The
Papua New Guinea Government is committed to making our roads safer for
all users. Towards this aim, we have established the National Road Safety
Council and tasked it with reducing the carnage on our roads and making
our roads safe for all. I am happy to inform that we have made great progress
in reducing the road toll since the establishment of the Council in 1999.
In 2000, we reduced the number of road accidents to 3635 from 4346, a reduction
of 16 percent. This is a significant achievement for such a new body. While
we have had success we need to do more.
In 2000, 211 people died and more than 277 were injured on our roads, a great loss to our nation and community. This also represents enormous emotional trauma and personal loss. and has a financial cost of more than 200 million Kina.
To meet our goal of having safer roads in Papua New Guinea, I am extremely pleased to be presented with this Corporate Plan for 2001- 2002.
This Corporate Plan sets out how we can tackle the issue of road safety, promotes community understanding and involvement in road safety initiatives and strategies. I wish to congratulate the National Road Safety Council Board and its executive team for coming up with such a plan. The Corporate Plan is both achievable and comprehensive. I have no doubt that after reading this document, the community will be assured that road safety in Papua New Guinea is in good hands.
Hon. Alfred Pogo
Minister for Transport, Works and
Implementation
I
am pleased to be in the driving seat of this Council which has initiated
this Corporate Plan, not only to have the statutory requirements of the
Act fulfilled, but also to have such a document that is both comprehensive
and informative. I am therefore optimistic of the success of the plan because
of the rigorous planning process and ultimately because it has the welfare
of the people of Papua New Guinea at heart.
The NRSC Corporate Plan's main thrust is of a preventative approach to the issue of road safety. Road Safety Auditing is basically a process to ensure that all land-use schemes (whether road building or construction of multi- story buildings) go through a thorough road safety audit because all land-based developments generate traffic, or sometimes called Land-use/Transport Interaction System. This Plan provides guidelines for all concerned and the NRSC to handle this very important issue in a more systematic and orderly manner to achieve Our Vision of making our roads safer for users and the environment.
Mr. Bernard Kipit
Chairman
As
the founding Executive Director of the rational Road Safety Council Services,
t gives me great pleasure and a sense of personal satisfaction to present
the NRSC Corporate Plan which gives the vision for a strategic development
of road safety in Papua New Guinea. It gives us a workable programme because
the major tasks and targets stated in the programme are in line with the
resources available.
PNG is now heading towards an increased motorization stage which will bring new challenges to the travelling public. This plan gives us the strategic issues that need to be addressed now so that the adverse economic effects of road accidents can be reduced substantially in terms of property damage and loss of lives.
The Plan proposes a series of training schemes for technical and professional people who are involved in this field. The general pubic will be introduced to road safety auditing and traffic management schemes so that the whole community will understand what we are trying to achieve. In particular, we are targeting school children through the "Neighbourhood Road Safety" programme.
It is our hope that every citizen of this country will get to know this plan because road safety will become more complex as different modes of land-based transport are introduced here in the future. The sooner we undertake to systematically build up an integrated Road Safety System in Papua New Guinea, the sooner we will reduce the unnecessary carnage taking place on our roads.
JOHN SIOLA
Executive Director
It is generally recognised that traffic accidents
constitute a serious problem in Papua New Guinea. The economic and social
costs of road accidents are incredibly high given the scare resources we
have in this country, for example, it has been estimated that road accidents
cost K200 million annually. We therefore need to have a traffic policy
with regard to car ownership because it has been found that there is a
close relation between rate of car ownership and rate of accidents. Accidents
are a direct result of a bad combination of:
• The ability of the driver
• The condition of the vehicle
• The condition and quality of the traffic
system and
• The volume, the composition and the speed
of the traffic.
Better education of road users, strict enforcement of safety standards of vehi- cles, proper auditing of land-use schemes, better roads and lower speeds can all have a positive effect of vehicles, proper auditing of land-use schemes, better roads and lower speeds can all have a positive effect of decreasing the number of road accidents. All it takes is a sound road management system widely understood and observed by the public, and strict enforcement of the system by the relevant authorities.
All these require the establishment of a specialised database for the experts to do their work effectively and properly.
THE CORPORATE PLAN
It
is a statutory requirement of the National Road Safety Council Act to furnish
the Minister with a Corporate Plan for approval annually.
The NRSC Corporate Plan emphasised the need to streamline all efforts towards the formulating of a framework for a co-ordinated, nation-wide assault on all aspects of road safety issues.
