SRTS: Notices issued to 4 more schools

SRTS: Notices issued to 4 more schools
Deccan Herald

The four schools have been directed to comply with the order to introduce safe route to school system.

The Traffic Department has issued final notices to the remaining four of the 16 schools that were shortlisted for the Safe Route to School project. The schools -- National Public School (Indiranagar), St John’s (Promenade Road), St Francis Xavier (Coles Park) and St Germaine (Coles Park) -- were supposed to have implemented the project in July itself, but got delayed because “the infrastructure was not ready in these schools.”

M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic-East) told Deccan Herald that final notices have been given to respective schools and the project will be implemented within a fortnight. Traffic Department officials are expected to visit the four schools on Tuesday to review their preparedness for the project.

St John’s, which could not comply with the project due to space constraint, is reported to have created a parking area for private vehicles to enter and exit from the school premises. St Germaine has installed another gate to facilitate the movement of vehicles.

Mr Saleem said that alternate arrangements will be made for schools like St Francis Xaviers and National Public School, which do not have adequate space inside its compound.

Allaying apprehensions over the project, Mr Saleem said the project is safety-oriented and schools should focus on introducing public transport like BMTC or school buses for their students, as envisaged by the project.

On traffic jams

While many parents have complained of recurring traffic jams around the schools, especially Bishop Cotton Boys School and Baldwin Girls School, despite both schools following the SRTS model, Mr Saleem says “these jams are not caused by school traffic”. “The private vehicles of school children are not causing the traffic bottlenecks as they are allowed inside the school premises.

The SRTS has been going on smoothly, and we have received a positive response from schools and parents alike. Traffic jams can occur for other reasons too,” Mr Saleem said.