A part of the traffic management plan put forth by the city police to ensure smooth flow of traffic around schools in the city has been criticised for allegedly contradicting school safety guidelines. The set of eight guidelines includes directions to provide parking space for school vans and other vehicles ferrying children inside the premises to reduce traffic congestion in the area. However, this has met with opposition from schools.
“Asking schools to allow private vans and school buses inside is against the safety guidelines, which mandate that school bus drivers and attenders should not enter the school premises,” said D. Shashi Kumar, General Secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka.
Traffic cops have sent the eight guidelines to around 2,000 private schools in the city. Special focus was given to easing traffic congestion around schools in the Central Business District (CBD). A traffic cop would be assigned to each school in the CBD to coordinate on traffic issues. The schools have agreed to appoint an employee as a coordinator who would be present during the commencement and closing of schools every day to help children cross roads safely.
