Students of institutes near Punjab highways, roads face grave risk due to growing traffic rush

Travelling from their residences to educational institutions is becoming riskier for students of schools situated along highways and roads due to the growing heavy vehicular traffic.

Underage driving, poor check on movement of modified vehicles, increased traffic of combine harvesters and tractor trailers and coincidence of opening and closing time of educational institutes with peak traffic hours on highways have further compounded the issue.

Residents, including parents of students commuting on highways, have urged the authorities concerned to take proactive and preventive measures to minimise the potential risk of mishaps during the forthcoming winter and foggy season.

The Transport Department has also taken cognisance of the factors leading to an increase in the vulnerability of students of educational institutes situated along highways and link roads and claimed that remedial action had already been initiated.

“We have already launched a coordinated campaign to minimise the potential risk of accidents with students and staff members of educational institutes situated near roads. While owners and drivers of modified vehicles are being challaned and fined, authorities in the PWD have been asked to ensure that warning signs and rumble strips are installed near main gates of all educational institutes,” said Regional Transport Officer Gurmit Bansal.

SSP Gagan Ajit Singh said that officials deployed in the traffic wing, Sadak Suraksha Force and patrolling parties had been advised to be overcautious during morning and afternoon hours when most of the educational institutes open and close, respectively.

Observation revealed that a large number of government and private educational institutes were situated directly along Ludhiana-Patiala, Malerkotla-Sangrur, Malerkotla-Khanna and Malerkotla-Raikot roads and their main gates open directly on the highways in violation of school zone safety guidelines that recommends that entrances of schools should not face busy roads.

Though the standard guidelines in case of infeasibility of relocation of entrance urges proper traffic safety markings, signs and speed reducers or rumble strips, these (guidelines) are followed in letter and spirit in rare cases only.

Observations have further revealed that students and teachers from about 100 localities travel in their private vehicles to attend their respective schools. More conservative parents have started sending their wards by buses plying on these routes, but students have to walk a considerable distance to catch buses from the designated stops.