25 new black spots identified in Police Commissionerate limits

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, November 27

As many as 25 new black spots have been identified in the limits of the Ludhiana Commissionerate Police, a latest government report has revealed.

With 52 old accident-prone spots, the tally of black spots has gone up to 77, which was the highest count in any Commissionerate or district in the state. However, 39 old black spots have been eliminated in the Commissionerate Police limits during the past two years.

With this, Ludhiana continues to carry the dubious distinction of being the “most accident-prone” area in the state.

A report on the identification and rectification of accident black spots in the state was prepared by the Punjab Road Safety and Traffic Research Centre (PRSTRC), led by its Director, Dr Navdeep Asija, with the help of the Punjab Police.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Traffic, Amardeep Singh Rai, told The Tribune, here on Monday that during Phase III of the accident black spot identification process for 2019-2021, it was found that a total 583 black spots, as per the definition of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, exist on various roads of the state.

Rai, who has been spearheading the sustained road safety campaign for the past few years and has recently constituted the country’s first road safety force in the state, said a significant concentration of these black spots was observed on National Highways 44 and 5, which pass through the city limits, signifying the urgent need for targeted safety measures.

The PRSTRC Director, who is also the Traffic Advisor to Punjab, said between 2019 and 2021, the road safety evaluation in the Ludhiana Commissionerate police district identified a total of 77 road accident black spots. These encompass 52 recurring or existing black spots with a documented history of accidents resulting in fatalities or severe injuries, along with 25 newly identified black spots, where a sudden surge in the accidents occurred.

Notably, the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate district stands out with one of the highest numbers of accident black spots in the region.

“The elimination of over 61 per cent of the accident black spots, with reduction of road accidents and fatalities, has made a significant contribution in the reduction of overall road accidents in Punjab,” Dr Asija said.

The newly identified black spots included five on the NH-5, 9 on NH-44, four on the State Highway 11, three on MC roads, and four existed on Ludhiana bypass.

The old black spots that existed included 12 on the NH-5, 30 on NH-44, 6 on SH-11, and four were located on MC roads.

To improve management of traffic, says ADGP

“The primary purpose of this exercise is to identify accident black spots in the state, aiming to manage traffic on roads through scientific and data-driven techniques, ultimately contributing to the overall improvement in road safety,” said Amardep Singh Rai, ADGP, Traffic, Punjab

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