New Delhi, September 29: Speed management in Indian cities needs to move beyond the setting of speed limits and focus on the interaction between road design, enforcement, local conditions and the behaviour of road users, experts said at the National Seminar on “Rethinking Urban Speed: Speed Management for Safer, More Livable and Inclusive Cities”, held today at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi.
Organised by the Road Safety Network (RSN) in collaboration with IIT Delhi’s Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre (TRIP Centre) and IIT Kharagpur, the seminar brought together policymakers, researchers, public health experts and road safety practitioners to examine how speed management can contribute to safer and more inclusive urban mobility.
The seminar featured participation from several leading experts and institutions, including Dr Nitin R. Gokarn, Chairman, National Road Safety Board; Mahmood Ahmed, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Prof. Geetam Tiwari, Emeritus Professor, Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre (TRIPC), IIT Delhi; Prof. Bhargab Maitra, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kharagpur and Member, Road Safety Network; Dr. Gautham M. Sukumar, Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Head, WHO Collaborating Centre for Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, NIMHANS, Bengaluru; Dr. Mohammed Asheel B, National Professional Officer, Injury & Disability Prevention, WHO India; Ranjit Gadgil – Program Director, Parisar; Dr. Reenu Aneja, transport Specialist, World Bank; Ashim Sanyal, Managing Trustee, Consumer Voice and other road safety and urban mobility experts.
The discussions highlighted the need to ensure consistency among design speed, posted speed, and actual operating speed, while taking into account the function of a road, surrounding land use, and the presence of vulnerable road users. Experts also emphasised that speed management needs to be supported by appropriate engineering and enforcement rather than relying solely on awareness or speed-limit signage.
Mahmood Ahmed, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, noted that speed management needs to be communicated alongside broader development priorities and supported through effective enforcement and locally relevant interventions. “One of the biggest challenges in speed management is convincing people that higher speeds do not necessarily reduce travel time, but can increase the risk and severity of fatalities. There is also considerable pressure to increase speeds on highways and expressways in the interest of economic growth and competitiveness. In urban areas, however, the multiplicity of authorities makes implementation more complex, and interventions have to be local and suited to the road environment. Stronger enforcement, including electronic enforcement, and greater certainty of punishment will be critical to making these measures effective.”
Dr Nitin R. Gokarn, Chairman, National Road Safety Board (NRSB), highlighted the need to address the gap between vehicle capabilities and the environments in which they operate. “Road safety requires us to look at the entire road environment and not vehicles in isolation. Vulnerable road users, particularly pedestrians and two-wheeler users, remain highly exposed to the consequences of unsafe speeds. We need better data on two-wheeler crashes, stronger attention to pedestrian infrastructure and effective implementation of safety measures. The National Road Safety Board looks forward to working with stakeholders such as the Road Safety Network to take these recommendations forward.”
The seminar also discussed the Safe System Approach, which recognises that road users can make mistakes and that road environments must be designed to prevent such mistakes from resulting in death or serious injury. Participants highlighted safe speeds, safe streets, safe vehicles, safe behaviour and effective post-crash response as key pillars of this approach.
The vulnerability of pedestrians and two-wheeler users emerged as a key concern. Experts noted that mixed-traffic environments and large differences in vehicle speeds can increase risks for two-wheeler users. The discussions called for greater attention to pedestrian infrastructure, accessible footpaths, safe crossings, traffic-calming measures and complete streets.
Prof. Bhargab Maitra, IIT Kharagpur and Member, Road Safety Network, emphasised that speed management provides an immediate opportunity to improve road safety. “Speed management is doable, implementable and workable in the short term. It is not merely about reducing speed limits; it requires the right combination of engineering, enforcement and context-based speed regulation. Aligning road design, speed limits and operating speeds, while prioritising pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheeler users, can help make our urban roads safer and more inclusive.”
The seminar also examined safer school zones, the need for better crash and speed data, and the importance of integrating road safety with urban planning and public transport. Experts stressed that infrastructure designed primarily around vehicle movement can marginalise pedestrians and cyclists, and called for greater adoption of people-centred and context-sensitive road design.
The seminar concluded with a call for data-driven, locally relevant and people-centred speed management, with engineering, enforcement and policy working together to create safer urban environments. Participants emphasised that managing speed is not only a road safety intervention but also an important component of building cities that are safer, more accessible and more inclusive for all road users.