrated in

RDH Business Procedures

Road safety is not integrated in any

of ‘HD s p ese t usi ess proce-

dures in practice

Integration of Road Safety in the Life Cycle of Roads

The Consultant has prepared a number of methodologies and procedures that can used as

i put fo To‘ s, fo iddi g do u e ts, a d as guideli es fo p o esses a d ethodolo-

gies, i.e. for Integration of Road Safety in Road Rehabilitation Contracts. Furthermore, nine

existing Procedure Notes from the Institutional Development Component are still valid, as

well as Road Safety Improvement Works Manual. All drafts can – and should be - be

adopted and revised by RHD as they built up experience.

Not started but

awareness is increas-

ing within RSD after

RSIP training was

provided.

Interaction between RSD, local

communities and other stake-

holders

Road safety improvement schemes

does not involve local schools and

communities

Establish Better Cooperation and Coordination

Local Road Safety Committees exists but their performance and involvement is unclear. It

is recommended that RSD sets up a database of contacts pertinent to the delivery of road

safety including regional RHD officers as well as relevant contacts in the Police, education,

health and government and non-government officers. This database should be regularly

updated and used to inform relevant parties of the schemes that are to be implemented

by the RSD.

Not started.


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ROAD SAFETY FUNDING FRAMEWORK

ISSUES IDENTIFIED RECOMMENDATIONS STATUS

Lack of Funding

Lack of funding is one of the com-

mon explanations for lack of in-

vestments in road safety in Bangla-

desh

Higher Priority to Road safety Investments

GoB is in a position to strengthen its funding for reduction of road accidents, injuries

and fatalities considerably within existing RHD budgets, provided that there is sufficient

political commitment to change existing priorities and practices.

Little priority to road

safety versus other

road related invest-

ments

Short-sighted financial priorities

Short-sighted financial prioritiza-

tion prevent implementation of

safer long-term solutions

Consider Road Safety a Good Investment

To reduce costs, new highway projects are implemented without proper concerns for

road safety. This approach imposes socio-economic costs and human suffering that ex-

ceeds the initial savings tremendously. Instead, construction and rehabilitation should

be seen as a unique opportunity to set new road safety standards in Bangladesh.

Road safety invest-

ments are in practice

not given sufficient pri-

ority.

General Tax Revenues the only

source General Tax Revenues is the

only source of public funding for

road safety.

General tax revenues from treasury are presently the only source of sustainable, na-

tional funding for road safety. Funding from treasury is channelized to the basic opera-

tions of the road safety units at RHD, BRTA, and the police, through their respective

ministries. However, it is largely insufficient.

Insufficient


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SOURCE OF FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS STATUS

Road Fund (as a

mechanism for collec-

tion and allocation of

funding)

A Road Fund (RF) and Board can be created by an act of parliament. The Board should consist of

representatives from public and private organizations contributing to and benefiting from the RF.

The RF should be independent and financially autonomous. The Secretariat of the Board should con-

sist of highly experienced and professional staff. The Board and its Secretariat should follow the best

practices of comparable private enterprises to ensure efficiency and transparency. Regular financial

and technical audits should be instituted to reduce irregularities.

GoB has considered the

establishment of a

Road Fund but a draft

suggestion has been

taken off the table

again.

Levies on gas and pet-

rol

This is the most obvious source of funding for the Road Fund because it creates a balance between

road usage and funding for safety.

There are presently no

levies for road safety.

Electronic road toll

systems This is also a relevant source of funding for the Road Fund because it creates a balance between

road usage and funding for safety.

None for road safety.

Driver and Vehicle Li-

censing Fees

BRTA is presently collecting driver and vehicle licensing fees, which are channelized to treasury. A

portion of the fees, which can be raised, could be channelized to the Road Fund to improve driver

education, drive and vehicle examination, capacity building, and general quality assurance of exami-

nation procedures. The fees could also be channelized for awareness creation in general.


Fee on change of vehi-

cle ownership

Part of the charges on change of vehicle ownership could also be applied.


