### Section 4. Development of Traffic Environment

### 1. Development of Safe and Secure Traffic Environment

## (1) Promotion of Development of the Project for Traffic Safety Facilities

The police are promoting the development of traffic safety facilities such as signals or road signs to secure traffic safety and smoothness. Since 1966, in order to prevent frequent traffic accidents promptly and effectively, efforts in line with the Long-term Project for Traffic Safety Facilities have been promoted, but in order to improve various social infrastructure maintenance projects more emphatically, effectively and efficiently, the Act on Priority Plan for Social Infrastructure Development was enacted on March 2003. In this Act, the “Priority Plan for Social Infrastructure Development” was to be formulated by integrating the past long-term plans by field of business on development of such social infrastructure as traffic safety facilities, roads and ports. Efforts were made to further enhance cross-sectional efforts and collaboration between businesses.

In line with the Second Phase of the Priority Plan for Social Infrastructure Development with the planned period of 2008 through 2012, development of traffic safety facilities are being facilitated toward achieving the objectives listed in the plan.

## Diagram 3-13 Implementation of Main Traffic Safety Facilities

• Signals : Approx.200,000 units

• Road Signs : Approx 6.60 million boards

• Inflared Beacon Devices: Approx 53,000 units

• Traffic Information Boards: Approx 3,600 boards

• Traffic Control Centers: Approx 163 locations (As of the end of FY2009)

## Diagram 3-14 Second Phase Priority Plan for Social Infrastructure Development (Planned Period 2008-2012)

## [Measures and Index of Development Projects by the Police such as Traffic Safety Facilities]

1. Improvement of traffic safety

●Fatality and Injury Rate in Traffic Accident (Reduce by approx. 10%)

2. Promoting measures for community roads and measures related to pedestrians and bicycles

●Control rate over accidents causing death and injuries in safe pedestrian areas

(Control by approx.20% of the number of accidents causing death and injuries related to pedestrians and bicycles at places where measures are taken)

●Barrier-free type signals in major community-related roads (Approx.83%→100%)

3. Promoting measures for trunk roads

●Control rate over accidents causing death and injuries in accident risk prone places (Control by approx. 30 at places where measures are taken)

30 at places where measures are taken)

●Control over accidents causing death and injuries (Control by approx. 40,000 cases/year)

4. Promoting smoothness in traffic by advanced signals

●Reducing the intersection passing time by advanced signals (Reduce by approx. 220 million-persons/hour/year)

●Control over elimination of carbon dioxide by advanced signals (Control CO $ _{2} $ by 460,000t every year)

5. Promoting Intelligent Transport Systems

Diagram 3-15 Traffic Facilities Arranged by Police

## (2) Development of Advanced Traffic Control System

In urban areas, complex and concentrated street traffic is one of the causes of traffic jams, traffic pollution, and traffic accidents.