A Systems Approach for road safety is hereby advanced as the main thrust to manage all complementing and contrast- ing aspects to achieve the aims of road safety. The three conceptual aspects namely Planning of Safety Counter-measure, Construction (Implementation) and Operation Maintenance are the basis of an effective management system to adopt in the development of a Road Safety System for Papua New Guinea. The system can also easily evolve into a four-sys- tem concept of great advantage for future development. The organizational growth of the management aspect of road safety will easily enhance the four- system as a static management tool for the National Road Safety Council Services.
The reason is that the demand for new and bigger road projects will steadily increase, especially in the urban areas due to housing developments towards the periphery of the city boundaries and beyond. Traffic volume will also increase as a result of economic development and the ever-increasing population trends of Papua New Guinea.
To ensure development of the country and to
ensure adjustment to the rapidly changing world, it is important for the
National Road Safety Council Service to assess the various strategic elements
in order to create a system where all those strategic elements are harmonised.
The manageri- al relationships of different interests and groups (e.g.
traffic users, car owners, suppliers, etc) with social conditions such
as legislation affecting the work of NRSC, attitudes of the public, technological
change and the economy have to be addressed with care.
Systems Approach to Road Safety
Systems approach as illustrated is integrated
in such a way that output from one system is used as input in the other
systems.
These are basically manage ment systems to
manage the activities on the road network in such a way that an optimum
of resources is achieved and the best possible safe network is provided.
1. The Road Accident Database
The Accident Register is one of the basic
data sources for this reporting system. Quite a number of items of data
on accidents need to be reported including the following:
• Scene of accident (urban/rural, road side
characteristics, intersection/not intersection, road surface conditions,
visibility and weather, daylight conditions, street lights, etc)
• Units involved (traffic units, obstacles,
road type, cycle tracks, traffic control, regulations, speed)
• Persons involved (description of persons,
casualties, type and cause of injury, hospital treatment, influence of
alcohol and drugs, use of safety belts, and age).
These data are needed by other government and private agencies for analysis and studies and for evaluation of effects obtained from accident prevention methods.
Hence, a Road Data Database is required on
the basis of information from:
• Accident Register as described above.
• Road Register (cross sectional geometry,
alignments, intersections)
• Traffic Register (Annual daily Traffic
and number of heavy trucks)
• Pavement Register (Structure, skid resistance,
evenness).
Information from all these databases are essential to the NRSC Service annual survey of co-ordinated accident statistics containing calculations of the safety levels of roads and intersections, and pointing out the most accident - afflicted points on the road network - the "Black Spots".
2. The Planning System
In long term road safety planning, traffic
management in any road network is aimed at reducing consequential effects
of traffic on the roads; and the transport system in any area causing a
number of consequences which are divided into:
• Positive consequences (accessibility, mobility,
activity, social relations)
• Negative Consequences (accidents, noise,
pollution, barrier effects, visual effects)
• Use of Resources (public and private costs,
energy consumption, materials, land, labour force) Like most societies
in the world. PNG suffers from a lack of resources. A priority system is
required to give an economic view of the funds needed for improvements,
maintenance and extension, namely:
•
A model for safety improvements.
• A model for new roads
• A model for pavement maintenance and
• A model for bridge maintenance The present
attempts to reduce accident rates show that it is possible to decrease
accidents by traffic management means such as:
i. Reduce total amount of traffic, (economic
and legal measures proper town planning, etc )
ii. Change in modal split (Priority lanes
for buses, cyclists, pedestrians, car restrictions)
iii. Redistributing car traffic from local
street to arterial roads (traffic planning, traffic differentiation or
traffic integration) and
iv. Change road user behaviour (increased
penalties for traffic offences, speed limits, rebuilding of arterial roads)
There are plenty of means available but the National Road Safety Council has to convince the political masters as it is a question of political will. It is basically a matter of policy concerning what development is desirable. The means are available if the goal is clear.
3. The Production System
The production system in general should be
based on an integrated technical and economic system. As far as reaching
a high level of safety is concerned, the basic means are as follows:
i. Laws and regulations. (Road Standards,
Vehicle Regulations, Traffic regulations)
ii. Surveillance and control (Police are
in charge for regular inspections, control and testing of vehicles.)
iii. Technical improvements ( Design for
road safety, road classifications, speed reduction measures, priority of
reconstruction of black - spots, traffic engineering, accident auditing,
standards for function and equipment of vehicles, bicycles and mopeds)
iv. Training and information (Traffic lessons
for kindergarten children (3 to 6 years), compulsory traffic lessons in
schools, school safety patrols, driving lessons, information on new traffic
regulations, radio and television broadcasts)
v. Rescue system (uses of necessary resources,
quick help, or may be use of private rescue corps.)