Levies on third party

liability insurances

Insurance companies will benefit from lower accident rates through reduced pay-outs and should

thus contribute to reduce accidents. This is common practice in many countries.

Insignificant contrib-

utes at present.

Levies on spare parts

and imported vehicles

A tax on import of cars, many of which are luxury cars of high value, bought by for relatively wealthy

people, should be considered.



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Private Sponsorships

and other innovative

schemes

Se e al p i ate usi esses a d NGO s a e suppo ti g oad safet - Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC),

- Centre for Injury Prevention and Research in Bangladesh (CIPRB)

- Centre for Rehabilitation of Paralyzed (CRP), supported by Valarie E Taylors.

- Safe Crossings (Dutch initiative)

- Nirapad Sark Chai.

Increased coordination by the NRSC is needed to optimize these resources.

Several private busi-

esses a d NGO s a e supporting road safety

but not in a coordinat-

ed manner.

Fines for traffic of-

fences

Fines for traffic offences can be earmarked for road safety purposes, e.g. from speed violations, ille-

gal parking, overloading of buses and trucks etc.


Small Companies Companies who are profiting from the road transport sector may be interested in providing smaller

contributions for road safety. Examples are car and spare part manufacturers.

Insignificant contribu-

tions.

Major/International

Companies

Major companies can contribute with bigger amounts as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility

CS‘ . E a ples a e B‘AC a d the Dut h Safe C ossi gs i itiati e.

Considerable contribu-

tions.

Other private contri-

butions

For example through:

Lotteries and schemes promoted at post offices, banks etc.

Levies on Bangladesh financial bonds through the treasury or establishment of a road safety

bond.


Advertising

RHD presently manage roadside advertisement through a set of executive regulations. A percentage

of the income could be channelized to road safety awareness campaign purposes. Income collected

from advertising on buses and vehicles could also be considered.


Leasing of Govern-

ment Land

There is also a set of rules for temporary leasing unused government land along the roadside. A per-

centage could be channelized to road safety.



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Development partners

The Road Fund can be used as a mechanism for allocation of development aid for road safety, and

development partners are receptive to requests for road safety. Several development partners have

provided support over the last 15 years, such as IDC, NDF, WB and ADB. However, they expect true

commitment from GoB to engage. The efforts must be demand driven and based on real ownership

as many previous attempts to strengthen road safety in Bangladesh have petered out after technical

assistance and foreign funding dries out.

Considerable contribu-

tions.

Other innovative op-

portunities

Although it may only generate small funds, the following options for raising funding for road safety

could be considered:

Route permits for transport providers

Sale of road side trees and other unserviceable goods/materials

Revenues collected from hire charge of equipment

Taxes collected from bills of contractors and fines of default contractors

Earnings from the sale of contract documents and manuals

Income from utilities companies using existing road alignments

After completion of larger projects, the infrastructure (office, equipment etc.) may be leased out

Funding from fairs and conferences



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Appendix 7: ToR & Cost Estimates for AIS & NRSA


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Terms of Reference

Establishment of an Accident Information System

1. Introduction

To change the problematic road accident situation in the country and pursue the UN Decade of Action the Government of Bangladesh through the Asian Development Bank carried out a Road Safety Improvement Programs (RSIP). The project resulted in a number of recommendations for improvements, one of which being implementation of a new system for accident data collec-tion and analysis. Bangladesh has today a version of the MAAP system but it is dysfunctional and cannot produce accident data reports.

2. Objective of the Services

The overall objectives of the present services are:

To enable targeted interventions towards safer roads by providing relia-ble, precise and updated accident information

3. Scope of Services

The Consultant will develop an Accident Information System (AIS) in a pilot area as described below. The full roll-out will be made in a later phase after experience from the system has been gained.

