Timing tweak, one-guardian plan to tackle Monday school rush in Kolkata – Times of India

KOLKATA: A week into the reopening of most schools here, Kolkata Traffic Police has asked ACPs and OCs of traffic guards to hold meetings with institute administrations to ensure smooth traffic flow from Monday on 30-odd stretches that cops have red-flagged as “jam zones” near the schools. All major institutes are expected to reopen by April 20.
Police said local solutions had been chalked out for each school and most of the plans should be implemented by next week. The solutions discussed included creating new parking lots for carpool vehicles, rescheduling the timings of two neighbouring schools and opening school gates earlier so that children did not have to crowd near the entrances, waiting to get in. At one school, a notice has been issued to allow only one guardian with one child at a time.

A few issues, like double-lane parking and the high number of private cars going to drop off and pick up children, remained, said senior officers.
Cops said they were still waiting for all the schools to reopen to devise a plan for uncluttered movement of vehicles during school hours. “Two schools that lead to congestion in south Kolkata will be reopening in the next 10 days. That is when we will decide whether we will need to tweak some plans that can also be applicable across the city. Till then, the local recommendations will continue to be implemented,” said an officer.

“The problem is not just central Kolkata. We have had complaints reaching us even from Kasba and Behala. In Behala, we realized we were handling over 6,000 students in two schools, located next to each other. They also follow similar timings. One school alone has around 5,000 students. Hence, we met the carpool owners and offered a small dedicated parking lot to them. We have informed the school to send out notices that no one should park their vehicles on DH Road. We have also decided to halt truck movement for 30 minutes around school during drop and pick-up times,” said an ACP.
Lalbazar sources said with new drivers manning pooled cars, coordination was becoming an issue.
“We might ask them to tie up with the schools and keep a few volunteers only for carpools. A few volunteers can handle kids using school bus. We have also recommended to several schools not to allow more than one guardian at the school gates, especially during dispersal. All PTMs should also be ideally held on Saturdays,” police recommended.