4. The Research System
More research is needed, particularly human behaviour of Papua New Guineans on the road network as pedestrian and as drivers. More research is needed on ways to modify driver behaviour among PNG drivers, and narrow the gap between the road skills of urban and rural drivers.
Present Need for PNG Road Safety
The pressing need for improvement in road
safety is very real due to the fact that cost to the nation is astronomical,
about K200 million annually. Hence, opportunity for intervention by NRSC
is very important in the appropriate safety areas. These areas can be summarised
as:
• Safety conscious planning of new road networks
and new developments
• Incorporation of safety features in the
design of new roads
• Improvement of safety aspects of existing
roads to avoid future problems, and
• Improvement of known hazardous locations
on the road network.
On any road network, because of the historical
development of road systems, all four approaches will be necessary and
in use at any one time. Hence, 'safety con scious planning, design and
operation of roads will depend heavily upon local circumstances in terms
of the type of problem, the availability of skilled staff and budgetary
constraints.
1. Planning and Implementation
Many of the institutional and technical problems
exist due to a lack of systematic and rigorous processes of safety checking
or safety auditing. The basic ones are as follows:
• Inadequate planning and access controls
• Designs inappropriate to local conditions
• Weak or non-existent operational controls
• Inability to develop and implement counter-measures.
Present Need for PNG Road Safety
The pressing need for improvement in road
safety is very real due to the fact that cost to the nation is astronomical,
about K200 million annually. Hence, opportunity for intervention by NRSC
is very important in the appropriate safety areas. These areas can be summarised
as:
• Safety conscious planning of new road networks
and new developments
• Incorporation of safety features in the
design of new roads
• Improvement of safety aspects of existing
roads to avoid future problems, and
• Improvement of known hazardous locations
on the road network.
On any road network, because of the historical
development of road systems, all four approaches will be necessary and
in use at any one time. Hence, 'safety conscious planning, design and operation
of roads will depend heavily upon local circumstances in terms of the type
of problem, the availability of skilled staff and budgetary constraints.
Safety Approvals and Auditing
1. Planning and Implementation
Many of the institutional and technical problems
exist due to a lack of systematic and rigorous processes of safety checking
or safety auditing. The basic ones are as follows:
• Inadequate planning and access controls
• Designs inappropriate to local conditions
• Weak or non-existent operational controls
• Inability to develop and implement counter-measures.
2. Professional Development
At present PNG does not have enough specialist
staff and therefore, the need for safety audit is high. The reason is that
there are fewer developed planning systems and fewer systematic design
processes in most of PNG's institutions. Therefore, the National Road Safety
Council endeavour to utilise as much as possible, whatever resources are
available within PNG to enforce safety auditing by:
• Registering independent Highway Planners
and Highway Engineers with experience of road safety work to do the final
formal checking or auditing of all proposed road planning and design schemes.
• Encouraging all planners and design- ers
of the schemes to carry out their own informal checks before submit- ting
the schemes for approval by the NRSC Service.
• Promoting Road Safety Auditing Guidelines
which will provide detailed guidance and checklists for planners and engineers
involved in:
a. Land-use/ Physical Planning Schemes
b. Road Network Planning
c. Highway design and implementation
d. Traffic safety counter measures related
activity.
Senior managers and decision makers could
make the 'safety checking' of all pro- posed schemes obligatory upon all
their engineers and planners by insisting that all schemes submitted for
final approval will have successfully passed the safety checks.
3. The Design Process Including Project Auditing
The design process (see diagram) recommended
in the Overseas Road Note 6 incorporates safety considerations based on
assumptions of consistency of design elements with speed. For the time
being at least, safety audit are to be done at the stage, as shown in the
Design Process, which is at the end of the completed design stage.
Action Categories
Road Safety improving measures (laws and regulations; technical improvements; surveillance and control; training and information and rescue systems) are aimed directly against three road accident factors:
1. Roads and their Environment
Road accident reporting; road traffic and
pavement registers; co-ordinated accident statistics; location of black-
spots; design standards and norms; planning of road and path networks in
new urban areas; planning and design of new roads; traffic reorganisation
of roads in existing urban/residential areas; separation of "light" and
"heavy" traffic; analyses and proposals for road improvements; determination
of priority of improvements; design and construction of preventive measure;
effect estimation of improvements made; road markings; signs and signals.