The Consultant shall:

Analyze present data system and determine reasons for its short-comings;

Carry out a capability assessment of the Police concerning staff and equipment;

Recommend institutional adjustments and capacity building pro-grams;

Carry out a needs assessment of a new system’s requirements includ-ing all stakeholders;

Adapt an existing off-the-shelf AIS to the needs identified including data reporting procedures, access levels, reporting, database content and functionality, communication, networking and hosting require-ments, back-up options, etc.;

Design a data collection system including data recording at the acci-dent sites by paper forms and/or by electronic means such as digi-tal and GPS enhanced devices;

Review the contents of accident recording according to the needs as-sessment and revise the accident form accordingly;

Identify the linkage and also draft a framework for the inter-agency cooperation and management of the AIS;


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Carry out training needs assessment for Traffic Police, and other stakeholders;

Design and develop training in system maintenance and management for the implementation of the AIS;

Propose how the training modules shall be incorporated into other training programs conducted at Police Training Academies;

Propose a pilot scheme of the AIS prior to rolling out to the rest of the country, including the provision of training and equipment to po-lice officers;

Assist the Client in procuring recommended equipment for the AIS;

Set up the AIS in the pilot area;

Develop training curriculum and carry out a training-of-trainers pro-gram;

Present the AIS to the stakeholders in a workshop;

Prepare a report on the proceedings of the workshop to capture the concerns of stakeholders and how they have been addressed;

Hand over the system after successful implementation.

4. Time Schedule and Consultancy Input

Duration

The assignment shall be completed within 24 months from the commence-ment date in accordance with the Contract.

Staff Requirements

The Consultant shall mobilize a Team of key personnel with relevant qualifi-cations and experiences comprising of the following:

a) Road Safety Management System Expert/Team Leader

This specialist shall be an internationally recognized professional with at least 15 years’ experience in the development and implementation of Road Safety Management Systems. In addition to holding a suitable post-graduate university degree, he/she should have extensive experience of working and managing consultancy teams in developing countries on similar projects and also capable for training.

b) Road Safety Expert

The Road Safety Expert shall be an experienced Road Safety practitioner. He/she shall have at least 15 years’ experience in road safety manage-ment and accident data collection and analysis. He/she shall possess a minimum of a University Degree and a relevant post graduate qualifica-tion in Road Safety.


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c) IT Specialist

The IT Specialist shall have a minimum of university degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or Statistics. A post-graduate training in Relational database Management Systems, Management Information Sys-tems (MIS) and other IT related disciplines is a must. He/she should have at least 10 years of related working experience particularly in Designing, implementing and training in data management systems and experience in designing road accident database systems. He/she shall have proven knowledge in setting up Wi-Fi/WAN connectivity systems.

d) Training Specialist

The Training Specialist shall be a graduate with a minimum of a Universi-ty Degree. He /she shall have proven good communication skills. He/she shall have experience in developing training modules and conducting training programs in road safety.

In addition to the above key staff, the Consultant shall mobilize other sup-port staff that will assist in administrative, technical support services, quality management, etc.

The total amount of specialized manpower is estimated at 50 man-months.

5. Reporting

The Consultant shall prepare and submit the following reports and docu-

ments in English in an approved format to the Client.

a) Inception Report

The inception report shall be submitted within four weeks of com-mencement of the assignment. The report shall outline the Consult-ant’s mobilization, the work plan, strategy, methodology and timeta-ble for the services.

b) Monthly Progress Reports

Monthly progress reports shall be prepared during the the implemen-

tation period of this assignment and submitted within the first five

working days of the following month.

c) Technical Reports

The Consultant shall prepare technical reports for all major areas in the establishment of the system such as system design and specifica-tions, data content, data management and output.

d) Training Curricula and Materials

The training needs assessment shall be documented together with de-

scriptions of the training curricula, training materials developed and

an account of the training activities undertaken.


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e) Final Report

Within 30 days of the completion of the project the Consultant shall

deliver a Draft Final Report with a general review and assessment of

project and recommendations for further development.


