World Highways
First published on www.WorldHighways.com
Morocco’s Transport and Infrastructure Ministry has plans in hand to expand the country’s road network in a bid to boost the economy. Safety improvements will also ensure that the road network is safer, with Morocco instituting new road safety policies. Estimates suggest that up to 45,000km of roads and as well as 208 bridges will be required to provide access to the country’s rural areas. Extending the road network would cost up to US$5.8 billion, according to a study carried out for the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry.
Meanwhile the country is establishing a new national agency focussing on transport security and regulations. This is intended to bring together road safety and accident prevention moves. It will oversee regulations and organising the transport sector. The agency will also ensure transport firms comply with regulatory procedures, as well as controlling tariffs and supervising registration centres, driving schools and technical control centres. Morocco suffers over 4,000 fatalities/year on the country’s roads and this costs the country an estimated $1.61 billion/year, not to mention the human toll. In 2011, there were 67,082 road crashes in Morocco, an increase of 2.48% from 2010. There were also 4,222 deaths caused by road crashes in 2011, a jump of 11.75% over 2010.
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