After a bumpy start, smooth lie the roads to schools

After a bumpy start, smooth lie the roads to schools

The parents’ resistance to the project petered out. While there was commotion in front of only one school in the morning, by afternoon things were pretty calm.

Deccan Herald

Bangalore: Safe Roads to School (SRTS). First day, first show.

Guess whose car was the first to be booked for traffic violation on Friday? None other than that of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic East) M A Saleem, the man behind the project.

His car was found parked in no-stoppage zone, within 200 metres’ radius of Sophia School, one of the five schools which implemented the SRTS project.

Though the DCP’s driver, guilty of the violation, promptly paid the fine, it could not stop the inevitable — parent-police skirmishes.

On a day when confusion, commotion and congestion were expected, the incident allowed pent up emotions to spill over, with members of the Parents-Teachers’ Association, led by their president Madhusudan, questioning why the traffic police were allowed to park their vehicles, and not the public. What followed was a volley of abuses and manhandling between the agitated parents and equally charged policemen outside the school gates.

After meeting with the school principal, Madhusudan, speaking to Deccan Herald, accepted the SRTS project, albeit adding, “The police should exercise some restraint.”

Barring stray incidents like the one above, the SRTS project took off relatively smoothly at Kendriya Vidyalaya on Victoria Road, Baldwin Boys School on Hosur Road and Bishop Cotton Girls School on St Mark’s Road. In Baldwin Girls High School, the project was a non-starter, for the school had declared a holiday.

Bishop Cotton Girls School, Baldwin Boys School and Kendriya Vidyalaya allowed private vehicles to enter the school gates to drop and pick up children.

Lane to Sophia’s

However, Sophia School which did not have enough space inside its compound, was provided with a dedicated lane on a stretch of Palace Road for students.

Over 20 traffic policemen stood guard at each school, guiding traffic, allaying parents’ apprehensions and educating the public, in the morning and in the afternoon when the schools closed. Despite these measures, traffic piled up outside the school gates as students struggled to cross the roads.

“As it was the first day, there were roadblocks. But the situation will be streamlined within a day or two,” promised Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) K V R Tagore.

Meanwhile, a few agitated parents protested at Bishop Cotton Girls School and Sophia School for not being provided with complete information about the project. “I will not stop to drop” — read the T-shirt of a father.

But school principal Princess Franklin dismissed such allegations, explaining, “We sent regular circulars, announced it during assembly and details have also been hosted on our website. One cannot expect us to hold conferences with every parent.”

When a Deccan Herald reporter visited schools in the morning, confusion reigned on roads as the traffic police, school managements and parents sorted out their differences. However, the scene was much calmer in the afternoon when parents came to pick up their wards. The traffic movement was also smooth.


Parents propose

Parking facility and waiting time in the school.
Bus facility to far-flung areas like Whitefield and Marathahalli.
More supervision at school gates.
Car pooling.

Police dispose

Smooth movement at entry and exit points.
More public transport facilities.
Parking space for private vans and three-wheelers outside the gates.
Safety of students.