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Budget Estimate for AIS

Fees Units Unit cost Total

International Experts

Road Safety Management Expert 24 25,000 600,000

Road Safety Expert 12 25,000 300,000

IT Expert 24 25,000 600,000

Training Expert 6 25,000 150,000

Total 66 1,650,000

Local Experts

Road Safety Expert/Local Team Leader 24 5,000 120,000

IT Expert 24 5,000 120,000

Training expert 10 5,000 50,000

Procurement Expert 6 5,000 30,000

Total 64 320,000

Reimbursable Expenditure

International per diem 1,980 200 396,000

Local per diem 100 50 5,000

International flights 20 2,500 50,000

National flights 40 800 32,000

Equipment 1 40,000 40,000

Seminars workshops 1 30,000 30,000

Training courses 1 50,000 50,000

Communication reporting 24 2,000 48,000

Misc. administration and support costs 24 8,000 192,000

Contingency 5% 116,500

Total 959,500

Grand Total 2,929,500

Equipment to be procured 500,000


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Terms of Reference

Establishment of a National Road Safety Authority

1. Introduction

To change the problematic road accident situation in the country and pursue the UN Decade of Action the Government of Bangladesh through the Asian Development Bank carried out a Road Safety Improvement Programs (RSIP). The project resulted in a number of recommendations for improvements, one of which being the introduction of a national authority for road safety. Bangladesh has today a National Road Safety Council (NRSC), but being a po-litical entity it lacks both manpower and resources to implement national plans for road safety.

2. Objective of the Services

The overall objectives of the present services are:

To reduce the number of road casualties as a result of implementation of

coordinated, targeted and prioritized actions.

3. Scope of Services

The NRSC has neither the manpower nor resources to fulfill its obligations according to the establishment act. It is a political entity with capability of setting goals and approving strategies and action plans. It needs to be sup-plemented with a strong National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) with a man-date to coordinate and oversee the implementation of road safety actions. In the short-term perspective the NRSA should refer to the NRSC giving it suffi-cient formal decision power in terms of funding, human resources and legis-lation.

The NRSA should have a staff with experience from the main stakeholder or-ganizations and with capabilities of data analysis, monitoring and evaluation, research and formulation of coming action plans.

One of the major obstacles for road safety work is the lack of reliable data. In a separate project a new accident information system will be developed. The NRSA will be charged with a supervisory role of the functioning of the sys-tem.

The NRSA should have the following functions:

Formulation of national road safety policies and strategies

Establishment of action plans

Coordination among stakeholders

Review agency performance regularly

Facilitation of new legislation

Supervision of data system

Data analysis


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Dissemination of periodic information on the road safety situation to

NTSC, stakeholder organizations and the public

Monitoring and evaluation of progress of actions

Follow and apply international road safety research

Funding

The NRSA should be created as an independent entity. In a long-term per-spective, it should be placed as an Authority directly under the Prime Minis-ter’s Office to give it stronger mandate.

4. Assistance to be provided by the Consultant

Review of current situation

o Analysis of NRSC

o Activities at stakeholders

o Regulatory framework

Preparation of a framework for establishment of NRSA

o Legal/regulatory set-up

o Organizational structure

o Staffing

o Funding mechanisms

Capacity development

o Training Needs Assessment of New Staff

o Training Program and Materials

Develop tools for monitoring and evaluation of performance of action

plans, specific actions and stakeholder performance

Develop tools for development of policies and action plans

Framework for supervision of accident data system

Accident analysis tools

Development of standard periodic reports on the status of road safety

Assist in establishment of research environment

o Library, had copies and on-line

o International network


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5. Time Schedule and Consultancy Input

Duration

Duration of the Technical Assistance is 10 months with an estimated input of international consultants of 22 person-months and national consultants of 20 person-months.

Staff Requirements

The minimum qualification requirements of key professional staff that will be evaluated are as follows:

Road Safety Organizational Expert/Team Leader with more than 10 years’ professional practice of road safety programs and experience from capacity development of road safety organizations.

Legal Expert Minimum of 12 years’ experience in legal drafting and of which 3 years shall be in traffic and road safety legislation

Road Safety Expert with more than 10 years’ professional experience in road safety work including cross-sectorial analysis, experience in monitoring and evaluation procedures and establishment of action plans.

System Expert with more than 10 years’ experience in data analysis and out-

put design.