2. Vehicle
Regulations for the equipment and function
of vehicles, vehicle registration, taxation, seatbelts, brakes, tires,
lights, horn, requirements to the equipment and functioning of bicycle
and mopeds, type approval of vehicles, control of functioning and
equipment of vehicles, rescue system, research on vehicle factors in road
accidents.
3. Road Users
Traffic laws and regulations, speed limits,
safety belts, safety helmets, alcohol tests, control of observance of traffic
regulations, road-side checks, traffic control, traffic lessons in kindergarten
and school, school safety patrols, moped lessons, lessons and tests for
driver licences, requirements as to driver's health, information and campaigns
on road safety, radio and television broadcasts, rescue systems, research
on human factors in road accidents. The task is huge and complex for the
present under-staffed NRSC. Many more technical specialists are needed
to help in this work. So priorities have to be set.
2001
2002
Two important issues that
need to be highlighted are:
1. The National Road Safety
Council Service may initiate discussions on the privatisation of the Driver
Training and Development because, world trends show, this is where the
expert- ise lies. In addition, the scheme is also self-financing. The control
will still be with the Council, but the actual testing will be in the hands
of the police. One condition is that the prospective driver must graduate
from a recognised driving school.
2. The National Road Safety
Council Service will compile a list of PNG registered engineers with the
appropriate qualifications and experience in Transportation and Highway
engineer- ing with proper experience in Transportation and Land-use development.
Traffic Safety Facilities
In order to establish an improvement programme for the country for new facilities, accident data analysis needs to be done to see the current trends in the types of accidents. Five Year programmes can be developed for improvement of traffic safety facilities, after numbers of traffic acci- dents in ten years can be forecasted under several variable conditions such as amount of investment, number of registered motor-vehicles or vehicle kilometres, by using multi-regression analysis and simulation model applying system dynamics
Using these studies the NRSC will be able to set up goals for the five-year pro- gramme using the above-mentioned studies to forecast different cases of fatal accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists, etc. These programmes can be integrated, specified (which can be an objective of national subsidy) or local in nature, which means on provincial funds only.
Hazardous Road Sections
For the purpose of ensuring traffic safety on existing roads, efforts will made to detect and eliminate 'hazardous road locations". Criteria will have to be developed by the Council in terms of using accident rates or other well-known methods from which maps need to be done.
Prevent Traffic Accidents
The Safety Auditing System is the basis on
which this programme aspect needs to be developed. This falls into two
areas:
1. General Conception
• Improvement of highway geometries
• Improvement of Information system
• Separation of traffic flow etc.
2. Traffic Safety Facilities
• Side walks
• Pedestrian bridges
• Traffic signs, etc.
Budgetary Implications and Appropriations
The economic cost of traffic accidents is
high; and in fact, it is roughly the same amount that is spent on highway
construction and maintenance in some countries. Generally, traffic accidents
may be classified into three groups:
(1) property damage-only accidents;
(2) non-fatal personal accidents and
(3) Fatal accidents.
The number of accidents in each of the three category decreases in the order named, and the cost per accident increases in the same order. Budgetary allocations for all road improvements should reflect the fact that traffic accidents are an important factor in magnitude that may control the ultimate answer to the economic value of a development proposal. In other words, in every proposal (whether Land-use/ Physical Planning Schemes; Road Network Planning; Highway design and implementation; Traffic safety Countermeasures related activities) the client government agency or private developer must include one percent of the total proposal cost to be known as "Safety Audit Fee" (SAF) payable to the National Road Safety Council. It is the responsibility of the Council to hire an independent Highway /Transport Engineer to approve the scheme.
This concept is a new initiative that is only going to complement the already agreed notion of five percent of the national road maintenance funds used towards improving hazardous black spots on the existing road network. The mechanisms have yet to be worked out. The criteria or priorities for allocations require the priority model to be established simply by educating those who are, and will be, involved both in the national and provincial departments. We expect the programmes for introducing these budgetary measures will commence at a slower pace this year and pick up momentum next year.
The National Road Safety Council 2001- 2002 Works Programme is only a short list of what is envisaged as an ongoing development scheme which will help the Council to remain a small but effective organisation relying in the co-operation of the public and private sector to uphold Public Safety. Appropriate regulations will be in place for submission to the Parliament but as a matter of policy, the NRS Council will be the enforcers, as stipulated in Sections 4-5 and 31 of the National Road Safety Council Act 1997.
In summary, the NRSC is capable of much more
but financial and manpower restraints imposed upon us allow us to pursue
only the highest priorities in the core basic areas of road safety.
