Private schools, traffic police, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation and other stakeholders have decided that school timings in the Karnataka capital need not be revised. The decision, taken at a meeting on Monday, will be conveyed to the high court, which had suggested revising the timings to help decongest traffic.

Ritesh Kumar Singh, principal secretary of the school education department, said, “All the stakeholders unanimously dismissed the idea of revising the school timings. Instead the traffic police department, private school management authorities and other stakeholders have decided to decongest traffic near schools by adopting different measures including use of public transport and identifying traffic hotspots and clearing traffic near schools. The list of suggestions will be filed before the high court in the coming days.”

The police have identified five hotspots where private vehicles are leading to traffic congestion. These are Hebbal, Sarjapur, Adugodi, Silk Board and the central business district. They have decided to map these hotspots and implement measures to decongest traffic. MN Anucheth, joint commissioner of police (traffic), also suggested the school education department teach lessons on transport and civic sense to raise awareness among students. In addition, the police have also decided to engage more traffic wardens by encouraging parents to volunteer to help decongest traffic near schools.

The private school management authorities suggested that schools that do not have adequate buses and are in the same vicinity partner with the BMTC and introduce a bus pooling system. It was suggested to the BMTC that their buses be used for one hour each in the morning and afternoon for students from different schools within the same vicinity. It has responded positively to the suggestion.

“Changing school timings will not solve the traffic problem. Bangalore’s traffic issue is not just because of schools. We should think of what children, parents and teachers will have to go through if the timing is advanced further. They will have to wake up even earlier. Children will have no physical activity. We need to think of alternate solutions to curb traffic,” said D Shashi Kumar, secretary of the Association of Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka

“Parents of children taking admission in schools in the central business district have to give an undertaking that they will use either public transport or school buses. Interstate vehicles coming to the city during the peak hours need to be regulated,” he added.

“Parents of children taking admission in schools in the central business district have to give an undertaking that they will use either public transport or school buses. Interstate vehicles coming to the city during the peak hours need to be regulated,” he added.

source : indianexpress