6. Reporting

The Consultant shall submit the following reports:

Inception Report;

Monthly Reports;

Report on Agreed Institutional Set-up of NRSA;

Training Needs Assessment Plan;

Training and Education Materials;

Agreed Business Plan and Output Specifications for NRSA;

Draft Final Report;

Final Report.


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Budget Estimate for Establishing NRSA

Fees Units Unit cost Total

International Experts

Road Safety Organisational Expert 8 25,000 200,000

Legal Expert 4 25,000 100,000

System Expert 4 25,000 100,000

Road Safety Expert 6 25,000 150,000

Total 22 550,000

Local Experts

Road Safety Expert/Local Team Leader 8 5,000 40,000

Legal Expert 8 5,000 40,000

System expert 4 5,000 20,000

Total 20 100,000

Reimbursable for Expenditure

International per diem 660 200 132,000

Local per diem 25 50 1,250

International flights 8 2,500 20,000

National flights 10 800 8,000

Equipment 1 20,000 20,000

Seminars workshops 1 20,000 20,000

Studies, surveys 1 10,000 10,000

Communication reporting 8 2,000 16,000

Misc. administration and support costs 8 8,000 64,000

Contingency 5% 39,000

Total 330,250

Grand Total 980,250


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Appendix 8: DMF


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Project Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF) for Road Safety Improvement Programs on 300 km Highway Design

Summary

Performance Targets Indicators Data Sources / Reporting Mechanisms Assumptions / Risks

Impact /

Long-term

Objective

50% reduction in road fatalities by 2020 in line with the NRSSAP 2011-2013

(it is suggested to revise the target. There is presently no reliable benchmark for 2010

to measure the performance against, as mentioned under Indicator and Reporting

Mechanism, and it is not clear if the reduction relates to 2010 or to the expected level

in 2020)

Police reported road accidents

(the 2,646 fatalities registered for 2010 at the Police HQ are

believed to be too low)

MAAP5 database at BRTA

(the 1,883 fatalities registered for 2010 at BRTA are not in line

with police data)

- GoB increases its focus on road safety considerably

- Key agencies fast track high-impact interventions on all

roads

-The prevailing lack of capacity and resources to implement

effective road safety interventions is improved extremely

fast

-Local consultants with road safety experience are involved

to increase long-term anchoring of know-how

Outcome /

Immediate

Objective

A 25% reduction in road fatalities on the identified 300 km highway, measured be-

fore/after the road safety programs have been fully implemented

(from 2015 to 2020, based on updated, reliable data for 2015)

Police reported road accidents after introduction of strength-

ened reporting procedures

Accident information system (either a new, modern solution or a

revamped version of MAAP5 as a temporary solution)

-Detailed planning, design and implementation of road safe-

ty programs for the 300 km can progress swiftly and effec-

tively.

- A reliable accident information system can be fast-tracked

with the needed commitment and dedication from the Po-

lice

Outputs Task 1: Reliable accident information system established for at least 300 km highway

by 2015 and countrywide by 2020.

Task 2: New road accident data used to identify benchmarks, main accident factors,

accident-prone locations and perform monitoring on 300 km highway

Task 3: Road safety measures developed and implemented on 300 km highway

Task 4: Road safety information campaigns and education for children implemented

on 300 km highways

Task 5: Road safety enforcement campaigns implemented on 300 km highways

Task 6: Road safety capacity at RHD Road Safety Division strengthened

Task 7: Strategy for large-scale implementation of good practices

Task 1: Injury accidents recorded by the police can be verified

by other reference data

Task 2: Analyses and results based on police reported road

accidents

Task 3: Number of projects implemented

Task 4: Information campaigns/education successfully imple-

mented in coordination with police enforcement

Task 5: Police enforcement successfully implemented in coor-

dination with information campaign.

Task 6. RHD RSC staff able to work targeted, independently

and effectively with road safety issues, based on hands-on

experience.

Task 7: RHD has a results-oriented plan for continuation of

good practices on its road network

Task 1: Revamped database with data from Police, hospitals and

other reference systems for verification

Task 2: Modern accident analysis system

Task 3: As-built drawings and project completion reports

Task 4: Information campaign and education impact evaluation

and completion reports

Task 5: Enforcement campaign impact evaluation and completion

reports

Task 6: Project Completion Report with Training Needs Assess-

me ts efo e/afte p oje t i ple e tatio . Staff s a ilit to per-

fo a d de elop oad safet ethods ithout o sulta t s as-

sistance.

