The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Logjams over Rs. 5,000 a year

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Monday, Jul 21, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Logjams over Rs. 5,000 a year

Anil Kumar Sastry

Why do vehicles choke the Residency Road area at school-closing time?

School charges Rs. 5,000 a year for taking a car into its premises
Cars and school vans are parked haphazardly

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

School’s out: Traffic jams are a regular feature during afternoon hours on Residency Road in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: In order to save Rs. 5,000 a year, pennywise parents have been throwing traffic out of gear on Residency Road and other surrounding roads while dropping and picking up their wards from a nearby prestigious city school.

Ramesh (name changed), a driver of a car parked near Cash Pharmacy, told The Hindu that if he wanted to take the car inside the school premises, Rs. 5,000 a year has to be paid to the school. “I feel it is economical to pay Rs. 100 parking violation fine once in a while than pay Rs. 5,000 to the school,” he said. He, however, noted many parents have paid the amount to the school and are making use of the facility.

Chock-a-block

Richmond Road, St. Mark’s Road, and Vittal Mallya Road are chock-a-block with prominent educational institutions, including the Bishop Cotton Boys’ and Girls’ Schools, Baldwin Girls’ School, St. Joseph’s Indian High School, St. Joseph’s European School, Stracy Memorial School and the like.

Roads in this central area of the city witness traffic logjams between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. when thousands of parents descend on these arterial roads either to drop or pick up their wards.

Flouting “no parking” norms all along these roads, cars and school vans are parked haphazardly with double and triple parking, leaving little space for other road users. Even the vans belonging to that school are parked on the roadside. When hundreds of cars are being parked along Richmond and St. Mark’s Roads, hardly any traffic policemen will be visible. These cars and school vans virtually push BMTC buses and other vehicles to the corner of the road by even occupying the bus bays near bus stops.

‘Safe Road to Schools’

The Bangalore Traffic Police a few years back started “Safe Road to Schools” programme in order to decongest roads of private vehicles near prominent schools. School managements were directed to allow vehicles of parents and school buses inside their premises to drop and pick up students even as Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses were roped in to ferry students. However, a few parents preferred to send their wards by BMTC buses citing safety of their children and preferred personal modes of transport.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) Praveen Sood told The Hindu that Safe Road to Schools programme was very much alive. He said parking norms were being vigorously enforced in the locality but the police became helpless when hundreds of cars were parked simultaneously. “We cannot tow away all those cars and hence affix parking tags on these cars compelling the owners to pay the fine,” Mr. Sood said.

On the fee being charged by one particular school, Mr. Sood said he was not aware. Even if it was there, the traffic police cannot interfere in the matter and it is for the school management and parents to decide, he added.

As far as other schools in the locality, Mr. Sood said they have made arrangements to allow parking of vehicles either on their premises or arranged some place from others.

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