Civic body, traffic cops meet citizens

PUNE: Citizens, at a meeting with traffic and municipal authorities in Pimpri, suggested that the authorities implement measures like calming of road traffic (slow down the vehicles), provide adequate parking and ensure safety of students crossing roads near schools and colleges.
The meeting was held recently where municipal and traffic authorities discussed with citizens issues regarding road safety and joint measures to be taken.
Activist Vikas Patil said that there a few lakh school and college students of schools and colleges who travel each day for at least 5 to 6 km. The students, he said, are at risk because of traffic indiscipline and lack of road safety measures, and parents too are worried about the safety of their wards.
Most citizens said that measures such as traffic calming, installing speed breakers near schools, proper parking near schools will go a long way in streamlining the problem.
Schools, the citizens said, also have a major role in ensuring their students' safety during the opening and closing hours. Schools should ensure that all the students do not come out on the roads at the same time after school closes, and must cooperate with instructions from the traffic police for the safety of the students. Similarly, the traffic police, parents and schools should jointly make sure that students are being able to cross the road safely, the citizens said.
Traffic authorities said they have been conducting traffic awareness campaigns in schools and colleges and also explaining the need for students coming by two-wheelers to use helmets.
Before the start of the academic year, the traffic police had approached all school managements asking them to provide space inside their premises for parking school transport vehicles as well as those of parents and students. However, very few schools have followed the instructions. PCMC authorities said they have proposed to implement road safety measures near schools.