Task 7: RHD Action Plan and input for the National Road Safety

Strategic Plan.

- MoC and RHD must have strong focus on road safety and

provide the Road Safety Division with efficient personnel,

career opportunities, resources and mandate to act as re-

quired

-Detailed planning, design and implementation of road safe-

ty programs for the 300 km can progress swiftly and effec-

tively.

- A reliable accident information system can be fast-tracked

with the needed commitment and dedication from the Po-

lice.

-Local consultants will be available to ensure that existing

knowledge and experience is properly integrated in project

planning and implementation.

Activities

with Mile-

stones

Task 1:

-Tender for the development of a modern accident information system

-Implement accident information system and train police along 300 km highway

- Establish data verification system with health authorities and/or other mechanism

Task 2:

-Collect data for new data base, starting with the 300 km highway

-Conduct analyses and use results to review RS programs and benchmarking

Task 3:

-Develop safety measures with involvement of RHD engineers

-Tender for contractors to implement safety measures

-Implement, supervise and safety audit all projects

Task 4:

-Identify target groups, carry out target groups surveys and identify benchmarks

-identify campaign messages and strategies and prepare detailed campaign plans in

close coordination with the Police and other relevant authorities

-Implement and evaluate information campaigns

Task 5:

-Train Police and coordinate enforcement with Task 4

-Implement and evaluate enforcement campaigns

Task 6:

-Train and integrate RSD personnel and NRSC Secretariat in all activities

Task 7:

-Prepare Strategy for 2015-2020 based on experience from 300 km

Task 1:

-Basic accident information system and at least one reference

system to verify data reliability in place by 2015 on 300 km

highway

Task 2:

-Data collected for 2015 from police and at least one refer-

ence system

-Data are of sufficiently complete and of adequate quality for

benchmarking and analysis

Task 3:

-Consultants and contractors perform according to plan

-RHD engineers actively participate in project development

and implementation

Task 4:

-Target groups, messages, benchmarks and campaign strategy

clearly identified

-Campaign implemented and evaluation completed

Task 5:

-Equipment purchased (if required) and Police trained

-Campaign implemented and evaluation completed

Task 6:

-Number of Bangladesh personnel directly involved

Task 7:

-Strategy towards 2020 prepared and endorsed by RHD man-

agement and MoC by 2016

-Funding identified for implementation of strategy by 2016

Contracts

Progress reports

Study, review and survey reports

Data analysis results and reporting

Technical reports

Design drawings and reports

Completion reports

Resource allocations and accounts

Annual reports

INPUT

Task 1 and 2:

-USD 2 mio.

-Dedicated Police personnel

-Dedicated health sector personnel

Task 3:

-USD 20 mio.

-Dedicated RHD personnel

Task 4:

-USD 3 mio..

-Dedicated community participation along 300 km highway

Task 5:

-USD 1 mio.

-Dedicated Police personnel

Task 6:

-USD 0.5 mio.

-Dedicated RHD personnel

Task 7:

-USD 0.2 mio.

-Dedicated RHD and MoC management


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Project Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF) for Accident Information System Design Summary


Impact / Long-term Objective

Reduction in road casualties through data-led actions

Evaluations of accident programs show reduction in accident rates.

Available updated accident database.

- Police take ownership of development and management of system - Key agencies get access to accident database - Rotation of policemen deteriorates the institu-tional memory

Outcome / Immediate Objective

Reliable accident information is available for all stakeholders Police reporting road accident in new system AIS can be accessed from workstations at stake-holders

Periodic reports on accident development. -Sufficient technical capacity available at stake-holder organizations. - A reliable accident information system can be fast-tracked with the needed commitment and dedication from the Police

Outputs Task 1: AIS installed at main police stations Task 2: National database with updated accident information

Task 1: Equipment delivered and training given Task 2: Data are reported regularly

Task 1: Data center reports on accessibility Task 2: Statistics from system on reporting regularity

- Lack of connectivity to data center - No reporting from police because of lack of will-ingness to share data - Insufficient capacity at data center to maintain system -Lack of funds to maintain system.

