Dhaka, April 7 -- The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has launched a drive to clear footpaths of encroachment to improve pedestrian safety.

DNCC Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan said "more than half" of those killed in road accidents in Dhaka are pedestrians.

"We have started clearing footpaths to ensure their safety," he said at a report launch event in Gulshan on Tuesday.

The report, titled Road Safety Situation in Dhaka, was prepared under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) programme with technical support from Vital Strategies.

The report found that 540 people died in road crashes across the city during the two-year period.

Pedestrians made up 56 percent (303 deaths) of the total, follo...