The World Day of Remembrance (WDoR) for Road Traffic Victims was commemorated by Parisar, Centre for Environment Education (CEE) and Bavdhan Citizens Forum on 17th of November (third Sunday) 2024 in Pune. The event saw 50 cyclists and 30 citizens joining a bicycle ride and silent march to pay tribute to the lives lost in road crashes and raised the demand for safer roads for all.
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The bicycle ride and walkathon were followed by a programme wherein some of the road crash victims and their relatives shared their sorrow stories in an attempt to bring awareness about the different aspects of road safety and the immense sense of loss and psychological trauma they experienced, which is avoidable to a great extent if safe systems are in place. They further voiced their demand for improving safety for road users through implementation of safer systems. The programme was attended by Shri Jitendra Patil, Retd. Additional Transport Commissioner, Government of Maharashtra, who has been an ardent supporter of safe roads throughout his tenure.
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Well known Marathi film actor Aaroh Velankar attended the event to show his support to the cause and demand.
The programme ended with felicitation of different stakeholders and professionals who were instrumental in saving lives of road crash victims as Good Samaritans like orthopaedic surgeon, emergency Medical Services Officer, journalists playing an important role in creating awareness among citizens and pressure on authorities for road safety improvement. Journalist Salonee Mistry from Times of India has been consistently covering road safety over the past few years and was felicitated for her efforts at the event. Lastly, citizens who stepped up and helped road crash victims, organisation Help was felicitated on this occasion.
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A street play by Mangal Theatre Group on the role of cycling in the city and their current plight was staged at the event.
A Charter of Demands for Road Safety - highlighting four major demands - adoption of an urban speed management guideline to set and enforce safe speed limits, effective enforcement of helmets and seat belts, improvement of school zone safety to promote walking, cycling and public transport usage among children, increasing awareness about the Good Samaritan Rule and checking drink and drive practices - was signed by participants and submitted to enforcement officials from the RTO.