Over the last few days, Harrington Road is not as congested as before, during rush hour. On the heels of Chennai Traffic Police (CTP) restoring two-way traffic on EVR Salai-Chetpet-Gengu Reddy Subway, Sir Mutha School (CBSE), Harrington Road, took measures to prevent traffic snarls on the stretch.
Last week, parents of students studying at the school received a circular from the management that listed a set of revised quidelines on drop and pick-up.
According to the circular from Henry Jayakaran, principal, vehicles cannot be parked outside the school premises, or anywhere on Harrington Road after the ward is dropped or picked up from the school.”
Instead, they may enter the school driveway and exit immediately after dropping or picking up the ward, at the designated zones, before 7.30 a.m.
The circular said that CTP authorities has informed the school management that parents parked their cars outside the school premises, along the entire stretch of Harrington Road and also on the footpaths, thereby hindered vehicular movement.
Sir Mutha School, established in 2012, shares the same premises as Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao Matriculation Higher Secondary School.
Until the new arrangement, students of the CBSE school were designated only gate 1, where vehicles could not enter the premises. Students of Lady Andal school, on the other hand, could enter the school driveway at gate 2 and exit via gate 3.
As a result of the single-gate system, parents/drivers would double-park on the road, drop their wards inside the school and then remove the vehicle, all the while jamming the traffic during rush hour. The school starts and ends at two timings: 7.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for class 1 to class XII, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for students of the Montessori stream.
“The traffic police has taken a very serious view of indiscriminate parking of vehicles by our school parents and may clamp/tow away your cars for which we are not responsible (sic),” added the circular.
Incidentally, a few vehicles would invariably be parked on various avenues in the neighbourhood. The Harrington Road Residents Association (HRRA) has been rallying against this practice for years.
According to Vinodhi, a parent and president of mom’s club (PTA) of the school, “Several parents disapproved of parking outside the gate but nobody voiced their opinion ever. Recently, when a few parents got together, they expressed their concern, and we decided to approach the management to request drop-off and pick-up points on the premises of the school. They were responsive and took the necessary step the following day.”
K.S. Rajan, manager, Lady Andal School, points out that the traffic snarl from Sir Mutha School to the Chetpet signal was caused by the parents who would wait in the vicinity to drop and pick up their wards.
Taking note of the situation, the management decided to let vehicles for Sir Mutha School to enter the premises, drop the wards and leave without waiting on the road. This is the system followed by Lady Andal School.
“Hereafter, gate 1 will be closed. Vehicles can enter through gate 2 and exit through gate 3. Parents or drivers are not required to alight from the vehicle to drop their wards; the school staff will be at the spot to assist the students. We have also sought assistance from the traffic personnel. So far, the arrangement has been running smoothly,” said Rajan.
The management is also in the process of creating awareness about the situation through the traffic personnel at school assemblies.
“At times, some older children can get off the vehicle, which may be 15 meters away from the gate, and walk towards the school. These are some tips we would like to share with the students,” he adds.