Activities with Mile-stones

Task 1: -Tender for the development of a modern accident information sys-tem Task 2: - Needs assessment and capability assessment of the Police Task 3: - Adapt an existing off-the-shelf AIS to the needs identified Task 4: - Design a data collection system Task 5: - Draft a framework for the inter-agency cooperation Task 6: - Carry out training needs assessment and design and develop training in use of system - Undertake pilot implementation of the AIS - Assist the Client in procuring recommended equipment for the AIS Task 7: - Hand over the system after successful implementation

Task 1: -Contract signed Task 2: -Report on institutional development needs Task 3: -Prototype of system installed Task 4: -Data collection form updated and electronic col-lection means described Task 5: -Approved framework Task 6: -Number of Bangladesh personnel trained Task 7: -Database management group in police estab-lished and functioning

Contracts Progress reports Data analysis results and reporting Technical reports Tablets or smartphones with data collection apps Action reports from stakeholders Training reports Hand-over report

INPUT Technical Assistance: -USD 3 mio. -Dedicated Police personnel Equipment: -USD 500,000.


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Project Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF) for Establishment of National Road Safety Authority Design Summary


Impact / Long-term Objective

Reduction in road casualties through targeted action plans

Evaluations of national action plans show reduc-tion in accident rates.

Regularly updated action plans

- Political will to establish authority

Outcome / Immediate Objective

NTSA has rolled out targeted action plan for 2015-20 Police reporting road accident in new system AIS can be accessed from workstations at stake-holders

Periodic reports on accident development. -Sufficient technical capacity available at NTSC. - NTSA was given sufficient power to direct road safety initiatives at national level

Outputs National Road Safety Authority Established Task 1: Equipment delivered and training given Task 2: Data are reported regularly

Task 1: Data center reports on accessibility Task 2: Statistics from system on reporting regularity

- Lack of willingness to appoint staff from stake-holders - Lack of office space - Lack of funds for running NTSA

Activities with Mile-stones

Task 1: - Preparation of a framework for establishment of NRSA Task 2: - Capacity development Task 3: - Develop tools for monitoring and evaluation of performance of action plans, specific actions and stakeholder performance Task 4: - Develop tools for development of policies and action plans Task 5: Framework for supervision of accident data system Task 6: Accident analysis tools Task 7: Development of standard periodic reports on the status of road safety Task 8: Assist in establishment of research environment

Task 1: -Framework report Task 2: -Report on institutional development needs -Number of NTSA personnel trained Task 3: -Data application report Task 4: -Description of new action plan Task 5: -Approved framework for supervision Task 6: - Toolbox for analyses available Task 7: -Standard reports accepted by stakeholders Task 8: Networking established

Legal/regulatory agreement Staff hired and trained Funding mechanisms established Action plan under implementation First performance evaluation carried out First supervision report sent to Police First accident analysis report published by NTSA First annual report issued

INPUT Technical Assistance: -USD 1 mio. -Staff from stakeholders to NTSA


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Project Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF) for Road Safety Non Engineering Measures Design

Summary


Impact /

Long-term

Objective

Reduction in road casualties through Non Engineering measures

Campaigns on Road Safety

Enforcement through Policing

Education through school road safety program

Improvements in pre and post road accident care

Number of road accidents with behavior-related factors

reduced

Number of persons dying after an accident before receiv-

ing medical treatment reduced

Number of active road safety campaigns deployed

Number of road safety education programs undertaken by

schools

Annual reporting of accidents based on re-

vised/revamped accident database

Statistics from respective agencies (Police, health,

edu atio , et …

A reliable accident information system is in place to ensure

that monitoring can be undertaken.

Data on road casualties available from respective agencies

(Police, health, education, etc..)

