No solution to traffic congestion outside Ludhiana schools in sight
Nikhil Bhardwaj
Ludhiana, September 7
Traffic chaos outside schools in the industrial hub has been increasing with each passing year. The traffic police and managements of schools have held several meetings in the past to sort out the issue but there is no concrete solution at sight to the menace so far.
During a survey conducted outside some schools, BCM Arya Senior Secondary School, KVM Senior Secondary School on Civil Lines Road, DAV Public School, BRS Nagar, Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, in morning and afternoon hours on Wednesday, a chaotic situation was witnessed. Though the traffic congestion prevails outside schools in morning and afternoon hours, vehicles stuck in the mess take a huge time to crawl through the jam and to reach the other end of the road.
When senior police officials got complaints about poor traffic regulation outside the schools, traffic police personnel were deployed to man the traffic. However, the situation did not improve. The reason could be the influx of a large number of vehicles outside the schools during morning and after-school hours.
JCP (Traffic) Gurdial Singh while interacting with The Tribune on the matter said: “As per rule, all vehicles, whether school buses or private vehicles brought to school by parents have to be allowed to enter the school premises to pick-up and drop students. I have come to know that schools are not allowing vehicles to enter their premises, which is a negligent attitude. If they will allow entry of vehicles, traffic mess outside the schools can be sorted out. I will soon call a meeting of schools to discuss the issue and hope, school managements will co-operate,” the JCP said.
He said when parents were not allowed to enter schools while picking-up or dropping-off their wards, they would resort to haphazard parking on roads, which leads to traffic chaos.
Residents staying in the vicinity face problems
Residents staying around schools are facing a huge inconvenience as parents of students park their vehicles outside their houses. On many occasions, residents were seen exchanging heated arguments with the parents. “Parents often park their vehicles outside our houses. In the morning, there is not much issue as parents usually drop their wards at the gate of the school but in the afternoon, most of the parents come little early and park their vehicles outside the school. Many of them park vehicles outside our houses. Sometimes our vehicles get stuck between their vehicles,” said Vanita Mahindru, a resident of Shastri Nagar, opposite BCM School. Another resident Rekha Manchanda, who lives near a school in Sarabha Nagar, said residents have no issues if students’ parents park their vehicles on roads but when they park their vehicles haphazardly near or outside our houses that amounts to inconvenience. Not only residents but also shopkeepers near schools face trouble as parents park their vehicles outside shops leaving no space for customers’ vehicles which affects their business.
Parents urged to come on two-wheelers
City residents have urged parents of students, who daily go to schools to drop and pick-up their wards in cars, to avoid use of four-wheelers. If possible, they should come on two-wheelers as a large number of four-wheelers outside schools at one go is the obvious reason of traffic jams.
