To ensure safety of the schoolchildren near educational institutions, Bangalore City traffic police have initiated the concept of Lollipop Man to help the kids safely cross roads.
Responding to the initiative, 118 schools across the city have come forward to identify and deploy near their respective schools a Lollipop Man, who will be trained by the traffic police to discharge the duty.
“Safety of schoolchildren is of prime importance in any civilised society. Children need greater care and comfort on the road. Small incidents involving schoolchildren attract wide criticism and anger. Therefore, it is imperative that authorities and school managements provide safe journey mechanisms for schoolchildren,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) B. Dayanand said.
Explaining the concept, Mr. Dayanand said that Lollipop Man, which is popular in western countries, wears an orange/green colour reflective overcoat with a “Stop/Schoolchildren crossing” signboard and regulates vehicles in front of the school, so that the children can safely cross the road.
The Lollipop Man will undergo one-day training at the traffic training institute enabling him to give signals for moving or stopping traffic to allow the safe passage of schoolchildren.
Apart from helping schoolchildren cross the road, besides boarding and alighting the school bus, the Lollipop Man would also educate them about road safety and traffic rules, he said.
Already the Bishop Cottons Girls School management is implementing the Lollipop Man concept on a pilot basis with the assistance of traffic police outside its premises on Residency Road.
The Bangalore traffic police have also designed a uniform along with the signboard which will be used by the Lollipop Man.
Schools in and around the city can identify the person and provide the details to their local traffic police stations which will provide training, uniform and signboard, he said.