Assumption that an overseeing organization is set up to

collate data

Outcome /

Immediate

Objective

Strategies and methodologies for deploying non-engineering road safety measures available for relevant

stakeholders

Strategies for campaigns, education and enforcement

approved

Organizational strengthening of key stakeholder organiza-

tions implemented

Funds secured for future activities

Annual account from overseeing organization GoB sets up an overseeing organization e.g. NRSA to devel-

op road safety campaigns

MoHA sets up an independent dedicated central office to

deal with road safety

MoE sets up a committee to develop/ implement and regu-

larly update a road safety program to deploy to education

institutions

MoH ready to strengthen post-crash initiatives

All stakeholders liaise and exchange data

Outputs Campaigns on Road Safety – Overseeing organization within central government to coordinate road

safety campaigns at national and local level

Enforcement through Policing – Well equipped and trained enforcement cell managed and controlled

by central office

Education National curriculum targeted road safety program for year groups (e.g. safe crossings, safe

route to schools programs)

School road safety programs

Training material for education establishments to deploy

Health– Provision of central coordinated organization that can deliver appropriate training including

materials.

National telephone number for emergency service for road accidents.

Well-equipped central call center.

First data-led campaign implemented

First coordinated enforcement actions based on new

strategy carried out

New school road safety program implemented and mate-

rials distributed

Central call center in operation

First calls received on new national telephone num-

ber

Regular updates from involved organizations in-

cluding impact evaluations

Central Government and respective ministries must have

strong focus on road safety and provide efficient personnel,

resources and mandate to act as required

Staff available with ability to perform and develop road

safet a tio s ithout o sulta t s assistance.

Sufficient funds for activities are available.

Activities

with Mile-

stones

Task 1: Campaigns on Road Safety

Identify target groups, carry out target groups surveys, identify benchmarks

identify campaign messages and strategies and prepare detailed campaign plans in close coordina-

tion with the Police and other relevant authorities

Identify media: National Media, TV, Cinema, Newspaper, Internet

Implement and evaluate information campaigns

Task 2: Enforcement through Policing

Set up a dedicated Police Road Safety Task force to deliver and monitor enforcement initiatives

Establish framework for strategies, data analysis and implementation of enforcement actions

Provision of training and equipment, targeted enforcement initiatives (e.g. speeding violations,

overloaded vehicles, etc.)

Implement and evaluate enforcement campaigns

Task 3: Education

Set up a committee dedicated to the delivery of road safety education

Review and update current road safety curriculum

Training of staffs in developing road safety education methods.

Coordinate and deliver training for teachers to deliver road safety curriculum

Task 4: Health initiatives

Set up an entity to administer health sector road safety initiatives

Provision of training and equipment to set up central call center

Implement a central information system that can direct ambulances to the scene of road accidents

Coordinate and deliver training for medical professions to administer basic medical assistance at

road accidents

Establish data verification system with health authorities

Task 1: Campaigns

Report on establishment of campaign framework that

clearly identifies target groups, messages, benchmarks and

campaign strategies

Task 2: Enforcement

Road Safety Enforcement task force established

Equipment purchased and training given to Police to

support task force

Enforcement campaign implemented and evaluation

completed

Task 3: Education

National curriculum on Road Safety training updated

using international standards

Training mechanisms for teachers to implement edu-

cation on road safety in place

Task 4: Health

New road safety entity functioning

Central call center equipped and functioning

Equipment purchased and training given to Health

sector

Contracts

Progress reports

Study, review and survey reports

Data analysis results and reporting

Technical reports

Operational Plan and method statements

Inception reports

Completion reports

Resource allocations and accounts

All costs identified based on initial discussions, these are

indicative only and will need to be verified through detail

discussions with respective organizations/establishments

Campaigns

Estimated that 3.75core funding will be required to imple-

ment coordinated campaigns

Enforcement

Initial estimate of 12 core has been suggested for the in-

vestment required to improve policing of national highways

Education

Estimated funding requirement of 5.00 cores is required to

establish a package of measures to improve road safety for

school children.

Health

Initial funding in the region of 6 core would be required to

improve health services for road accident victims


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Appendix 9: Problem Tree


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