From June 1, thousands of children will have little choice but to run the gauntlet of overloaded transport vehicles, congested roads, fast moving traffic, and vehicular pollution on their way and back from school for the better part of the new academic year.
The reopening of schools and colleges on Wednesday will cause rush-hour traffic in the State to spiral to unmanageable levels. The number of vehicles and pedestrians on the road will more than double. The increased volume of traffic will overwhelm the available carriageway and footpath space. The traffic situation in the capital, which has a credible road improvement programme, is expected to be nightmarish. The traffic situation in the more-congested Kochi and Kozhikode could be even worse.
For one, Thiruvananthapuram district boasts 1,600 schools, including crèches and nursery schools. These institutions have an enrolled strength of more than six-lakh students, according to a conservative police estimate. The police say fleets of buses, vans, cars, taxis, two-wheelers, and autorickshaws will take to the roads every morning and afternoon to ferry students to school and back.
Most schools in the State abut congested urban roads. Parking will be at a premium. Main roads will get clogged. The snarls will have a cascading effect on traffic movement in adjoining localities.
A senior police officer says that traffic management is going to be an uphill task. The monsoon has added to the woes of the police. Many enforcers will have to deploy on the streets in tattered raincoats and squelchy boots. A proposal to equip traffic enforcers with modern rain wear is yet to take off. Endless breathing of vehicular smoke due to lack of air-purifying masks has caused severe attrition owing to sickness among traffic enforcers. Asthma, wheezing, swollen feet, and back pain are common ailments. Most traffic units lack the desired staff strength and enforcers are ageing.
The State police claim they have attempted to tide over the inadequacies by hiring private citizens as “traffic wardens.”
Meanwhile, State Police Chief (SPC) T.P. Senkumar has issued guidelines to ensure student safety during the next academic year.
Autorickshaws, cars, mini-vans and other hired vehicles should display ‘On school duty' boards while transporting students.
Autorickshaws should not transport more than five students at a time and mini-vans and cars not more than nine. Drivers and conductors of buses ferrying students should be vetted by the police. Student buses should sport the mandatory yellow paint. They should have the phone numbers of emergency services painted on the back along with the name and telephone number of the institution.
School buses should have a fire extinguisher, first-aid box, well-fortified windows, lockable doors, and emergency exits.
