JSR commuters seek remedy from traffic snarls during school hours

JAMSHEDPUR: Traffic at most places across the city crawls at snails pace when schools start and shut down as vehicles transporting students occupy large parts of the roads in front of educational institutions. This affects vehicular movement on all main and arterial thoroughfares.

A teacher in a private school, Sonia Sarkar, said, “Commuting between Sonari and Bistupur turns into a nightmare during morning hours when classes in private English-medium schools begin as the area near CH area becomes choc-a-block with cars parked haphazardly on roads by parents who come to drop their children at schools. The area has four reputed institutions where more than 10,000 students are enrolled. Around 8,000 vehicles are parked in that area during school hours, leading to regular traffic congestions.”

An employee with a private firm located at Adityapur, Ritam Banerjee, said, “Serpentine traffic queues are a common sight on city roads when schools begin and close during morning and afternoon hours, respectively, on weekdays. It takes over 30 minutes to cross the Subarnarekha bridge that connects Mango with Sakchi, a distance of 250 mt.”

A Jamshedpur-based cardiologist, Dr Mainak Sinha, said, “Even ambulances get caught in traffic jams. The administration should issue directives to ensure that schools located in the same area should have different timings. Besides, parents shouldopt for pool cars and school buses instead of private vehicles for sending their children to school and picking them up after school hours. The schools must also ensure that parents do not give bikes and cars to schoolgoers. This will not only reduce traffic but also help to reduce accidents involving underage drivers in the city. Traffic police department has to act tough on such motorists and punish the parents who are involved in this.”

A homemaker, Nitu Singh, said, “I avoid driving during school hours as many drivers are in a mad rush to avoid being late to school or going back home early. Thsi increases the risk of accidents.”

DSP (Traffic) Sanjay Singh said, “Movement of vehicles in most areas near schools get affected in morning and afternoon as vehicles outnumber road volume and traffic police. There are at present around 150 traffic policemen and the requirement is around 500. We are expecting that this shortage will be fulfilled soon.”

According to the data available from the transport department there are around 60 lakh registered vehicles in Jamshedpur, which includes both private owned and for public use.