Traffic management in most of the city’s school zones presents a chaotic picture with parents of students preferring their own vehicles. Traffic in these zones, especially during the opening and closing times, often grinds to a halt, posing a risk to children as well as other road users.
Some of the worst affected areas are along Harrington Road, Santhome High Road, Alagappa Chetty Road in Vepery and Gandhi Nagar in Adyar, where there are clusters of schools.
Despite various measures by schools and the traffic police, including staggering of school timings, the problem persists. The traffic management is often piecemeal – autorickshaw drivers, residents and parents are all involved.
Santhome High Road around 3 p.m. on a weekday is a traffic nightmare as the institutions do not allow cars to enter their campuses. D. Chandrasekaran, a resident, said commuters find this very exhausting. “My daughter almost missed a flight as her cab took half an hour to cross the stretch,” he said.
Corporation sources said they would take up road widening efforts although this might take some time.
On Harrington Road, a portion of the road has been dug up. With eight schools in the area, even staggered school timings don’t really help.
“Wider footpaths to encourage walking and ensuring safety of schoolchildren have been taken up at Harrington Road,” the official said.
The Corporation has taken up widening of footpaths in other areas too. “Plans are on to develop a cycle track for kids near PSBB school in K.K. Nagar,” the Corporation official added.
Many parents however prefer their own vehicles. Madhavi Ajay, parent of a 7-year-old, said, “The city has become incredibly unsafe, so I am afraid of sending my daughter by bus or van. And, carpooling would take a lot of coordination at a busy time.”
Traffic police shoulder the major part of the burden. “When drivers arrive three hours earlier to pick up a child, it becomes very difficult. Schools should arrange for parking within campus or discourage parents from sending drivers early,” a senior police official said.
Many schools try to pitch in. S. Amudha Lakshmi, principal of Chettinad Vidyashram on MRC Nagar, said, “We have parent volunteers, teachers and NCC students helping traffic police at peak hours.”
