With the aim of comprehensively managing speed in the country and reducing fatalities and serious injuries associated with this risk factor, the Ministry of Transport and the National Road Safety Agency (ANSV), andxordered two resolutions to establish speed limits on Colombian roads and the second to regulate the implementation of speed management plans for district municipalities, metropolitan areas and departments of special category 1, 2 and 3.
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“Our objective with the issuance of these documents is to protect life. The resolutions include practical tools so that the territories can adopt and implement them. We are talking about a public policy grounded in the regions and at the service of local governments” indicated the Minister of Transportation, William Camargo Triana.
The documents, in addition to including and explaining the secure system approach, the importance of managing speed and current regulations in Colombia, also expose the phenomenon as a risk factor for road safety and its impact on road accident figures nationwide.
“Speeding is one of the main risks for road actors on the road, according to our National Road Safety Observatory, it is one of the most common causes associated with accidents. With these documents, it seeks to promote comprehensive measures and strategies to protect the life of road actors” indicated the director in charge of the National Road Safety Agency, Lina Huari.
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The official explained that the technical document serves to establish limits according to the environment and type of road, define criteria for review and update of speed limits, and finally, understand if measures should be planned and established to accompany compliance with the established limit.
The traffic authorities will be responsible for the application of the methodology to establish and signal speed limits. For their part, the competent national, departmental and municipal transit authorities as well as road administrators ANI, INVIAS and concessions, implement measures in line with current provisions on secure infrastructure that support speed limit enforcement.
The technical document that includes urban and rural areas, as well as urban crossings, will be applicable for roads in the design stage once the Resolution enters into force and for roads designed and under construction, as well as for nearby roads. to enter into operation, the methodology must be applied, making the pertinent modifications within a maximum period of twelve months from the entry into force of the resolution.
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It should be noted that the methodology consists of five stages, the second of these stages establishes a risk matrix, in such a way that the authorities have easy-to-apply mechanisms and do not have the need to resort to external consultancies or additional expenses.
In the case of management plans, the resolution defines guidelines to establish limit speeds, it provides a toolkit to manage speed and suggests comprehensive strategies in terms of governance, infrastructure, control, communication and pedagogy that can be applied taking into account the particularities of each territory.
Those interested will find guidelines for the construction of a Plan from the diagnostic base stage, the formulation and implementation stages and, finally, the monitoring and evaluation stage. The departments or municipalities of special category 1, 2 and 3, which add up to a total of 77 municipalities and 24 departments, The stages of diagnosis, formulation and adoption must be completed within a maximum period of two years. counted from its entry into force.
For those territories that already have a Speed Management Plan, it is necessary to update it in light of the new provisions and their annexes.
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It is worth mentioning that the provisions adopted must be in accordance with the current speed limits: “In no case may it exceed fifty (50) kilometers per hour. The speed in school zones and in residential zones will be up to thirty (30) kilometers per hour” and the speed limit on national and departmental highways “In no case may it exceed ninety (90) kilometers per hour. In the case of dual carriageways that do not contain pedestrian crossings within their design, the maximum speed will be 120 kilometers per hour.”
PAULA ANDREA GALEANO BALAGUERA
Portfolio Journalist
