News: Reopening of schools brings back traffic jams in residential areas-06-04-2022
A day after schools reopened across the city, traffic congestion was back on the internal roads and residential areas close to educational institutions with residents calling for better traffic management and more personnel to decongest the areas and ensure smooth flow of vehicular movement
With schools reopening after two years, internal roads suddenly witnessed traffic congestion at many places causing inconvenience to road users. Residents said it is becoming difficult for them to commute on these stretches.
Police said many of the well-known schools are located near arterial roads. Areas such as sectors 10, 14, 56, 57, South City-1, Sushant Lok, DLF Phase 2, DLF Phase 4, Sector 14 and Golf Course Extension Road reported heavy congestion in the morning and afternoon, when parents and school buses either dropped or picked up the school students.
A resident of Sector 14 said the roads in the sector are jampacked in the morning and afternoon. “The area is already congested and the reopening of school and playschools in the sector is adding to chaos. People who have to leave for office make plans to leave early from home to avoid getting stuck in the traffic jam. The traffic usually builds up around schools... It gets worse during dispersal, when it takes more than 15 minutes to cross a 50m stretch,” he said.
Hundreds of cars are parked outside many schools in different areas blocking the road. Police said vehicle movement slows down, leading to massive traffic congestion in residential areas connecting to arterial roads. On Tuesday, adequate personnel were deployed to ensure no vehicles were parked on the main road.
“The reopening of schools has brought back traffic congestion. From Wednesday, the traffic policemen will start their duties an hour earlier and will be deployed at all the traffic junctions near the schools. They will monitor traffic according to the school timings,” said Ravinder Singh, deputy commissioner of police (traffic).
Police said since the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020 across the country, traffic policemen were deployed at major traffic points at 8am. With schools reopening, now they have to report to duty at 7am.
Anoop Singh, a resident of Block K of South City-1, said it takes more than 30 minutes to cross the main stretch due to the school buses standing in queue. “The school authorities should deploy their private marshals to monitor traffic and their buses should occupy only one side of the road instead of the entire road. The schools who do not have enough parking space outside or inside their premises should not be allowed to start classes for all children from Class 1 to 12,” he said.
Many residents said with the reopening of schools, the food and ice cream carts have also started parking outside the schools, compounding the traffic problem.
“Many cabs, vans, autorickshaws, two-wheelers and other vehicles, which ply children to the schools, are usually parked on the road outside the schools. Due to this,vehicles get less space to move and people get stuck in traffic jams,” said Tomar.
Police said with complaints pouring in about haphazard vehicle parking and heavy traffic congestion on the roads near the schools on Monday and Tuesday, they will write to the school authorities to make arrangements for proper parking facilities if the issue persists the whole week. “Most of the schools in the residential areas have more than 50 buses, which often block the road. Parents coming to drop or pick up their wards in their personal vehicles compound the traffic problem,” said a senior police officer.
Joginder Singh, former president of Sushant Lok-3 resident welfare association, said schools will have to designate parking space and police will have to take action against parents, who park their vehicles on the wrong side or in the middle of the road. “It becomes difficult for residents to commute on the stretches due to the vehicles blocking the road,” he said.
